BajaNomad

best route into baja from Phoenix

mona15 - 12-7-2019 at 08:27 PM

Will be traveling into the baja for the winter and wish to find the easiest border crossing for a first timer.
We are traveling to Loreto. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Bajazly - 12-7-2019 at 08:36 PM

Mexicali, either one but west has the easy stop for FMM's, not sure about East.

greasecoyote - 12-7-2019 at 09:15 PM

This might sound counterintuitive but I'd pick San Ysidro, unless you would like to also visit San Felipe. Here's why- if you cross at Mexicali you have to get to highway 1 to head south and south of San Felipe, road 5 is rough and incomplete in sections (unless you're ok with that). So you have to either take the Rumorosa grade on 2 which is cool but slow and not good for RVs/trailers and costs a lot of money in tolls, and you then have to cross Tijuana. Or you could take highway 3 but its long and winding and you end up backtracking so its also time consuming. Interstate 8 is the most direct, and is in the U.S. so its safe and there are no tolls, if saving money and time is your objective. You can get your FMM at San Ysidro and then follow the signs to "Ensenada - Scenic Road" (which has tolls) for which there is a pretty direct route from the border that avoids having to drive through too much of Tijuana.

bajaguy - 12-7-2019 at 09:25 PM

Or cross at Tecate, get your FMM's and straight shot on Hwy 3 to Ensenada then south on Hwy 1
Quote: Originally posted by greasecoyote  
This might sound counterintuitive but I'd pick San Ysidro, unless you would like to also visit San Felipe. Here's why- if you cross at Mexicali you have to get to highway 1 to head south and south of San Felipe, road 5 is rough and incomplete in sections (unless you're ok with that). So you have to either take the Rumorosa grade on 2 which is cool but slow and not good for RVs/trailers and costs a lot of money in tolls, and you then have to cross Tijuana. Or you could take highway 3 but its long and winding and you end up backtracking so its also time consuming. Interstate 8 is the most direct, and is in the U.S. so its safe and there are no tolls, if saving money and time is your objective. You can get your FMM at San Ysidro and then follow the signs to "Ensenada - Scenic Road" (which has tolls) for which there is a pretty direct route from the border that avoids having to drive through too much of Tijuana.

greasecoyote - 12-7-2019 at 09:38 PM

Quote: Originally posted by bajaguy  
Or cross at Tecate, get your FMM's and straight shot on Hwy 3 to Ensenada then south on Hwy 1


That road takes a long time compared to crossing at Tijuana. Like 3 hours. On top of the long drive to Tecate itself. It is all quite pretty though. And it goes through "baja wine country." Just depends on whether OP wants to take their time traveling or put the pedal down.

David K - 12-7-2019 at 11:28 PM

The latest word on Hwy 5 is only 2.5 dirt miles. Not sure about the bridge detours now, but there were 9 last May. All were easy for most vehicles.

Bob and Susan - 12-8-2019 at 08:01 AM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
The latest word on Hwy 5 is only 2.5 dirt miles. Not sure about the bridge detours now, but there were 9 last May. All were easy for most vehicles.


you haven't been there since the rains....this data may be bad
but this route could save a few hours driving or

you could be changing a tire and your car never the same

ive driven from your town many times...in the winter I would cross at san Ysidro also

tecate is not like it used to be going south for most and confusing driving on the American side thru the hills
sometimes snows on the road in mexico if its cold and wet

PaulW - 12-8-2019 at 08:17 AM

Well you got the input from the west coast.
We do the Phoenix going south several times a year. My route when I do not have a trailer is Algodones. I 8 to CA 168 then to border. You will get instructions at the border to get your FMM. Easy.
It takes a little trick to get thru town then you arrive on Highway 2/2D. Use hwy 2/2D all the way to Highway 5 where you pay a toll of 25 peso. 60-65 mph on that hwy.
Uninformed comments about Hwy 5 should be ignored. That hwy is just fine all the way south to hwy 1. You will find 2.5 miles of good dirt road used by all kinds of cars and big trucks with no issues.
The way thru town is turn left at the 2nd intersection then right then left across the big canal and and ok paved rural road all the way to 2.

rts551 - 12-8-2019 at 08:50 AM

Lots of CURRENT reports from Motorcyclists, cars and RVs about HWY 5. But you have to use Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/BajaRoads/

mona15 - 12-8-2019 at 04:11 PM

Thanks everyone! We were thinking about the Tecate border. We have a ford explorer so hopefully it will be fine. Will look into the San Ysidro crossing. Really don't want to deal with Tijuana.

bajaguy - 12-8-2019 at 04:28 PM

Check your u2u message in upper right corner by your sign in
Quote: Originally posted by mona15  
Thanks everyone! We were thinking about the Tecate border. We have a ford explorer so hopefully it will be fine. Will look into the San Ysidro crossing. Really don't want to deal with Tijuana.

