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David K
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Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Baja 7-07 Part 2: The Distant Pacific
This trip report started with Part 1 at: http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=25995
Roy, 'The squarecircle' joined us for the first half of our 8 day Baja vacation... A second vehicle is a wise idea in the remote places that Baja is
famous for, like the far away remote Pacific coastline south of El Rosario. We would be driving 200 dirt miles parallel to the Pacific as much as
possible between Puerto Santa Catarina and Punta Rosarito, south of Santa Rosalillita.
We headed out from El Rosario after breakfast at Primo's La Bocana Beach Restaurant, Sunday morning.
We had both the AAA Baja map and the Baja Almanac for reference... While the Almanac has far more detail in topography and coastline shape, the AAA
map was more helpful with roads in the area as the Almanac shows roads incorrectly in many places. A GPS is great to let you see exactly where you
are, as well.
Here is the route as we found it... The AAA map doesn't show a small piece of road below the fish camp at the end of Arroyo San Jose, or about 3 miles
of a road we took south from Punta Blanco. Otherwise the roads are where the map shows them...
[Edited on 8-2-2007 by David K]
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David K
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Posts: 64859
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Location: San Diego County
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Road Log 194.7 miles from Hwy. 1 to Hwy.1
The route along the Pacific is a way one can experience a little of what it was like to drive the length of Baja before Highway 1 was constructed
between 1967 and 1974 (Dec. '73). The route shown on the map is a little over 200 miles and there are no services or fuel until Santa Rosalillita or
beyond at Villa Jesus Maria.
Total (and partial) mileage shown from my Tacoma odometer. AAA map mileages for the same section of road were the same or very close to mine.
0.0 (0.0) Take the signed right turnoff to 'Santa Catarina (32 km)' 46.9 miles from El Rosario's Pemex. The road is between Km. 132 and 133. Just
ahead (on Hwy. 1) is the road left to Guayaquil.
This is a good, fast graded road for the first 30 or so miles and it is fun to drive through beautiful cactus gardens.
7.2 (7.2) Road in from left to San Agustin along the old route from El Marmol... where onyx blocks were trucked to the Pacific at Santa Catarina
Landing to be shipped north.
19.2 (12.0) pass through tree shaded Rancho Santa Catarina.
21.1 (1.9) Fork, left to Punta Canoas and right for Santa Catarina Landing... we go right. The road climbs to the the top of a ridge and then drops
down to the coastal plain. The original road used to haul onyx over can be seen to the north.
36.3 (15.2) Fork, we first take right fork and it goes 3.4 miles to fish camp 'Punta Blu'... dead end, so back to this fork and take left branch.
37.3 (1.0) Road left is the route south... ahead goes 1.0 mile to Santa Catarina fish camp, on the beach.
38.1 (0.8) Turn left and head away from coast.
47.3 (9.2) Come to the Punta Canoas road which forked at Mile 21.1 above. Turn right.
51.3 (4.0) Road to left... we continued straight.
52.3 (1.0) Road to left... we continued straight.
55.2 (2.9) Junction... Ahead goes 1.1 miles to high, look out/ view point, above Punta Canoas... To continue south, turn left.
58.5 (3.3) Join with road heading south (probably coming from the roads that turned left at Mile 51.3 and 52.3).
62.0 (3.5) Puerto Canoas Fish Camp.
Reset odometer to 0.0 for the next section of the road log.
=========================================
0.0 (0.0) Puerto Canoas Fish Camp.
We first travel across the arroyo valley to investigate a modern, large home/ building near the beach... then head east.
1.8 (1.8) Big house facing beach on south side of arroyo. Head east, as no road is seen going south, close to the beach.
The auto club map shows the road we are on and we make camp at Mile 8.0 at the base of a pointy hill... about where the mileage '13.9' is shown on the
AAA map.
The Baja Almanac only shows this road as a trail. Our first night camp is to the east of the word 'Mujeres' (an arroyo) on Almanac Map 17.
