BajaNomad

Bicycle ride San Pedro Martir

Ron_Perry - 12-30-2020 at 04:54 PM

Covid 19 pending... planning on cycling to the top of Parque Nacional Sierra De San Pedro Martir, maybe 9000ft plus, sometime in late May of 2021. At age 64 it's better now than later. Depending on fitness, in either one or two days.
Would like to attend the Sea Otter Classic either before or after, the Classic is May 20-23rd. Just in the planning stages, may go hardcore and use my Dodge Caravan, or my more comfortable Mini Winnie Winnebago 21fter. Depends on who I can whip up.
This would be my 41 trip to Baja since about 1978, mostly spent on the East Cape fishing, diving, and surfing. La Ventana to Nine Palms and everything in between. Love La Paz. Hope to spend at least a few days to several in the area...camp at Meling ranch and at the top.
Like to gather more info as I have never been there, such as any gravel sections of the road, temperature at the bottom and top, total distance, favorite ceverza drinking spot, etc.
If anybody is crazy enough to try this, let me know, should be a good flogging.
Thank you for any good information, Ron

David K - 12-30-2020 at 05:26 PM

Hi Ron, total distance from Hwy. 1 to the end at the observatory is 100 kms. That is from almost sea level to 9,280 ft. It is ALL paved. There is a park entrance and a small fee. You must camp in the selected places (near ranger station). The final couple of kilometers at the end are gated and open to the public only for a few hours midday and not at all if they are working on the scopes.
See my article (from Oct. 2017): https://www.bajabound.com/bajaadventures/bajatravel/san_pedr...

Gate is locked

Howard - 12-30-2020 at 05:43 PM

Took a ride up there last July 3rd and got to around 7,500 foot elevation and there was a locked gate with messages about it being closed due to "Virus Covid-19."

By the way, it was in a Jeep, not a bicycle!

Maderita - 12-30-2020 at 06:10 PM

The Pacific coastal zone is usually cool that time of year, often with a heavy marine layer extending a few miles inland. As you ride east, the temperatures are likely to warm up considerably all the way to the Meling Ranch. As you climb out of the valley from Meling Ranch, a typical expectation is for the temperature to drop 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit for every 1,000' of elevation gain. Nighttime low temps are likely to be in the high 30s F. or low-mid 40s.

There are many variables, so I hesitate to predict. Weather patterns and temperatures can vary widely in the mountains. Best to check weather forecasts immediately prior to departure and pack your clothing/gear accordingly.

The steep grade above Meling faces west. So, if you want cooler temperatures for the uphill grunt, start out from there in the early morning.

wilderone - 12-31-2020 at 08:52 AM

Be more fun going downhill. Lots of trails - do some hiking as well - see more than asphalt.

AKgringo - 12-31-2020 at 09:30 AM

Quote: Originally posted by wilderone  
Be more fun going downhill. Lots of trails - do some hiking as well - see more than asphalt.


Bicycling as a gravity sport....I like that idea! I no longer have the cardio capacity for a long climb, but it would be fun to ride a tram to the top of a ski area, and ride the trails down! There are a couple of areas catering to summer tourists doing that.

An e-bike would be another way to go. I wonder if an e-bike battery can power a de-fibrillator?

David K - 12-31-2020 at 10:01 AM

mtgoat666 - 12-31-2020 at 10:21 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Ron_Perry  
Covid 19 pending... planning on cycling to the top of Parque Nacional Sierra De San Pedro Martir, maybe 9000ft plus, sometime in late May of 2021. At age 64 it's better now than later. Depending on fitness, in either one or two days.
Would like to attend the Sea Otter Classic either before or after, the Classic is May 20-23rd. Just in the planning stages, may go hardcore and use my Dodge Caravan, or my more comfortable Mini Winnie Winnebago 21fter. Depends on who I can whip up.
This would be my 41 trip to Baja since about 1978, mostly spent on the East Cape fishing, diving, and surfing. La Ventana to Nine Palms and everything in between. Love La Paz. Hope to spend at least a few days to several in the area...camp at Meling ranch and at the top.
Like to gather more info as I have never been there, such as any gravel sections of the road, temperature at the bottom and top, total distance, favorite ceverza drinking spot, etc.
If anybody is crazy enough to try this, let me know, should be a good flogging.
Thank you for any good information, Ron


It is quite a climb from the hwy 1 to the park gate. Like 6,000+ feet vertical in one day. It is a real a$$ kicker. Plan on having a sag wagon, you will likely bonk.

That said, it is a fabulous ride, pavement is good, scenery is great, and there is almost zero traffic.

I have a number of time seen bicycle groups riding the main road up to the park, always with a sag wagon.

There are some long steep grades that can kick anyone’s butt. Take a sag wagon.

