BajaNomad - Punta Chivato to the Pacific, off road

Punta Chivato to the Pacific, off road

DouglasP - 2-22-2021 at 03:09 PM

Here is another can you get to there from here threads.

Gone from PC or Mulege to the Pacific via San Ramundo wash lots of times. Looking for another route.
I tried yesterday, leading a group of side by sides. I have been looking on maps and google maps and there is a trail that takes off west at the Guadelupe mission ruins. Found the trail, but didn't get too far up it. Came to a locked gate. Looks like a fairly new addition. No signage at all saying private property. Also, just to the left of it was the typical barbed wire gate with a loop holding it closed, but it was only wide enough for a moto or horse!
You can see on the attached file we tried going up to the trail by another way, but it was washed out.

Really looking to make my way over to the Pacific some way besides San Raymundo/La Bellena. Any help?

Trip was still fun, ended up at Baja Brewing in Mulege for beers and dinner!

Attachment: up and over.kml.kmz (41kB)
This file has been downloaded 245 times

AKgringo - 2-22-2021 at 03:18 PM

Well that is unfortunate, but good to know. I was hoping to explore that route on my next trip, but was going to try it from the west, heading east.

I may try it anyway, but will plan on the possibility of a U-turn trip! I will report what I find, but don't stand by, it will be a while!

DouglasP - 2-22-2021 at 03:37 PM

Well I may have an answer for you if you take too long! My thought was to come at it from the west also. :biggrin:

motoged - 2-22-2021 at 03:56 PM

Doug,
I have ridden west to east.....if you can find el Patrocino on a map (Almanac) ....take it to San Juan de la Pila, head E and you end up just south of the Guadalupe ruins.....and head south to San Estanislao junction....then east to Mulege.

Killer ride.....

[Edited on 2-22-2021 by motoged]

DouglasP - 2-22-2021 at 04:03 PM

That looks like the trail I was headed out east on. If you follow it on google earth it goes out by Patrocino. Super bummed it has a gate now.
The trail also shows up on the National Geographic Baja maps.

motoged - 2-22-2021 at 05:53 PM

I did it in 2011....double track the whole way, but some had only been travelled by horse for some years and was ROUGH....lotsa basketball sized rocks....

I was on an overloaded 690....ran out of water half-way, and was bonked by Guadalupe area.... made it to La Serenidad just before dark....had started in San Ignacio with a group of about 10 guys....

The ride was one of the trip reports I recently posted here.

Jinete Viejo - 2-22-2021 at 06:38 PM

Looks like you were trying to get to San Pedro Canyon. A few years ago that was beyond rough (almost impassible) on a light weight motorcycle. If it hasn't been fixed, that gate did you a big favor.

Attachment: San Pedro for Nomads.gdb (207kB)
This file has been downloaded 151 times

Jinete Viejo - 2-22-2021 at 07:08 PM

If either of the tracks shown in the file attached above are now passable between the gate you mentioned and El Patrocino, it would be good news.

DouglasP - 2-23-2021 at 07:59 AM

Jinete, I'm not able to open the file you attached. What do you use to open it.

David K - 2-23-2021 at 08:20 AM

Douglas, what was the dead end "washed out" like? Looks to be the main road that the one with the "locked gate" connects to?
Both roads shown on the CalTopo map...

MulegeAL - 2-23-2021 at 09:16 AM

Doug,
I was in there from the west side during the major rain event last March.

The eastbound climb east of rancho San Marcos/ San Pedro/ Las Tunas is completely destroyed by hurricanes and is abandoned. Do not waste your time or endanger yourself attempting this dotted line on an old map. The westbound side above the gate you found is equally bad.

We hiked up a bunch of the western side climb and then retreated only to get caught by rain and mud, made it back to San Ig 1100 PM.

I can show you a way out south to San Isidro that is less bad, if you haven't done that before. Goes south up Chuparossa canyon, then down, then up again to hit the junction of road to rancho Guajademi, then south through Rio de Janerio/ El Hondo. 67 miles M to San Isidro. No guarantees the top is passable, but can guarantee it will be rough.

[Edited on 2-23-2021 by MulegeAL]

Mulegé to San Isidro (La Purísima) direct route videos

David K - 2-23-2021 at 10:04 AM

West of Guajademi...

https://youtu.be/HWxj5HHQXic

https://vimeo.com/146502907

Early version of my map, included this road with a "4WD" along it. I removed that section of road in a later version as it was not one I drove or included in the Baja Bound road guide... at least the first edition of it.