AKgringo - 12-8-2019 at 04:48 PM

Mona15, your Explorer is more than adequate for what ever route you choose! From Phoenix, I would follow PaulW's advice, or drive over to Mexicali and cross there.

It is about a half day shorter drive for you on the way south using hwy 5. On your return trip, complete the loop by heading north on hwy 1!

JZ - 12-8-2019 at 05:08 PM

Quote: Originally posted by greasecoyote  
This might sound counterintuitive but I'd pick San Ysidro, unless you would like to also visit San Felipe. Here's why- if you cross at Mexicali you have to get to highway 1 to head south and south of San Felipe, road 5 is rough and incomplete in sections (unless you're ok with that). So you have to either take the Rumorosa grade on 2 which is cool but slow and not good for RVs/trailers and costs a lot of money in tolls, and you then have to cross Tijuana. Or you could take highway 3 but its long and winding and you end up backtracking so its also time consuming. Interstate 8 is the most direct, and is in the U.S. so its safe and there are no tolls, if saving money and time is your objective. You can get your FMM at San Ysidro and then follow the signs to "Ensenada - Scenic Road" (which has tolls) for which there is a pretty direct route from the border that avoids having to drive through too much of Tijuana.


This is just awful, truly awful advice. Ignore it totally. I mean I hope this is a troll, if not wow.

Coming from LA we go through Mexicali 90% of the time. Coming from Phoenix, the idea of telling someone to go through San Ysidro is an incredibly bad suggestion.

JZ - 12-8-2019 at 05:13 PM

Quote: Originally posted by mona15  
Thanks everyone! We were thinking about the Tecate border. We have a ford explorer so hopefully it will be fine. Will look into the San Ysidro crossing. Really don't want to deal with Tijuana.


Cross at Mexicali. The drive down the 5 is way better. Avoids the TJ mess and avoids hours of driving through little towns South of Ensenada.

Plus it is a ton shorter for you, like 5 hrs faster. It's a very nice drive down the 5.

JZ - 12-8-2019 at 05:15 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
The latest word on Hwy 5 is only 2.5 dirt miles. Not sure about the bridge detours now, but there were 9 last May. All were easy for most vehicles.


Drove it a week ago. It is in great shape.

BajaDanD - 12-8-2019 at 05:27 PM

We come from Prescott through Phoenix and cross at Mexicali west 4-5 times a year we also cross at Otey Mesa when towing the boat to San Quintin. we've crossed at Tecate many times but we like Mexicali the best if we're going south to Bay of LA or father

greasecoyote - 12-8-2019 at 07:33 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JZ  


This is just awful, truly awful advice. Ignore it totally. I mean I hope this is a troll, if not wow.

Coming from LA we go through Mexicali 90% of the time. Coming from Phoenix, the idea of telling someone to go through San Ysidro is an incredibly bad suggestion.


Why? I would never drive to Mexicali from coastal California unless I wanted to visit San Felipe, then I would cross there. If i wanted to go south of Ensenada, I'd take San Ysidro.

This illustrates my point, all the routes have advantages and disadvantages. Just depends on what OP wants. Tijuana-Ensenada is the most direct and well maintained but the least pleasant. I have never had any negative experiences there but I try to get through TJ asap and no longer stop until Ensenada.

Both sections of 3 wind around and are slow. 5 involves an under-construction highway, which in an Explorer would be fine, locals take normal economy cars through it, but its time consuming, I was south of San Felipe before Baja 1000 and we spent a lot of time waiting for construction vehicles to move or in traffic while they had a flagger out. The hour you save not driving through the congestion in Ensenada and San Quintin is used up by the construction delays, though 5 does land you so far south you avoid most of the city driving. This would be my 2nd choice, or if OP wants to spend the first night in San Felipe, a good route to take.

One thing I would not do is cross at Mexicali to get to Tijuana on highway 2, I don't believe there's an advantage to doing that.

mtgoat666 - 12-8-2019 at 08:57 PM

Quote: Originally posted by greasecoyote  
Quote: Originally posted by JZ  


This is just awful, truly awful advice. Ignore it totally. I mean I hope this is a troll, if not wow.

Coming from LA we go through Mexicali 90% of the time. Coming from Phoenix, the idea of telling someone to go through San Ysidro is an incredibly bad suggestion.


Why? I would never drive to Mexicali from coastal California unless I wanted to visit San Felipe, then I would cross there. If i wanted to go south of Ensenada, I'd take San Ysidro.

This illustrates my point, all the routes have advantages and disadvantages. Just depends on what OP wants. Tijuana-Ensenada is the most direct and well maintained but the least pleasant. I have never had any negative experiences there but I try to get through TJ asap and no longer stop until Ensenada.