Consider taking a mountain bike for the plateau. The old ranching roads are closed to cars, and many are slowly being grown over, but they are open to bicycles, there are some great tracks to ride. Get the Jerry schaad map.

Sag wagon?

AKgringo - 12-31-2020 at 10:34 AM

That is an unfamiliar term to me. Can I assume you mean a chase vehicle following the group?

I have offered to provide that service for my son in Anchorage if he and some of his fellow bicycle fanatics ever choose to ride some of Baha's back roads. It was hard enough to try and put a trip like that together pre-covid19, so now it is not even a discussion.

motoged - 12-31-2020 at 11:03 AM

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo  
That is an unfamiliar term to me. Can I assume you mean a chase vehicle following the group?


This context might ring a bell:

Sag wagon is a recreationalists "crummy" :


noun - NORTH AMERICAN
an old or converted truck used to transport loggers to and from work.

AKgringo - 12-31-2020 at 11:37 AM

My dad worked in the logging industry here for the first third of my life, and that term doesn't ring any bells with me, or blow any horns!

motoged - 1-1-2021 at 12:00 PM

Gary,
Two strikes for you on the terminology count so far .... ;)

How about :

"Crew cab" ????? "My buddy's truck" ???

Google to the rescue

Howard - 1-1-2021 at 12:09 PM

SAG means "support and gear."

I didn't know it either.

AKgringo - 1-1-2021 at 12:18 PM

Ged and Howard, thanks for the clarification. It makes more sense than the low rider I was visualizing! :wow:

mtgoat666 - 1-1-2021 at 12:19 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Howard  
SAG means "support and gear."

I didn't know it either.


that is the answer an engineer would come up with....

I have always thought of it as the wagon to pick up sagging riders :light:

motoged - 1-1-2021 at 01:10 PM

Sure glad we figured this one out. :biggrin:

RocketJSquirrel - 1-1-2021 at 01:22 PM

A wonderful bike ride and not bad until you pass Rancho Meling & Coyote turn offs. But even then, great views and cooling air to distract you from... "the burn".


Edit for accuracy.

[Edited on 1-1-2021 by RocketJSquirrel]

Thank you to all

Ron_Perry - 1-1-2021 at 05:46 PM

Lots of good information here. I knew of "sag" for 45 years but didn't know it was an acronym...my belief was like mtgoat666. Also I didn't think about mt.bikes...will try for the Jerry Schaad map. One mistake mtgoat666 I think, the climb from sea level to the top must be "total elevation" , around 10,000ft or more. Unless I misunderstood you.
I had no plans to try this without help....or without a sag. Will keep selling the idea to friends. Thank you again for the knowledge, Ron

Maderita - 1-1-2021 at 07:27 PM

Ron,
The turnoff from Highway 1 is at 130' elevation.
Vallecitos Meadow on top of the plateau is approx. 7960'.
There is a gate well beyond that which may be at 8674'. I have no recent info about how far you may be allowed to go by bicycle. I believe cars are not allowed, but walking may be permissible.
The observatory is at 9200'.

Thank you Maderita

Ron_Perry - 1-1-2021 at 08:59 PM

In the past I think some cyclist used the gate as the finish line. If so, that would make it at least a 8544' climb....brutal!!! Meling ranch would be another option for those less fit or looking for an easier ride. Meling ranch elevation anyone?
I google mapped Meling ranch, it came up with 32 miles from highway 1. Maybe 30 miles from Meling Ranch to the gate? Thank you again, Ron

mtgoat666 - 1-1-2021 at 09:25 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Ron_Perry  
Lots of good information here. I knew of "sag" for 45 years but didn't know it was an acronym...my belief was like mtgoat666. Also I didn't think about mt.bikes...will try for the Jerry Schaad map. One mistake mtgoat666 I think, the climb from sea level to the top must be "total elevation" , around 10,000ft or more. Unless I misunderstood you.
I had no plans to try this without help....or without a sag. Will keep selling the idea to friends. Thank you again for the knowledge, Ron


Look for road profiles on strava, there are some posted. There are some long/steep grades just getting from hwy 1 to Meling, but longest climbs are from meling to the edge of the plateau.

Maderita - 1-1-2021 at 10:32 PM

Rancho Meling 2,100' elevation.

caj13 - 1-2-2021 at 08:10 AM

Ron,
I doubt i could make that climb anymore. back when i was young, we rode from fresno to Yosemite (including Glacier point just for fun) over 3 days. 150 miles, 7200 ft total gain, but lots of ups and downs making it alot more climbing) but no way i could do that now. I would ride whatever i could with you, and can have it Sagged" if you chose to go after the sea otter classic. So if you run out of options, and need support, I can help with that - assuming the vaccine program here in the USA gets off its ass and starts inoculating people at an acceptable rate.

