BAJA PREZ DAY WEEKEND 2007 (Part 2, La Turquesa Grade)

Continued from Part 1 at http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=22804

To the La Turquesa Canyon viewpoint and steep grade down.

This trail has been reported as ultra tough for motorcycles and the route is one of Kacey Smith’s Baja GPS Guidebook chapters called the ‘XR Ride’. What I found was an old mine (?) road, perhaps from the pre pavement days. It seemed that it could easily be passable with a little rock moving, at least halfway down the grade. If I were with another vehicle, I would have attempted the drive down… As it was, I walked just over a mile from the top and seemed to be at least halfway to the bottom. Baja Angel thought this unmapped road was really cool and said she would have no problem driving her CJ-5 Jeep on it.

From the point I quit hiking down, the road curved out of view, so it couldn’t be determined if it was passable to me without a companion vehicle for any problems. However, it would make an excellent quest for Ken Cooke and his Rubicon Jeep Club and the Squarecircle’s new Land Rover who will always jump at the chance to tackle a new off road adventure!

To find the La Turquesa Grade:

On Highway One going south, a short distance south of the boulder pile known as El Pedregoso, just past Km. 213, about 97 ½ miles from El Rosario Pemex, a track heads east in a rock filled arroyo. GPS (NAD27 Mexico) is 29 degrees 31.143’, 114 degrees 29.986’ (elev. 2,482’). Coming north on Hwy. 1, you will go about 12 ½ miles from Laguna Chapala and turn east just past the Km. 214 marker.

A tree is near the place you leave the highway and road construction tank is just north of the arroyo road… drive east in the rock filled arroyo eventually leaving the arroyo for a smoother ride. The drive to the peninsular divide/ top of the grade is 4.6 miles and took us 27 minutes (moving time). At the top of the grade a concrete claim monument is there: 29 degrees 32.531’, 114 degrees 26.023’ (elev. 2,816’). Get out and have a look down! Baja Angel and I hiked a ways down together and I continued to a point over a mile from the top at 29 degrees 32.704’, 114 degrees 25.722’ (elev. 2,379’).

After returning to my truck, Baja Angel and I pulled out our camp chairs and enjoyed beer with cheese and crackers… then it was off to Gonzaga Bay. Too bad we weren’t sure about the shortcut down La Turquesa Canyon, as it would have cut off over 30 miles!

Photo of rocky road in arroyo 0.4 mile from Highway 1:



[Edited on 2-22-2007 by David K]

Better road, photo taken 3.0 miles from Highway 1:

The top of the grade on the peninsular divide, 4.6 miles from Highway 1:

La Turquesa Canyon named for the turquoise mine... see http://vivabaja.com/wayno/page2.html

Zoom in on where I think the turquoise mine is located:

[Edited on 2-21-2007 by David K]

My truck at the top of the grade... note concrete monument of some mine claim, I imagine...

The old road leading down into the canyon:

Noticed many m/c tracks on it (DEVEAU's maybe?)...

Really a nice view... In the area of granite boulders beyond the canyon is Highway 5 between Gonzaga Bay and Coco's Corner:

I zoom in on Baja Angel from where I hiked down to (she hiked a good 3/4 mile with me, then I went a bit over a quarter mile more, hoping to see the bottom half of the road):

[Edited on 2-22-2007 by David K]

It really doesn't look that tough for a four wheeler... However, the bottom half is the unknown!

Zoom in on the wash at the bottom of the grade... I could see m/c tracks in it:

I begin the hike back up...

I really like the old roads in Baja... I wonder if it was turquoise that paid for the construction here?

[Edited on 2-21-2007 by David K]

I sure want to go back and try it out... Who wants to as well?

One last look at the view!

Map of the area

I just went back to the satellite image and could see exactly where Baja Angel and I hiked to... and it was at least halfway down... I hope this shows up well:

Map of La Turquesa Grade...

Okay, looks great, all the photos of the grade (above) were taken between 'Top' and 'End of Hike, 1.1 mile from top'...

[Edited on 2-21-2007 by David K]

Neal, the Squarecircle already called me to say he's in! You need to come too because it may take two Toyotas to get his pretty new Land Rover through!!!

[Edited on 2-21-2007 by David K]

other side

Thanks for the tips DEVEAU!

That was the reason I didn't take my Tacoma down it last Saturday... I didn't hike all the way to the bottom to confirm if there was some short cliff at the end... I had just enough energy to hike back up the 1.1 miles and 500' elevation gain, after hiking down!

The old mine on the left (as you head east) is the turquoise mine in my photos? http://vivabaja.com/wayno/page2.html

From there to the green pools you can make out the road on the satellite image (I hiked it to the mine because I could not see it from the Green Pools in '75). The pools to Mex. 5 is easy!

The washouts you mention could be filled with all the loose rock I bet!







[Edited on 2-21-2007 by David K]

Great stuff, David.

Actually, I'm in Baja mode now. Sixteen days and counting before 3 nights at Shari's and 10 days camping. My first night will be in Turquesa Canyon from the bottom. I love photographing the pools.

This trip I'm going to visit a beach (that I won't mention right now) that I can follow a road to on Google Earth. Never heard anybody talk about it, though David, you were close once. This might just be my little secret.

[Edited on 2-21-2007 by Pappy Jon]

Turquesa Mine road off hwy 5

Road toward the Mine

Mine area looking west

Past the mine toward the Trail

Closer to the trail

Wash meets Trail

Up the trail

Up some more

Up More

Keep Going

On to what look to be a Plain

Further West

Low Res to hwy1

Hwy 1 at top

Overall Points

Friday the 23rd

Some people just can't wait. Told a few neighbors about it and they had to go yesterday. - Remember, we're in Baja Bugs and desert rails - no MCs. There is a road into the mouth of the canyon from Hghy 5 but we only found it on our way out.

This shows where we went - from Matomi to the canyon and back out to the highway. (red) and points for the mine and upper canyon near the lower left.




This shows our gong into the mouth - about a mile from the lunch spot.




There were motorcycle tracks going on beyond where we went. Because of a broken axle on a rail and time of day we turned around there but know we can drive further up the canyon on another day. Where we stopped we were at about 635 ft elevation. Longer days will help when we go back again.

[Edited on 2-24-2007 by bajalou]

Quote:

Originally posted by bajalou Some people just can't wait. Told a few neighbors about it and they had to go yesterday. - Remember, we're in Baja Bugs and desert rails - no MCs. There is a road into the mouth of the canyon from Hghy 5 but we only found it on our way out. This shows where we went - from Matomi to the canyon and back out to the highway. (red) and points for the mine and upper canyon near the lower left. This shows our gong into the mouth - about a mile from the lunch spot. There were motorcycle tracks going on beyond where we went. Because of a broken axle on a rail and time of day we turned around there but know we can drive further up the canyon on another day. Where we stopped we were at about 635 ft elevation. Longer days will help when we go back again. [Edited on 2-24-2007 by bajalou]

If it helps you explorers find the bottom of the grade in La Turquesa Canyon better, I bordered the road with a marker... There is a small switchback at the bottom which puts the point where the old mine road reaches the arroyo to the north of the Trail-1 dart in TW's awesome images...