BajaNomad - Dirt road between Los Barriles and San Juan de los Planes

Dirt road between Los Barriles and San Juan de los Planes

motoged - 10-1-2010 at 10:53 AM

Nomads,
A while back a Nomad drove this road with no difficulties. Are there any fences/gates that restrict travel on this road?

My intention is to ride the entire East Cape "coastal" road down to San Jose del Cabo (KTM 690) in February. I have ridden from SJ north to Los Frailes but went west through the mountains (foothills, actually) to the highway (beautiful terrain up top).

I have every reason to believe it is a simple route (research to date) and hope it is so.

I am also curious about roads from San Antonio/ El Triunfo area up and over dirt roads to Todos Santos area....

Thanks for your help. :saint:

[Edited on 10-1-2010 by motoged]

mcfez - 10-1-2010 at 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by motoged
Nomads,
A while back a Nomad drove this road with no difficulties. Are there any fences/gates that restrict travel on this road?

My intention is to ride the entire East Cape "coastal" road down to San Jose del Cabo (KTM 690) in February. I have ridden from SJ north to Los Frailes but went west through the mountains (foothills, actually) to the highway (beautiful terrain up top).

I have every reason to believe it is a simple route (research to date) and hope it is so.

I am also curious about roads from San Antonio/ El Triunfo area up and over dirt roads to Todos Santos area....

Thanks for your help. :saint:

[Edited on 10-1-2010 by motoged]

motoged
Going by way of your bike...or other?

bajajazz - 10-1-2010 at 11:56 AM

It has been too many years, but we used to drive the "road" between Los Planes and Las Barrilles (the first 12 miles of it, anyway) to a beach where we had great private camping. The "road" was a washed-out track, really, very difficult driving but the camping was so great it was worth the trip. Man, I am so glad we had what we had of this place at the time we had it.

monoloco - 10-1-2010 at 11:59 AM

The roads and trails between El Triunfo/ San Antonio and Todos Santos are the best and most scenic rides in the Cape region. You can ride from Pescadero to San Antonio without ever crossing pavement. Some of the highlights of that area are San Pedro de Frijolar, Valle Perdido, and San Antonio de La Sierra. Beware that the Pemex in San Antonio is no longer open, there is a woman at the south end of El Triunfo who sometimes sells gas out of drums, other than that the closest fuel is in Los Planes. I think we usually do about 120 miles round trip from Todos.

YARDSAIL - 10-1-2010 at 12:05 PM

IT IS POSSIBLE THAT IT IS WASHED OUT BETWEEN BOCA DE ALAMO AND LOS PLANES, BECAUSE OF THE RECENT RAINS, BUT IT WILL BE OPEN BY FEB. I WAS UP THERE IN THE SPRING AND IT WAS FINE ALL THE WAY THROUGH...FOR A HIGH CLEARANCE OR SHORT WHEELBASE VEHICLE... IF I HEAR OF SOMEONE THAT HAS BEEN UP THAT WAY I WILL POST IT HERE...

mcfez - 10-1-2010 at 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by YARDSAIL
IT IS POSSIBLE THAT IT IS WASHED OUT BETWEEN BOCA DE ALAMO AND LOS PLANES, BECAUSE OF THE RECENT RAINS, BUT IT WILL BE OPEN BY FEB. I WAS UP THERE IN THE SPRING AND IT WAS FINE ALL THE WAY THROUGH...FOR A HIGH CLEARANCE OR SHORT WHEELBASE VEHICLE... IF I HEAR OF SOMEONE THAT HAS BEEN UP THAT WAY I WILL POST IT HERE...

Wow! Guess what I just did? Picked up the wrong set of eye glasses and saw HUGE print from the last post here. Now...where are my specs to read with......

motoged - 10-1-2010 at 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mcfez
motoged
Going by way of your bike...or other?

McFez,
I will be on my KTM 690....if the stars line up

comitan - 10-1-2010 at 01:20 PM

Your good to go, you will enjoy the trip.

BajaNomad - 10-1-2010 at 03:10 PM

Ged,

Just for clarification - are you talking the road that's a straight shot south of Los Planes to the Hwy (which is now paved), or the coastal dirt road through El Cardonal, and Punta Pescadero?

mcfez - 10-1-2010 at 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by motoged

Quote:

Originally posted by mcfez
motoged
Going by way of your bike...or other?