This is in my article, link posted above... elevations from GPS

David K - 1-2-2021 at 09:09 AM

ROAD LOG: Distance in miles (and kilometers)

0.0 Highway 1 at Km. 140.5, elevation 130'. The well-signed junction is 87 miles south of Ensenada.

4.2 (Km. 7) Narrow bridge

5.6 (Km. 9.5) San Telmo (now a ghost town) was an important visita old Mission Santo Domingo and a farming supply center until recent years when many have moved down to Highway 1 for more opportunity.

11.3 (Km. 18+) Hacienda Sinaloa a town of farm workers with one small store.

17.0 (Km. 27.5) Road right goes to the old Valladares gold mines (18 miles) and El Potrero (27 miles).

17.6 (Km. 28.5) Signed road left to Ranchos (Las Choyas, Cortez, El Papalote). Road begins a steep climb.

22.0 (Km.35+) 1,000' elevation.

24.0 (Km. 38.5) 2,000' elevation.

30.3 (Km. 49) Road north to El Coyote guest ranch, 4.9 miles (rooms, camping, meals).

30.6 (Km. 49.5) Road to right to Meling Ranch, a guest ranch with a long history. Rooms, meals, camping, airstrip.

34.0 (Km. 55) 3,000' elevation.

39.0 (Km. 63) 4,000' elevation.

39.3 (Km. 63.5+) Road south to El Potrero.

40.6 (Km. 66) Socorro mine site. Not much left from the 1894-1910 when the Johnson family worked the placer goldfield.

41.6 (Km. 67+) Road left, signed to La Joya. Badly eroded from last winter's rains, this ranch and the former Dark Skies Inn (Rancho La Concepción) was once reached this way, but today may be impassable.

43.4 (Km. 70) 5,000' elevation.

45.0 (Km. 72.5) 6,000' elevation.

45.2 (Km. 73) Fire break road to the right (yellow gate).

45.8 (Km. 73.5+) Road right 0.3 mi. to the former Los Manzanos RV Park/Campground. Abandoned.

46.3 (Km.74.5+) La Cienega de Soto, rental cabin.

48.1 (Km. 77.5) Former park entrance payment gate, ex-ranger station (6,800').

48.6 (Km. 78+) 7,000' elevation.

51.0 (Km. 82+) 8,000' elevation.

51.7 (Km. 83.5) Park Entrance Payment Ranger Station 'La Corona'. Elevation: 8,259'.

52.0 (Km. 84) Campo Cacomixtle, El Condor, Cimarron, and more, on both sides of the highway.

53.5 (Km. 86.5) Capilla San Pedro. A small chapel on a hilltop.

56.3 (Km. 91) Road south for La Tasajera (10 km.). Locked gate at Mile 1.9.

56.8 (Km. 91.5) Museum (closed).

57.8 (Km. 93+) The Aguaje del Burro road to the right goes 2.0 miles to a covered spring. This was an old cattle camp.

58.2 (Km. 93.5+) Mirador El Altar road right (elev. 8,000'). It is 0.3 mi. to the El Mirador trail. A right fork just off the highway goes 2.2 miles to a pretty area.

58.9 (Km. 94.5+) Pass a military camp and a side road left to the Venado Blanco trail.

60.3 (Km. 97.5) Parking area (left) and gate restricting access to the observatories. 8,705'. A phone box on the left to request passage. It is 3 kilometers and over 500' higher to the end of the road at Mexico's largest telescope.

61.2 (Km. 99) 9,000' elevation.

62.1 (Km. 100+) Elev. 9,280'. The highest point reached by automobile in Baja California. The national observatory.

Maderita - 1-2-2021 at 01:57 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  

62.1 (Km. 100+) Elev. 9,280'. The highest point reached by automobile in Baja California. The national observatory.

This presents an interesting topographical question about the highest point reached by automobile :?: Not trying to be picky with the road log. Somewhat off-topic for those few of us who geek out on Baja trivia.

According to Google Earth, 9,280' would be sitting on the roof of your automobile which is parked on the main observatory dome.
Google Earth shows the parking area (end of the pavement) below as 9,206'.
There is a small rise before entering the parking area. Google Earth shows 9,215', which may take the win.
There are some dirt roads which lead to other, smaller, observatories, but apparently none exceeding 9,140' in elevation.

David K - 1-2-2021 at 05:21 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Maderita  
Quote: Originally posted by David K  

62.1 (Km. 100+) Elev. 9,280'. The highest point reached by automobile in Baja California. The national observatory.

This presents an interesting topographical question about the highest point reached by automobile :?: Not trying to be picky with the road log. Somewhat off-topic for those few of us who geek out on Baja trivia.

