BajaNomad

Baja 7-07 Part 2: The Distant Pacific

David K - 7-31-2007 at 06:03 PM

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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Road Log 194.7 miles from Hwy. 1 to Hwy.1

David K - 7-31-2007 at 06:07 PM

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.
===========================================

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]

David K - 7-31-2007 at 06:34 PM

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 - 7-31-2007 at 06:36 PM

This graveyard is passed as the road enters the tree shaded rancho of Santa Catarina

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David K - 7-31-2007 at 06:38 PM

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 - 7-31-2007 at 06:41 PM

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 - 7-31-2007 at 06:43 PM

It was windy up there!

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David K - 7-31-2007 at 06:46 PM

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 - 7-31-2007 at 06:47 PM

Pretty good telephoto, eh?

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David K - 7-31-2007 at 06:49 PM

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 - 7-31-2007 at 09:03 PM

Thanks for the pictures, I've always wondered about that area.

David K - 8-1-2007 at 08:29 AM

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 - 8-1-2007 at 08:31 AM

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 - 8-1-2007 at 08:34 AM

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 - 8-1-2007 at 08:36 AM

Just south of San Jose arroyo crossing and over a hill to this stretch...

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David K - 8-1-2007 at 08:39 AM

We check out the beach in a few places...

[Edited on 8-1-2007 by David K]

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David K - 8-1-2007 at 08:44 AM

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 - 8-1-2007 at 08:46 AM

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 - 8-1-2007 at 08:49 AM

Here is our camp... In the distance is Punta Lobos.

It is cold and windy... and in the morning we get rained on:lol: and I know the sea water is like an ice cube!:yes:

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David K - 8-1-2007 at 08:52 AM

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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David K - 8-1-2007 at 08:53 AM

Cute pose

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David K - 8-1-2007 at 08:55 AM

Tuesday morning we continued south to finish up our look at the distant Pacific. Here is the Escalera Nautica harbor at Santa Rosalillita... at the end of a paved road from Hwy. 1.

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David K - 8-1-2007 at 09:05 AM

We drive the final 18 dirt miles of the distant Pacific coast road from Santa Rosalillita, past Punta Rosarito to Hwy. 1.

The military checkpoint is open at the El Tomatal turnoff, a few miles south and we get to Villa Jesus Maria after 283 miles from El Rosario to fill up.

My truck takes on 18.5 gallons, cost me 465 pesos, which works out to US$2.37/ gallon as I bought pesos at the border at 10.60 to the dollar. With all those dirt and 4WD sections, I still got 15.3 miles per gallon! (My usual range is 16-19 city-highway)

That's the end of Part 2... to be continued with Part 3 (to Bahia Asuncion)

cpg - 8-1-2007 at 08:51 PM

Great photos ! Thanks David

PabloS - 8-1-2007 at 09:02 PM

Just curious, did you spot ANY surfers at ANY of those secret surf spots along the coast????:?:

jerry - 8-1-2007 at 09:06 PM

thanks DK ill be looking forward to the rest

David K - 8-1-2007 at 11:51 PM

De nada amigos...

PabloS: NOT ONE...

I will get started on Part 3 now... The Baja Sur border, Bahia Asuncion... Shari's place!

Part 3 is at: http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=26029

edm1 - 8-2-2007 at 06:21 AM

testing

surfer jim - 8-2-2007 at 07:10 AM

All the surfers were at Punta Cabras that weekend.....:rolleyes:

windsurfeddy - 8-27-2007 at 11:45 AM

David, what time of year did you make this trip? We have seen the Faro San Jose sign, 72 km I believe, many times, but never had the time to do the trip. We go down to windsurf/kiteboard in December to BOLA and now Guadalupe, so are intrigued. Thanks. ciao.

Barry A. - 8-27-2007 at 12:05 PM

David--------what an incredible post------------it is posts like this that keep me coming back time after time to the NOMADS board-----------

Thank you so much-------

Barry

David K - 8-27-2007 at 05:01 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by windsurfeddy
David, what time of year did you make this trip? We have seen the Faro San Jose sign, 72 km I believe, many times, but never had the time to do the trip. We go down to windsurf/kiteboard in December to BOLA and now Guadalupe, so are intrigued. Thanks. ciao.


I started posting this 7 part trip report just 2 days after we returned! We left Friday, July 20 and returned Sunday before dawn July 29, 2007 (last month).

Well, it is no secret, signed, graded and paved roads lead from Hwy. 1 to the Pacific along with a few more unimproved dirt roads... You do know about the windsurfer 'resort' at Punta San Carlos? See http://www.solosports.net

David K - 8-27-2007 at 05:04 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Barry A.
David--------what an incredible post------------it is posts like this that keep me coming back time after time to the NOMADS board-----------

Thank you so much-------

Barry


You are very welcome Barry... I know you have 'Baja fever' and just reading details of off the beaten path Baja trips is a great pleasure to me, as well!

David K - 8-27-2007 at 05:18 PM

By the way, you secret surf location people who think it is trip reports and maps that will ruin your hide-aways... The new 2007 Baja California Atlas has 'Seven Sisters' on their map of the region (Page 17) with arrows pointing to the seven points it claims are the Sisters! This may just ruin your year! (I still hold it is the paved and graded roads already in the area you should be upset about)

This Mexican made map book says the Seven Sisiters are Punta Cono, Punta Lobos, Punta Prieta, Punta Rocosa, Puerto San Andres, Punta Santa Rosalillita and Punta Rosarito.

On the map it also says: "Seven Sisters is a set of seven surfing point breaks in Baja California, Mexico located which is a series of right point breaks that stretch from Punta Cono all the way to Punta Rosarito, about halfway down the Baja California peninsula."

woody with a view - 8-27-2007 at 05:25 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by PabloS
Just curious, did you spot ANY surfers at ANY of those secret surf spots along the coast????:?:


2 things:

first, it's the wrong time of year.....

second, nobody knows where the secrets REALLY are, except.....:?:

woody with a view - 8-27-2007 at 05:27 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
By the way, you secret surf location people who think it is trip reports and maps that will ruin your hide-aways... The new 2007 Baja California Atlas has 'Seven Sisters' on their map of the region (Page 17) with arrows pointing to the seven points it claims are the Sisters! This may just ruin your year! (I still hold it is the paved and graded roads already in the area you should be upset about)

This Mexican made map book says the Seven Sisiters are Punta Cono, Punta Lobos, Punta Prieta, Punta Rocosa, Puerto San Andres, Punta Santa Rosalillita and Punta Rosarito.

On the map it also says: "Seven Sisters is a set of seven surfing point breaks in Baja California, Mexico located which is a series of right point breaks that stretch from Punta Cono all the way to Punta Rosarito, about halfway down the Baja California peninsula."


lies and propaganda....nobody ever goes out there to REALLY know, except in summer....

surfer jim - 8-27-2007 at 09:03 PM

Don't worry....surfers seldom read......;)