17.4 (15.6) Pass a pair of graves and come to a cross road at an abandoned ranch. This should be the road from Hwy. 1 near Cataviņa going to Faro San
Jose. We turn right.
19.6 (2.2) Cross road, fenced entrance. Continue ahead.
21.5 (1.9) Join newer, graded road... continue ahead.
22.6 (1.1) Green school(?), fork to right.
33.1 (10.5) Road in from right, continue ahead.
35.5 (2.4) Fork, go right.
37.4 (1.9) Road to El Mirador to right, continue ahead.
39.6 (2.2) Arroyo San Jose fish camp.
We want to stay near to the coast, and find a poor 'Jeep' road that does just that. After 6 slow miles we near Bahia Corbin and drive out onto the
point on the north side of the bay for a lunch break. Finally, a beautiful looking beach... but a fish camp is there, too.
46.0 (6.4) Bahia Corbin, north end camping area on side road, just off coastal road.
Reset trip odometer to 0.0.
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0.0 (0.0) Bahia Corbin. Return short distance to coastal road by fish camp and continue south.
8.8 (8.8) Arroyo La Pintada valley and road to east (to Laguna Chapala?).
10.4 (1.6) A second road going east which I am pretty sure is the unmapped road to Laguna Chapala on Hwy. 1.
16.0 (5.6) Road to coast at Bahia Blanco. We continue south.
The main road swings inland along Arroyo El Sauz, but we see a lesser dirt road cutting across the marsh (was dry) area staying nearer the coast and
take it. This is not shown on the AAA map or Almanac.
21.7 (5.7) Meet newly graded roadbed on south side of Arroyo El Sauz. This soon follows the 'poor' road location shown on the Almanac and AAA map.
29.3 (7.6) After lots of silt on the graded roadbed we come to the north-south (now graded) road between Cordonices and Punta Maria. We turn right on
the fast road, or better called 'dirt highway'.
34.5 (5.2) Road to right goes to Punta Cono. We continue south.
42.2 (7.7) Bahia Maria beach, near Punta el Diablo
43.0 (0.8) El Cardon ranch.
46.1 (3.1) Road to beach 0.4 mi., just south of Punta Lobos.
We are pooped from so much hard driving and want to make camp, so we go to the beach for a look.
We drive down the beach to find a camp site in the Valle los Ojitos dunes. A sea lion (lobo) is on the shore... photos.
========================================
0.0 (0.0) Beach road (Punta Lobos/ Valle los Ojitos)
6.8 (6.8) Road west to El Marron fish camp (near Punta Prieta/ Punta Negra). Road (or dirt highway here) heads away from the coast around the Sierra
San Andres.
17.0 (10.2) Cross Arroyo San Andres
17.2 (0.2) Road west signed to '3 Alejandras' (Puerto San Andres).
21.1 (3.9) Come to PAVED Santa Rosalillita highway, turn right for the coast. (Hwy. 1 is about 8 miles to the left)
22.1 (1.0) FORK, Escalera Nautica Harbor is 1.2 miles to right.
22.5 (0.4) Santa Rosalillita village on the beach. Gas and supplies available.
Reset trip odometer to 0.0 for the final section of this coastal road log to Hwy. 1 via Punta Rosarito.
====================================================
0.0 (0.0) Santa Rosalillita. Take street parallel to the coast south... road soon turns inland and crosses Arroyo Santo Dominguito, eventually
returning nearer the beach.
This is a slow, rough road and is only advisable if you seek a wide, sand beach that stretches for miles in both directions.
11.0 (11.0) Road to west to coast at Punta Rosarito.
15.4 (4.4) Road has been following a rocky shore for a few miles and now leaves the coast.
18.1 (2.7) Highway 1 at Km. 63 (63 kilometers south of the Bahia de los Angeles junction). Nuevo Rosarito is almost 7 miles north and Villa Jesus
Maria (Pemex station) is 19.8 miles south.
