John M
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Location: California High Desert
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Calamajue Wash (route description)
Calamaju? Wash route
On the 12th of May we traveled from the Bay of Los Angeles to Coco?s Corner and beyond. Once again this year we traveled via the Calamaju? Wash. I
would like to encourage those of you who have not gone on this trip to do so, as the scenery is well worth it. This year we took a little extra time
to make notes along the way, to provide some mileages and directions to help those who may be a little uneasy with an unknown dirt road. We had four
vehicles make this trip. One vehicle, basically a completely stock Jeep did not have operational four wheel drive and he had absolutely no trouble
with the road. The hill at the exit of Calamaju? wash (mile 15.1) would have been easier with 4WD but he made it without any difficulty. That being
said, I would not suggest this trip be made without having 4WD in the event the route surface changes from what we encountered.
Geology and biology along this side road are quite impressive. Last year we saw six bighorn sheep along the way. This year's trip took us about three
hours which included a brief stop at the site of the Calamaju? Mission.
The mileages below were taken from a GPS, not a vehicle speedometer so obviously your distances may vary a bit.
We began at Highway 1, at El Crucero (abandoned) ? which is approximately 13 ? miles north of the Bay of Los Angeles Road. This is very near Km post
61.
You will immediately pass through a fence line, and it is here at the fence that we set our GPS to 0.0 miles. All mileages given are cumulative so do
not reset your odometer at any time.
After only .1 of a mile you come to the first road junction and stay to the left. The road heading to the right basically parallels
Highway 1, south.
You are now on a well-defined typical Baja backroad.
At 1.9 miles there is a faint road branching off to the right, do not take it, stay on the main traveled road.
5.5 miles, you will see a faint road heading off to the left, do not take it, once again stay on the well-defined road straight
ahead.
7.0 miles. This is where another road from the left that intersects the main road you are on. Do not turn left, continue straight
ahead toward the first of two little summits just in front of you.
7.5 miles. You will descend from the second of the two little summits on a very short rocky section (a couple of hundred feet in length). There are a
couple of parallel roads for the next .2 of a mile or so. The parallel roads all join back into the main road.
8.0 miles. Now you will begin to drop from the mesa you?ve basically been on, and into an arroyo bottom. This is an easy downhill grade.
At 10.0 miles you are still in the arroyo bottom, in Calamaju? wash. The route continues to be easy to follow, again there is basically only one road,
and you?re on it!
11.6 miles, on the right, are the first small group of palms we spotted in the arroyo bottom .
11.7 miles, brush crowds in on both sides of the road, these bushes reminded us of driving through the car wash brushes - you will pass between them
on a very narrow, but good surface road.
11.8 miles, we first encountered standing water, maybe 4 inches deep. You will continue to encounter stretches of water ? and this year almost none
was over a few inches deep. In some places the water may stretch along and in the roadway for a hundred feet or more but there always seemed to be a
good bottom, and this didn?t cause any problems.
12.8 miles there is a opportunity to take a slight bypass, to the right. This avoids a deeper and rougher section and water hole. The
bypass is the obvious route most taken and rejoins the main road in about 200 feet.
There are the remains of a campsite at 13.7 miles, on the right. Several old car seats, some wood stacked up and a shredded tarp in the mesquite tree.
At 13.9 miles you see a piece of what appears to be and old item of mining equipment on the right side of the wash.
A little over a mile later, on the left side of the wash, at mile 15.1 there is the obvious route up a slight hill, and out of the
wash.
This exit hill is a little rocky for a few hundred feet. Four wheel drive would be a good idea although one of our vehicles was not 4WD equipped and
he made the exit of the wash ok.
18.2 ? there is a very short off-camber downhill section, not too tricky to maneuver through with ease, and it is only a hundred or so feet in length.
About here you begin several miles of cross-wash travel, slow going, in and out of washes.
21.0 ? finally through the series of washes and the road is a bit smoother.
21.4 ? you arrive at an intersection and turn to the left (north?), and onto a better and wider road. If you make a right, instead of
heading towards Coco?s Corner you would be on the road to Bahia Calamaju?.
Soon you will see the first of a number of white round posts with kilometer numbers on them. The first I recall seeing had the number 31 on it. The
numbers decrease in the direction you want to be going. Along this good road there are a number of lesser side roads. Some seem to parallel the road
you?re on, some do not. We just stayed on the good road.
25.1 ? concrete bridge with nearly the entire left half caved in ? be careful of this one if you are getting here after dark!
.26.9 ? a big steel gate on either side of the road. We later asked Coco about the gate and he said it?s been there for years and never been closed
that he knew.
27.0 ? well-traveled road to the right, stay straight ahead.
27.9 ? Coco?s Corner.
Highway 1 to the left.
Gonzaga Bay to the right.
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
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John,
This sounded like a wonderful vacation. Maybe post some photos on ofoto.com???
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
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Location: Redding, Northern CA
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Mood: optimistic
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Very good stuff, John. Thank you very much
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Elena La Loca
Nomad
Posts: 143
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: Oceanside, CA
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Girlie Jeep in Calamajue
too much fun!!!
[Edited on 5-17-2005 by Elena La Loca]
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Desertbull
Senior Nomad
Posts: 558
Registered: 8-27-2003
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WooHoo..............Calamajue Wash is one of my favorite..I think LN & the crew had a fiesta there one afternoon.. cuz it was too pretty to leave.
Main Course - SPAM...
Christmas 2003 -
[Edited on 5-17-2005 by Desertbull]
DREAM IT! PLAN IT! LIVE IT!
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Desertbull
Senior Nomad
Posts: 558
Registered: 8-27-2003
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mas fotos
[Edited on 5-17-2005 by Desertbull]
DREAM IT! PLAN IT! LIVE IT!
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Santiago
Ultra Nomad
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Registered: 8-27-2003
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Thanks for the report John: is this doable in my 4X4 Tundra?
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John M
Super Nomad
Posts: 1907
Registered: 9-3-2003
Location: California High Desert
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Doable in a Tundra
The conditions last week looked consistently like the photo of the VW posted by DesertBull. Not those of higher water in the photograph of the
Cherokee posted before that.
No sweat for the Toyota Tundra - however, if light brush marks from the bushes would deter you than I'd rethink your plan.
John
[Edited on 5-17-2005 by John M]
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David K
Honored Nomad
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Registered: 8-30-2002
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Calamajue Canyon in 1979
A couple weeks before the '79 Baja 1000 (SCORE'S first race from Ensenada to La Paz), I pre-ran the section I was to be driving first (San Matias Pass
to El Crucero). Here is my Subaru 4WD wagon southbound in the canyon. Unfortunately, our Class 6 Datsun race car ate it before I got my turn behind
the wheel (blown differential).
John, an oustanding trip report... the GPS is great for milages as you drive and not worry about inaccurate car odometer. If you click on the link to
El Crucero I gave in the Satellite Maps thread, you can see the side roads you mention (and more)... just scroll with your mouse at max. zoom and it's
like you are in a helicopter above the road.
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4baja
Super Nomad
Posts: 1339
Registered: 9-4-2003
Location: morro bay ca
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allso dont forget that 1/2 inch garden hose that makes a nice shower once you stick it in the water gusher comeing out of the top of the large white
rock. warm too. not recomended for anyone with a nice shinny paint job, you will get lots of pin stripes. lots of fun on the quad!!!
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surfer jim
Super Nomad
Posts: 1891
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: high desert
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Great report....who's next to go?....
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