McFez,
I will be on my KTM 690....if the stars line up

Just curious since I am a rider too...but street only.
Your auxiliary tanks give you how much more of a ride...if you have em?

[Edited on 10-1-2010 by mcfez]

Bajatripper - 10-1-2010 at 04:09 PM

Quote:

McFez,
I will be on my KTM 690....if the stars line up

Just curious since I am a rider too...but street only.
Your auxiliary tanks give you how much more of a ride...if you have em?

[Edited on 10-1-2010 by mcfez]

I'm going to wager a guess here that someone mistook the bike model for a reference to the planned kilometers of the trip.

BAJA.DESERT.RAT - 10-1-2010 at 04:54 PM

Hola motoged, if you are asking about the road from san antonio off of mex 1 to los planes and just north of the old pemex by about a quarter mile, it is paved and is in pristine condition as of last week after georgette as we took it from los barriles to go fishing off of las arenas de la ventana.

BIEN SALUD, DA RAT

David K - 10-1-2010 at 05:00 PM

There are some awesome sites south of La Paz... Jack Swords has photograped many, and I made a web page to show them (many with GPS data):
http://www.vivabaja.com/swords/

Specifically, El Oro (south of El Triunfo) may have been the hacienda of Don Miguel de Ocio, see on page 6 and 7... Here is the intro:

El Oro: Possibly the hacienda of Don Manuel de Ocio
Manuel de Ocio was a Spanish soldier born in 1700, stationed at Loreto around 1733, saved the life of a Jesuit priest (Father Taraval of Todos Santos), and got involved in California's pearl industry.

Pearl harvesting had been steadily declining, but by 1748 Ocio had claimed the rich silver fields of 'Santa Ana', south of today's San Antonio, south of La Paz.

California's first mine 'Real de Santa Ana' was the creation of Manuel de Ocio, who also raised cattle, built ships, and was California's first tycoon.

Don Manuel de Ocio was mudered in 1771 by two miners while they robbed his storehouse.

The following photos, from Jack Swords are very likely ruins of Ocio's hacienda, dam, and other structures. Located about 30 miles south of La Paz at N23°45.05', W110°05.67'

motoged - 10-1-2010 at 06:08 PM

Nomads,
I am talking about the coastal road that goes east out of Los Planes over the hills to the Sea of Cortez and then south to Los Barriles, Los Frailes, and on to San Jose del Cabo past all the windsurfing beaches, etc...., NOT the recently paved road that headed to Los Planes from the main highway....and am riding off-road motorcycle with auxiliary tanks.....because I am experienced and know what I am doing :lol:

26 litre capacity gives me about 400 kilometer range...no problema

I have about 15,000 kms motorcycle experience in Baja since 1994....Race routes, Lizard Lady/Bill Nicols routes, and getting lost and back on my own routes...and am here still to find some yet-to-be-explored routes.....as the one we are talking about here.

Not wanting to sound arrogant, just sayin' that I am not a total newbie here

Some examples:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124833 [/url]

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=199166

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=433323&h...

woody with a view - 10-1-2010 at 06:23 PM

whatsa kilometer? :light:

YARDSAIL - 10-1-2010 at 07:13 PM

MOTOGED...CHECK YOUR U2U

David K - 10-1-2010 at 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by woody with a view
whatsa kilometer? :light:

to convert Canadian measurements to 'Merican numbers, just DOUBLE IT and ADD 30! :light:

Like when they say in Vancouver... "It's cloudy and 20 degrees"... 20 + 20 = 40 + 30 = 70... it's our 70 degrees! :cool:

If the shrimp weigh 2 kilos: 2 + 2 = 4 + 30 = 34 pounds of shrimp. :biggrin:

If you want 10 gallons of gas... 10 + 10 = 20 + 30 = 50 liters... However, at Santa Rosalia it will always be more on the pump and less in your tank! :rolleyes:

Now, the important conversion... If you want a SIX PACK of Beer... 6 + 6 = 12 + 30 = 42... 42 METRIC BEERS! :lol:

Baja&Back - 10-1-2010 at 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by motoged
Nomads,
I am talking about the coastal road that goes east out of Los Planes over the hills to the Sea of Cortez and then south to Los Barriles,

That road is severely washed out for cars, but you should have no problems on a bike. My buddy did it last year on an ATV.