Summary: The 'distant Pacific' is a combination of remote areas, rough and good roads, rocky and sandy beaches, ugly commercial fish camps as well as
unpopulated areas.
The northern half (Santa Catarina, Canoas, San Jose) is an area so unappealing and little to offer that I would never want to go back. The inland
sections (in the sunshine), had some beautiful desert scenes, but the overcast coastline wasn't appealing considering the distance and lack of
services (not even a cantina):lol.
The southern half had some fine looking beaches as well as the 'ugly' fish camps, but the water temperature is so cold that I wouldn't be going there
often, if ever again. The Sea of Cortez spoils me...
Another note... the Mexican government has built a paved highway to the coast at Santa Rosalillita and a good dirt highway north of Punta Cono with
unfinished construction to Bahia Blanca. THIS AREA is no secret, and anywhere a standard auto can get to, so will come the rif raf. It is BAD ROADS
that filter out the 'unworthy', not road logs or maps.
This Pacific coast road has been logged and mapped since the 1950's (Lower California Guidebook, Offbeat Baja, Baja Adventure Book, AAA map and guide,
etc.). If I can find unpopulated beaches in 2007, after 50 years of maps and guides... then I can hardly blame any author if development comes!
Nope, it will be the dirt and paved highways that will change the area, as it has everywhere else in Baja they were built.
[Edited on 8-10-2007 by David K]
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David K
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Posts: 64859
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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The road off Highway One is a government graded highway and signed.
It passes through cactus forests en route to Rancho Santa Catarina.
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David K
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This graveyard is passed as the road enters the tree shaded rancho of Santa Catarina
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David K
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The distant Pacific is seen from high on the ridge. The good graded road gets rough when it reached the desert floor, and has some patches of silt
('Baja dust') to drive through.
[Edited on 8-1-2007 by David K]
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David K
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After finding Santa Catarina Landing an 'ugly' commercial fish camp... we continued on looking for a good reason to come back to this part of Baja!
Here is Squarecircle's Land Rover on the high view above Punta Canoas
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David K
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It was windy up there!
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David K
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We camped about 8 miles inland... This cone hill was too tempting, so I climbed up for a photo. See our camp, below?
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David K
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Pretty good telephoto, eh?
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David K
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I found this tiny boojum tree near our camp... beer can for scale...
More photos soon... stand by!
[Edited on 8-1-2007 by David K]
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805gregg
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Thanks for the pictures, I've always wondered about that area.
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David K
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Posts: 64859
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Monday morning we are loaded up and on the road by 9. The road passes through cardon, boojum, pitahaya, and elephant tree gardens... This desert area
(away from the coast) is the highlight of the drive, so far!
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David K
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Posts: 64859
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Near where the road from Puerto Canoas joins the road between Cataviņa and Faro San Jose was this mother/ child grave site and an abandoned rancho.
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David K
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Back to the coast and another fish camp... with a small island just offshore (Islote Piedra de San Jose)
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David K
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Just south of San Jose arroyo crossing and over a hill to this stretch...
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David K
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We check out the beach in a few places...
[Edited on 8-1-2007 by David K]
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David K
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Posts: 64859
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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As it is getting late in the afternoon, we spot a beach witout a fishing camp established and check it out. Some sand dunes are a mile or so south so
we go to them, passing this sea lion.
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David K
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Posts: 64859
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Finding a place in the dunes for some wind protection, I spot a coyote a bit further down the beach.
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David K
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Here is our camp... In the distance is Punta Lobos.
It is cold and windy... and in the morning we get rained on and I know the sea
water is like an ice cube!
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David K
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Location: San Diego County
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We walk up the beach a find the sea lion still there, and not affraid or angry...? We walked by and it got up on its flippers and rotated towards
us... So, we concluded it was not injured as we had first thought. It did not bark euther.
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