Both sections of 3 wind around and are slow. 5 involves an under-construction highway, which in an Explorer would be fine, locals take normal economy cars through it, but its time consuming, I was south of San Felipe before Baja 1000 and we spent a lot of time waiting for construction vehicles to move or in traffic while they had a flagger out. The hour you save not driving through the congestion in Ensenada and San Quintin is used up by the construction delays, though 5 does land you so far south you avoid most of the city driving. This would be my 2nd choice, or if OP wants to spend the first night in San Felipe, a good route to take.

One thing I would not do is cross at Mexicali to get to Tijuana on highway 2, I don't believe there's an advantage to doing that.


For getting to BCS from san diego, I prefer driving southward (morning departure) on the 1, and returning northward on the 5 via mexicali.

The 5 saves you about an hour of time in a 8-10 hr day, so minor savings. The 1 has my favorite first night stop, Catavina.

The benefit of 5 coming home is that the last 2 hrs can easily be done in the dark w/o much attention to driving as the 8 is a easy road at night just kickin' back on cruise control. and if you are tired, there is not much traffic south of san felipe, so you can relax on that drive as well.

The 5 is butt-ugly post-apocalypse scenery and has no edible food stops,... The 1 is pretty drive along the pacific, in pretty hill country, a number of good food stops to choose from.

san felipe is the arm pit of baja, do not stop there, just drive past and avert your eyes from that abysmal place.

bajarich - 12-8-2019 at 09:42 PM

The OP is interested in driving down from Phoenix. I suggest to head over on I-8, through Yuma to the Andrade Crossing at Algodonas. I drive down from Salt Lake City and now, after many years of crossing at San Ysidro, I cross at Algodonas, get my FMM there, and follow my map to Mex 2, then over to pick up Mex 5 south to San Filipe. With the progress made on Gonzaga to Chapala it should be much faster.

The washouts can happen just as much on Mex 1, it just depends on where the storms hit and how much water is dropped. I have been delayed by bridge washouts at Vicente Guerero, and El Rosario. Plus there is much more traffic and more slow urban areas along Mex 1.

BornFisher - 12-8-2019 at 10:13 PM

found this obscure map----



Screenshot 2019-12-08 at 8.58.23 PM - Edited.png - 125kB

AKgringo - 12-9-2019 at 09:27 AM

The blue line is the route I would recommend, except for the section that connects all the dots in the farm country!

Whether you cross at Algodones, or Rio Colorado, staying on the toll road (Mex 2) until you reach the turn off to San Felipe is probably about the same amount of time and eliminates a lot of potential wrong turns.

It also avoids all Mexicali traffic!

defrag4 - 12-9-2019 at 10:57 AM

Quote: Originally posted by mona15  
Thanks everyone! We were thinking about the Tecate border. We have a ford explorer so hopefully it will be fine. Will look into the San Ysidro crossing. Really don't want to deal with Tijuana.


maybe not the fatest, but Tecate is the chillest route, super easy crossing, make sure to stop and get your FMM, then a few minute drive through town and on to a gorgeous cruise through wine country, take a day or 2 to stop and smell the grapes, mash on through Ensenada (big city) and keep taking the 1 south all the way to Loreto, beautiful drive

watch the fuel gap between El Rosario and Guerrero Negro, if you can get ~250 miles to your tank you will be ok, if not then better to bring extra or if you are feeling adventrous you can fill up from some of the roadside fellows in Catavina

either way, disfruta la viaje!



[Edited on 12-9-2019 by defrag4]

defrag4 - 12-9-2019 at 11:08 AM

san ysidro wtf lol

JZ - 12-9-2019 at 11:12 AM

Tecate is better than San Ysidro for sure, but still adds about a half day to the driving time.

At Tecate, be sure to watch all your stop signs and lights, etc. Cops there are quite aggressive on getting $ out of gringos.

defrag4 - 12-9-2019 at 11:14 AM

Quote: Originally posted by JZ  
Tecate is better than San Ysidro for sure, but still adds about a half day to the driving time.

At Tecate, be sure to watch all your stop signs and lights, etc. Cops there are quite aggressive on getting $ out of gringos.


true that, gotta be on your toes with the stop signs and lights in all the little towns, especially around chri$tma$ time

JZ - 12-9-2019 at 11:15 AM

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo  
The blue line is the route I would recommend, except for the section that connects all the dots in the farm country!

Whether you cross at Algodones, or Rio Colorado, staying on the toll road (Mex 2) until you reach the turn off to San Felipe is probably about the same amount of time and eliminates a lot of potential wrong turns.

It also avoids all Mexicali traffic!


This is good advice.