BajaNomad

San Juanico/ San Basilio road- anyone been there lately?

jaymtb - 4-9-2018 at 05:27 PM

Hi,
Has anyone been in the road to San Juanico / San Basilio (N of Loreto) lately? Condition? Any alternates or detours? Map notes? I imagine it was busy at Semana Santa. Does anyone sell water or anything out there? Have been there several times by kayak on longer trips, but never drove in there. Have a small high clearance trailer and 4x4.
Thanks, Jay

David K - 4-9-2018 at 06:45 PM

I detailed the road and area last year in my Trip #2 report... let me know if you want the link or any data.

JZ - 4-9-2018 at 07:20 PM

Quote: Originally posted by jaymtb  
Hi,
Has anyone been in the road to San Juanico / San Basilio (N of Loreto) lately? Condition? Any alternates or detours? Map notes? I imagine it was busy at Semana Santa. Does anyone sell water or anything out there? Have been there several times by kayak on longer trips, but never drove in there. Have a small high clearance trailer and 4x4.
Thanks, Jay


We rode out there and back 4 or 5 times in Nov/Dec. Super easy drive. One of the best bays in Baja.

The 20 sec mark of the video in my sig shows the best part of the trail which is about 2 miles give or take off the highway.


[Edited on 4-10-2018 by JZ]

bajarich - 4-12-2018 at 09:22 PM

Semana Santa we were at Ray's campground in Mulege and met a couple who had just come from San Basilio. They said that they were the last ones there before the people who own the access put up a cable to keep people from camping on the beach, both there and on the nortern beach. 'Not sure what is happening down there but when we were there earlier I heard some talk about them making a campground and putting in outhouses. Maybe they don't want the campers on the beach but are willing to let them camp back in the bushes.

There has been a lot of campers on the beach this year thanks to it being out on the internet.

[Edited on 4-13-2018 by bajarich]

David K - 4-12-2018 at 11:00 PM

It was pretty busy there in February 2017, mostly Canadians. The yachts were there too. I think pretty places get known even without the Internet. Access is the key to popularity. Because San Basilio is longer and rougher from the highway, it isn't as busy as Concepcion Bay. The direct road in has a cable but the longer road that branches off the San Juanico road was open.

bajarich - 4-13-2018 at 09:52 PM

When we were there there were 12 parties camped on the beach which is pretty crowded, and 4 parties camped at the north beach. We were there the last week of Feb and first week of March 2018. Lots of Europeans in their overlander rigs.

jaymtb - 5-26-2018 at 07:38 AM

The owners have closed the south and north beaches to vehicles, fires etc, with a beach concession. They own and control the access through the ranchos.

AKgringo - 5-26-2018 at 08:38 AM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
I detailed the road and area last year in my Trip #2 report... let me know if you want the link or any data.


David, I tried to check out the trip report, but none of your photos are viewable for me. Did you get the 'bucket', or is it because I don't pay for their service?

Edit ! The issue seems to have been resolved!

[Edited on 5-26-2018 by AKgringo]

AKgringo - 5-26-2018 at 08:44 AM

Quote: Originally posted by jaymtb  
The owners have closed the south and north beaches to vehicles, fires etc, with a beach concession. They own and control the access through the ranchos.


jaymtb, thanks for the report! I don't need to drive, or camp on the beach, but is there a place for a single suv to set up a one night camp near the beach, other than the concession?

Alm - 5-26-2018 at 11:56 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
It was pretty busy there in February 2017, mostly Canadians. The yachts were there too. I think pretty places get known even without the Internet. Access is the key to popularity.

But of course, it's the access! :)

Somebody doesn't live in Baja, never heard of San Juanico, goes vacationing to Loreto, then suddenly decides to load his jeep, drive 20 miles North and turn to some dirt road. Yeah, right....

Everybody learned about it on internet. Or - from his friends, who in turn read about it on internet. Except - maybe - for yachties, who have their own circles and don't discuss the roads. Though I'm sure that majority of them also learned about it on internet, rather than unexpectedly drifting in when sailing around Loreto. Maybe only a few didn't read anything, just looked at the map and decided to turn in.

The place is over-rated, anyway. Last time I stopped there 8 years ago, the bay already felt crowded. Camped on the South side with kayak, under the sign "Privado" - they were in every single cove, but no houses on the South side yet. Felt sorry for half a dozen car campers on the North side across, with houses overlooking the beach. One big casa was having a loud party with fireworks.

David K - 5-27-2018 at 08:20 AM

The longer we live, the more change we will see. Unless it is your property, it's pretty hard to fuss when that property's owner buids on it. I am so lucky to have known and enjoyed Baja from before paved roads went south of Colonet or San Felipe, or north of Constitucion. But, for others, they remember a different first Baja peninsula drive. One that
took 2 days instead of 2 weeks and it was great for them.
Baja will continue to be loved but for different experiences and that will be fine. Just remember the Baja you fell in love with and keep that close to your heart.





bajarich - 5-27-2018 at 09:55 PM

First discovered San Basilio in 1996 in my 2WD VW Vanagon. Even then there were 3 or 4 other parties. We didn't know if we would make it back out but we did. There were no houses then. When I returned with a FWD pickup and camper in 1998 there was a big house there, I heard it was owned by Spanish royalty.

The current owner has devided the property into several ranches which extend all the way to the highway.