BTW: DK and others interested. If you walk thru the restaurant at Bay of Dreams (was called El Cardonal last year) another 50 yards, is the stone ruins of a 17th Century Spanish pier and warehouse. The Manila galleons used to stop here to water and replenish. It is now a dinghy dock.
Worth seeing!

David K - 10-2-2010 at 07:46 AM

Thanks Barry.. someday I would like to visit that area...

The history of the pier and warehouse is a bit more recent, per Peter Gerhard who writes it was built by the Boleo Company in 1924 as a shipping point for El Triunfo silver.

For 250 years the bay of San Lucas (Cabo San Lucas) was the occasional calling port of the Manila galleons traveling between Acapulco and the Philippines. Pirates (like Thomas Cavendish) hid behind the arch Cape of San Lucas and surprised the galleons. 122,000 gold pesos was taken from the "Santa Ana" and divided between Cavendish's two ships... one sailed across the Pacific, the other headed north, never to be seen again!

(history from the 1962 Lower California Guidebook, pgs 187,188)

roamingthroughbaja - 10-3-2010 at 09:51 AM

Went that way last summer in our GMC 4X4 diesel pickup. Didn't use the 4X4 at all. The road is just a track, but beautiful views and country. It was really hot, but there is a great beach every 20 minutes or so, so we just stopped, swam/snorkelled, and moved on. The last part is paved and moves away from the water. Going to try to upload photos. Ojala! Oops, can only post one picture. I'll try more later.

[Edited on 10-3-2010 by roamingthroughbaja]

DSCN1216.jpg - 11kB

roamingthroughbaja - 10-3-2010 at 09:52 AM

One of the beaches.

DSCN1227.jpg - 18kB

roamingthroughbaja - 10-3-2010 at 09:56 AM

A great beach!

DSCN1229.jpg - 7kB

roamingthroughbaja - 10-3-2010 at 09:58 AM

The worst part of the road....

DSCN1221.jpg - 16kB

gnukid - 10-3-2010 at 10:08 AM

Wiley Airstream is living out there so he should be able to speak to the road quality, I think he has a motocycle too.

Here are some recent photo

San de Los Plannes heading South

Heading Up

Looking Back

Muertos

Swithcback

This is a great time to talk about timeshare RE opportunities!

motoged - 10-3-2010 at 12:25 PM

Thanks, everybody....just what I wanted to hear....and see !!! :cool:

motoged - 10-3-2010 at 12:27 PM

Thanks, everybody....just what I wanted to hear....and see !!! :cool:

bill erhardt - 10-3-2010 at 12:34 PM

motoged......Here's a link to a report w/photos I posted in January on the trip you are planning. Like another poster, I drove a 4 wheel drive truck, but never used more than 2......

http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=43819#pid4879...

motoged - 10-3-2010 at 02:46 PM

Bill,
Thanks...I think I read that before but did not keep the link....looks like a pleasant ride....need to keep an eye open for beach breaks :tumble:

comitan - 10-3-2010 at 05:36 PM

One thing about that road its ok for 2wheel drive going south, but coming north there is a sharp turn then a hill with loose gravel and can be very difficult for 2 wheel drive.

Bajatripper - 10-4-2010 at 01:00 PM

Motoged
I was motivated by the post of another Nomad about the possibility to see a comet, we went camping at El Chorro, down by Santiago. To answer your question about the road that goes from Los Barriles via Boca del Alamo to Los Planes, we took that road on the way home.

So here's the skinny:
The road is in its usual condition. While I prefer a SUV with 4WD for the occasional challenges, the locals are driving it in their 2WD pickups, some of them stock Nissans and Toyotas, which I wouldn't classify as "high clearance" even. The road would be easiest heading North to South, but that shouldn't really matter to your mount. Right now, it has been raining a lot more along that road than here in La Paz (where the hills are dreadfully brown), much of the vegetation is leafed. The views are spectacular. While my long-time family favorite spot for camping or picnics has been fenced off (the first water access one comes to when transiting from Los Planes), there is still access to the rocky beaches south of there at two other arroyos.

Since I know nothing about the other road, I won't speculate on what it might be like. But if it's open to SUVs, I wouldn't mind scheduling a picnic out that way to let you know.

Gnukid
Great photos, but you should see what it looks like now. The green on the hills really makes the place look like a totally different drive. If I were more technologically capable, I´d post some photos of my own.

[Edited on 10-4-2010 by Bajatripper]

motoged - 10-4-2010 at 01:53 PM

whhhhaaaaaa....I wanna go right now....