Before it was on maps we were using on Nomad, I added it in on the Baja Topo Atlas from Landon Crumpton. I also highlighted the road to Guajademi. The dashed line north of there is an El Camino Real trail and not passable by vehicle going down the mountain.

AKgringo - 2-23-2021 at 12:15 PM

It sounds like the Patrocino to Guadalupe section is beyond the capabilities of my stock vehicles!

TMW - 2-23-2021 at 04:30 PM

The old road that went from El Patrocino to Guadalupe was washed out from San Juan de la Pila east by a hurricane in 2014. There is another road that bypasses San Juan de la Pila to the north and comes back to the old road. It goes to Ranch Las Tunas closest to Guadalupe. But from R. Las Tunas to Guadalupe is only for horses according to the ranch owner. Some biker guys made it thru a few years ago but had to do a lot of lifting and carrying the bikes over bolders.

The trail from Mulege to San Isidro is a great run if open.

Jinete Viejo - 2-23-2021 at 05:11 PM

To answer Douglas P's earlier question: The file is a Garmin GDB file. You can open it with Base Camp or convert it to KMZ (Google Earth format) with GPS Visualizer. Let me know if you need help doing that.

David K - 2-23-2021 at 06:29 PM

Can you make it a kmz?

geoffff - 2-23-2021 at 09:47 PM

San Pedro for Nomads.kmz

geoffff - 2-23-2021 at 09:55 PM

DouglasP - 2-24-2021 at 04:32 AM

Lots of replies here, thanks.
The trail over to San isidro open, have done that trail a couple times, as recently as January last year. Rough for sure, but doable. We did it in side by sides. Spent the night in comondu and back to PC the next day. Good fun.

Geoff, thanks for the conversion on the file.
Jinete, it looks like I was on the right track, gates suck!

Side note, the ruins at Guadalupe are completely fenced off and no longer accessible.

It sounds like the trail from Guadalupe over is a no go, but it doesn't mean I'm gonna quit looking!

[Edited on 2-24-2021 by DouglasP]

David K - 2-24-2021 at 10:45 AM

I was at Guadalupe mission twice, 2017 and 2019.
The gate on the first (south) access road (the one at the sign: 'Ex-Misión de Guadalupe') is wired shut. The gate on the next road towards the palms (mission area) which is just a few feet past the fork going to San José de Magdalena [now washed out] at the sign for La Presa, is not locked... like other animal control gates...

The mission site is extensive with many rock walls, stairways, and foundation stones set in the earth. The mission church itself had some adobe walls standing from the rock base in a 1998 photo. Now, the adobe is gone, but the rock walls of the church are there, up on the slope of the hill, above (west of) the modern cinder block building on the pad (at the end of the road with the wired-shut gate.

Stairs leading to the 1720-1795 mission complex:

Inside the mission church:

From a drone, the mission church is the rectangular shape on the right.

DouglasP - 2-24-2021 at 12:46 PM

Thanks David.
The road to Magdalena has been repaired, FYI.

motoged - 2-24-2021 at 12:59 PM

That's great news..... did that on a GS1100 three times and twice on a 450 before it was washed out...

A great ride for sure... between storm damages.

DouglasP - 2-24-2021 at 02:54 PM

Man, that Beemer would be a handful through there! Did you do a full loop and go into mulege? I've done it on my 450XCW and my 300XCW.

chivatojoe - 2-24-2021 at 03:36 PM

So same trip we have been researching for a year or more . Also a resident of Chivato. The last time we got to the gate we hiked around it for a mile or so and it does intersect a road from the South. Road sign at intersection. When we talked to the rancher closest to the start of the road he said El Heffe had installed the gate from Mexico City to prevent tourists from exploring during the Covid shut down. There are some really unique "tall" cave painting along that road and I believe they are made mention on the Cal Topo map. Hoping that when Covid is over perhaps the gate will be unlocked? I too am very interested in trying to make it over to the west and have mapped out a course. Another friend from Chivato tell the time John Watkins flew his Cub over the route and landed at a village up in the mountains on a road. Trying to make the big circle over to Our BnB at Bahia Asuncion. Keep trying....

David K - 2-24-2021 at 03:52 PM

Quote: Originally posted by DouglasP

Thanks David.
The road to Magdalena has been repaired, FYI.

