1971 AAA Baja Map (July 1971) for historical interest

Before 1975 and sometime after the late 1960s, the AAA map (actually was the Auto Club of Southern California) had a large scale map of northern Baja and the smaller scale of the rest of Baja on the other side. That smaller scale was the same style map they had for all of Baja in the early 1960s and before.

I have 9 scans of this 1971 map provided by TW (TMW on Nomad).



















The new (then) highway is not accurate south of Santiago nor was there a paved 6 mile road to Agua Caliente... just a couple quick observations.

If I missed an area you want to see or if you want me to zoom in on any area to see better... just ask!

I will scan the Sept. 1973 edition of the Baja map next...

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Quote: Originally posted by Mateo-Feo   Wow this is cool I think so, too! Like looking back in time. Soon, I will put up the 1973 map that TW sent me. The Olympics have been distracting me! The '73 map shows the proposed or under construction route of the new highway. Does anyone have the 1972 AAA Baja map?

Quote: Originally posted by Hook

I never was on any of the unpaved sections of the transpeninsular hwy (though I was going down to Ensenada from '69 on), but I did drive the hwy between Ensenada and San Felipe in '73, before it was completely paved. Seemed like it was only the section across Laguna Diablo that was still dirt. My gal and I had lunch at Arnold's Cafe and drove all the way back to Ensenada in the same day!! We were blown away at the temp change (especially the water) between Ensenada and San Felipe.

Quote: Originally posted by sundance007

Wow that is amazing. I would love to do the Baja 1000 someday. A bucketlist item.

Quote: Originally posted by PaulW

South of San Felipe there are two roads. The old Puerticitos road (OPR) and the current road closer to the Sea. What was the time period when the transition from OPR to the present road path? Any old maps showing both? A friend and resident for 40 years remembers driving south using OPR. I wonder if his memory is good?

The new graded roadbed (future paved road) south from Punta Estrella was built in 1982 and could be driven just a ways beyond La Roca, about to La Perlita/ Agua Azul de Acapulco and bulldozer clearing was progressing south.

Paving came several years later, around 1990... and was so thin that by 1999 it was well deteriorated.

My map in 1980, before the new road:



Here is my 1982 map showing both:



Jan. 1988:


Pavement progressed from the Hotel Fiesta to just beyond Punta Estrella (about where the Valle de los Gigantes is now)

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AAA Before and after:

1978:



1987:


(my notes on the progress south of Puertecitos on the new graded road)

1989:


(The incorrectly showed paving to Percebu)

1990:


(They corrected the mistake from 1989 map paving to Percebu)

1996:


(Pavement reached Puertecitos)

2000:


(Pavement already vanishing near Puertecitos)

2001:


(More pavement gone)

2003:



2004:



2007:


(Road repaved to Puertecitos)




[Edited on 5-25-2018 by David K]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing

Quote: Originally posted by TMW

The pavement to Puertecitos was completed in 1988. We ran the 1987 Baja 1000 which came out of Matomi wash onto the graded road. We ran the 1988 Baja 1000, same course, and when it came out of Matomi wash it was on new pavement. What a difference a year made but it was not to last since the pavement was so thin potholes soon developed.

Quote: Originally posted by PaulW

Anyway without an image I have questions for David * I really like your maps. How did you do your map making with all the mileage detail? Pretty accurate I might add. * Regarding your '82? map that shows the detail of the Matomi area. I have had conversations with two old timers that said OPR entered Matomi from the north then went east to where hwy 5 is now then continued south. Then later this route was discontinued to become what you show in the '82 map for hwy 5. My question is there any thing older that can verify that route or is just fictional?

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Paul, another proof that OPR and Hwy. 5 are in the same location across the Matomí arroyo valley is in Gulick & Gerhard's 1962 Lower California Guidebook that describes Arroyo Matomí and the deep well just west of the road. That well is still just west of the highway. A ranch called San Rafael was there since the 1970s. Today it is called El Pozo, at km. 60.5. [Edited on 5-26-2018 by David K]

Gulick has always shown the yellow road. Was the yellow road ever used before the coast road?

Yes Paul, as I said in the last reply...
"I did see the unpublished first Gulick map of San Felipe south and indeed, before there was a direct to Puertecitos road, that Llanos de San Fermin road was all he showed south of the sulfur mine."

The 1956 map in the guidebook shows the road south of San Felipe going to the sulfur mine then turning east to end at Agua de Chale. There was no map showing the coast between San Felipe and Gonzaga Bay in the '56 book.




The 1958 map (an added map for San Felipe to Gonzaga) shows the Llanos de San Fermin road as well as the road going direct to Puertecitos (OPR) from the sulfur mine. The guide mentioned that the camp at Puertecitos was established in 1957. Gulick's photos there in 1956 show nothing and in 1959 show the first buildings where the cantina is.

Quote: Originally posted by PaulW

Here is another Some interesting mapping by Tom Tom. A popup offering mobile maps for free. https://developer.tomtom.com/maps-sdk-web-js/functional-exam... A quick look showed Motomi and they called “Arroyo El Rosario”. Anybody ever heard of that name? And the old Hwy 5 thru Coco’s between new 5N to New 5S is labeled “Camino a Calamajue”

Quote: Originally posted by PaulW

How about old maps that show driving paths in the San Felipe arroyos? Azufre(Parral), Huatamote/Parral, Chanate, etc

I was the the first to document the Azufre/ Parral road since it was shown on the 1971 Geological map of Baja Norte and mentioned in the 1967 edition of Camping and Climbing in Baja. I finally found the route of the long-abandoned road in 1978. Friends traveling with me in my 4WD Subaru would keep getting out to move rocks or debris. We could find the old road by seeing parallel grass (it was raining in December) as the water would puddle in the slightly depressed soil from old tire tracks... and the grass would grow there, showing me the way! It was a big thrill to get through to Valle Chico and see the Sierra San Pedro Mártir! We reached the valley road, a few miles north of Matomi Canyon and drove north to San Felipe.

I was recently in the Baja 1000 ('79) and thought Sal Fish might like to have another optional race route (instead of Matomi) to loop around in. Sal thanked me and invited me to work with SCORE on mapping. I did not follow through on his kind offer.

Here are some of my old maps of the roads south of San Felipe...

1980:


1982:


1982:


1988:


2004:


[Edited on 3-14-2020 by David K]

I got the name Agua Caliente for that arroyo from maps available at the time... It was changed to Hauatmote on the topo maps/ Baja Almanac and later editions of the AAA map.

See here the 1974 AAA map: Arroyo Agua Caliente:



On the 1962 Gulick map, the only arroyo of the many branches that leads out to Punta Estrella is Arroyo Agua Caliente:

Quote: Originally posted by PaulW

thanks

Quote: Originally posted by PaulW

Do you have anything on Indian wash/arroyo.