According to Google Earth, 9,280' would be sitting on the roof of your automobile which is parked on the main observatory dome.
Google Earth shows the parking area (end of the pavement) below as 9,206'.
There is a small rise before entering the parking area. Google Earth shows 9,215', which may take the win.
There are some dirt roads which lead to other, smaller, observatories, but apparently none exceeding 9,140' in elevation.


The elevation was posted when I was there in 1978. This sign was still there in 2017, but so badly worn and weathered the man in charge did not know what it was.

elevation.jpg - 142kB

PaulW - 1-3-2021 at 09:06 AM

Elevation and kilometer numbers are questioned.
Looking at Google it shows the telescope the top of the observatory is close to 9280'. The road gate is close to 9100'. I guess a bike rider could go around the gate and pedal to the parking lot at ~9200'?
Sorry my GPS track is long gone so I cannot give real road distances or elevations, however distance of 100 Km is surely good enough for a bike rider?

David K - 1-3-2021 at 01:25 PM

The road has (had) kilometer posts the whole 100 kms.
The new map book will also have dots at every kilometer with the number shown every 5 kms. on all the highways in Baja.
The every 1000 ft. elevation figures are from my Garmin inReach GPS. The final one at the end of the road is from the sign.

Maderita - 1-3-2021 at 07:20 PM

lencho,
Last weekend I took some GPS readings with a Garmin inReach. On top of one boulder, I noted an elevation of 5,184'. Just now compared it with Google Earth which read 5,178' at that exact location. The discrepancy is only 6'. The terrain was strewn with boulders up to 30' high. Moving the cursor around on the GE map doesn't show those variations. Perhaps GE does some averaging of elevations over rough terrain.
Here's what Garmin has to say:
https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=QPc5x3ZFUv1QyoxITW2vZ6

"Understanding the Accuracy of the GPS Elevation Reading
GPS heights are based on an ellipsoid (a mathematical representation of the earth's shape), while USGS map elevations are based on a vertical datum tied to the geoid (or what is commonly called mean sea level). Basically, these are two different systems, although they have a relationship that has been modeled.

The main source of error has to do with the arrangement of the satellite configurations during fixed determinations. The earth blocks out satellites needed to get a good quality vertical measurement. Once the vertical datum is taken into account, the accuracy permitted by geometry considerations remains less than that of horizontal positions. It is not uncommon for satellite heights to be off from map elevations by +/- 400 ft. Use these values with caution when navigating."

mtgoat666 - 1-3-2021 at 08:28 PM

google earth and commercial grade GPS will get you in general ballpark.

Differential grade GPS will get you closer, but set you back $5k+

Survey grade referenced to benchmarks will be the spot.

Comparing google earth and commercial grade gps vertical data is a HUGE waste of time.
It is often off by 10s to 100s of feet.

If you want a reliable elevation, look at the benchmark elevations shown of government topo maps. And in USA, USGS topographic maps will be pretty reliable in most areas, but topo lines are still only as accurate as the topo interval.

GE vertical data is quite accurate if it is LIDAR. But LIDAR coverage is unlikely in Mexico, so is probably SRTM data (5 to 10 m accuracy) in Mexico. GE does not tell you what vertical data you are looking at.

Anywho, GE and commercial grade GPS are very inaccurate, so don’t spend much time thinking about it, it is very rough data.

PaulW - 1-3-2021 at 09:51 PM

GPS elevations can be pretty bad. It depends on how many sats are in view and how close they are to the horizon. A reading on the upper end of the road near the observatory should be accurate. Maybe as close to 15'. Don't know how many sats the Inreach can deal with at a time. My Lowrance has 18 and my older Garmin has 8. That Garmin never matches GE very close. +/-50+' Same result at a USGS benchmark. The Lowrance is much closer. And compared to benchmarks that I have sat on the Lowrance is very accurate. Some times same elevation.
I have not tested my iPhone yet.
When they first allowed accurate GPS signals to the public the government published a paper with a shootout between a land surveyor quality GPS accuracy and a military GPS compared to an 18 channel consumer GPS. Same result as above.

bajaric - 1-10-2021 at 11:02 AM

Elevations on Google Earth are sometmes off by a little, in my experience. Also, excellent mileage log above, DK, I used that in my research. However, I noticed what appears to be a small error in your Bajabound article about San Pedro Martir. It says that Aida Meling was Harry Johnsons daughter, and marred Salvador Salve Meling in 1913. Actually it was Alberta "Bertie" Johnson, who married Meling in 1913, Aida was thier daughter.
I know you are a very detail oriented guy (can we say OCD lol) and it is rare for you to make a mistake, but I found one by golly!

David K - 1-10-2021 at 11:58 AM

Thank you Ric! I appreciate the correction. I don't recall where my info came from or if I just had a brain fart mixing up Aida with Alberta?! I have the book 'Where the Old West Never Died' which is the Johnson/ Meling family story.