Again??
Wow, they don't give up easily! It was impassable from the 2014 storm to late 2018... Repaired in 2018.
I traveled it in May 2019... and it washed out again before the end of 2019!

motoged - 2-24-2021 at 06:04 PM

Quote: Originally posted by DouglasP

Man, that Beemer would be a handful through there! Did you do a full loop and go into mulege? I've done it on my 450XCW and my 300XCW.

Yes....the beemer rides were in 2000 and 2001....have a helmet cam vid of those rides somewhere.

The 450 rides there were 2008 or 2009.

My first moto trip in Baja was on an R80 GS in '95 or '96.
Three subsequent rides were on the 1100GS.....and after that (2001) is when I bought a dirtbike, realizing I needed the right tool for the job.

All other trips have been with the 450 aside from 2 trips with the 690.

MulegeAL - 2-25-2021 at 09:28 AM

Quote: Originally posted by chivatojoe

So same trip we have been researching for a year or more . Also a resident of Chivato. The last time we got to the gate we hiked around it for a mile or so and it does intersect a road from the South. Road sign at intersection. When we talked to the rancher closest to the start of the road he said El Heffe had installed the gate from Mexico City to prevent tourists from exploring during the Covid shut down. There are some really unique "tall" cave painting along that road and I believe they are made mention on the Cal Topo map. Hoping that when Covid is over perhaps the gate will be unlocked? I too am very interested in trying to make it over to the west and have mapped out a course. Another friend from Chivato tell the time John Watkins flew his Cub over the route and landed at a village up in the mountains on a road. Trying to make the big circle over to Our BnB at Bahia Asuncion. Keep trying....

I was up the west side last March. Final waypoint was 2.5 miles airline to the mission.
If you want, would be interesting to review your route plans here over a beer.
Was just over and back to San Juanico, saw another route into the area of interest that may be possible loop from El Patrocino to San Raymundo wash.

DouglasP - 2-25-2021 at 12:33 PM

Quote: Originally posted by chivatojoe

Hey Joe that is encouraging that the road from the south intersects, I really think pushing through there is a possibility. By the time we got to were I have it marked as "washed out" my group was getting ready to head back. I would liked to have tried to poke around and see if we could get across the wash. The trail uo to it wasn't too bad.
The Covid logic by el Jefe seems a bit goofy to me, but who knows?
Going to keep poking around for sure.

Is your last name like a cookie? If so I think we've met at one of the PC functions at one point or another. We Bought Shaw's place.

KurtG - 2-26-2021 at 10:58 AM

Quote: Originally posted by motoged

Quote: Originally posted by DouglasP

Man, that Beemer would be a handful through there! Did you do a full loop and go into mulege? I've done it on my 450XCW and my 300XCW.

Which bike were you riding when we first met back there years ago. My KLR did that as a day ride many times over the years under a lot of varying conditions. It was always a favorite ride, probably won't ride it again, age and all, but will certainly drive the loop again.

First time I rode that route I was on an old xl350 and my buddy on a 1100gs. I lost count of how many times I helped pick up that monster.

motoged - 2-26-2021 at 11:41 AM

Kurt,
I think it was 2008 or '09 when we met on the road west of Mulege....going up the eroded rock-paved section just west of the rancho in that little canyon narrowing part (what is the name of that rancho at the southwest corner of that canyon?).....you were guiding a young couple that I think were from Nelson BC....and you were loving your KLR :saint:

I was with two friends, and on my 450 EXC

Remember that guy several years ago with the LSD green KLR at La Hacienda....it took him a week in GN waiting for a tire replacement..... but he had his prospector hammer and trench shovel (first-timer :biggrin

KurtG - 2-26-2021 at 04:34 PM

Quote: Originally posted by motoged

Kurt,
I think it was 2008 or '09 when we met on the road west of Mulege....going up the eroded rock-paved section just west of the rancho in that little canyon narrowing part (what is the name of that rancho at the southwest corner of that canyon?).....you were guiding a young couple that I think were from Nelson BC....and you were loving your KLR :saint:

What I remember most about the fellow on the KLR was that he was carrying so much gear that the soft stock suspension was bottomed out. He was complaining about the side stand being too long and when I tried to explain the relationship between those two things his eyes glazed over. I also remember asking if he had ever practiced tire repair before taking his trip and getting a negative answer. Might have saved him some trouble.

The couple from BC were neat people, the gal was on a DR350 and rode it well.

I'm starting to sell off bikes but my old ('91) KLR will be still in my shop when I croak. There is very little remaining of the original bike after 150k miles. I still ride it as well as my 650 V-Strom but it is clear that my riding days are coming to an end. No regrets, I've had a great run.