BajaNomad

Baja trip plan Feb-March

Sweetwater - 1-18-2011 at 11:49 AM

A good buddy and I are coming down on dual-sport motorcycles for a 3 week trip down the peninsula. The bikes are 650cc and we'll have light camping gear and not much else. The bikes are set up with knobbie tires so we'd like to ride dirt roads but will not be highly attracted to deep sand or whoops like the Baja race course sections.

I'd like to go fishing for a day or two, I know my buddy likes kayaking....we both enjoy historical sites, old mines, pretty women.........

We're leaving from Yuma the end of February....what sites and routes can you suggest to us....?

I'm all ears...........:light:

David K - 1-18-2011 at 11:59 AM

Mexicali to San Felipe to Gonzaga Bay to Bahia de los Angeles to Punta San Francisquito to San Ignacio to Mulege/ Bahia Concepcion... on south and return... Lots and lots of possibilities. Three weeks will be great... Get to the tip and work you way back up spending more time at places you just touched on your way south you liked.

As for historic sites, mines, etc. I have photos of many along with other destination sidetrips here: http://vivabaja.com/tours

The missions and many visitas (sub-missions) are here: http://vivabaja.com/bajamissions

You will get plenty of ideas from other Nomads, too.

shari - 1-18-2011 at 12:32 PM

we host lots of riders here in Asuncion and surfdoc has a fishing kayak you can rent or fish with Juan here too. Then you can take the coast road to Abreojos which is beautiful...some good rides around here...maybe see ya then...also ride out to the whale lagoon just south of Guerrero Negro which is sweet and have lunch at the lagoon and maybe jump on a panga if the mood strikes you.

TMW - 1-18-2011 at 12:46 PM

I suggest you follow the Baja 1000 course to La Paz. Pick it up south of San Felipe at K52. The old Puertecitos road out of San Felipe is pretty rough with lots and lots of whoops, so you might want to avoid it. You can keep going to Cabo or at La Paz go north up thru San Evaristo and back thru San Luis Gonzaga mission area to Constitucion. Maybe take the hwy back to Loreto and back in toward San Javier but turn north toward the Comondu's and back to La Purisima. Back north toward San Ignacio but turn off at El Alamo and go to Punta Abreojos, Bahia Asuncion and out to Punta Eugenia. Coming back take a side trip at San Jose de Castro up to Malarrimo beach and maybe find a box of rum. North of Guerrero Negro at about KM60/62 maybe where the military check is go west to the ocean and follow it all the way up to Punta Canoas.

This is a lot of off road miles so you may want to pick and choose and stay over at some places to rest or fish etc. There are some long sections where gas could be a problem. If you can go 200 miles on a tank you should be OK. There is gas as of last Nov. in La Purisima and San Francisquito and Gonzaga Bay. Going north of Guerrero Negro fill up at Jesus Maria. The section going north along the pacific will be the longest. There may be gas at Santa Rosalillita. Some of the fish camps and ranchos may have gas but you also may want to carry an extra gallon.

Get a Baja Almanac and bring a GPS. Check out your route and make sure you're prepared, especially gas wise. If you don't speak some spanish bring a small dictionary so you can at least put some words together in the out back areas if needed.

Baja 1000 maps are available at http://rlhcomm.com/bfg.html click on the section in the upper right when the main menu screen comes up.

Sweetwater - 1-18-2011 at 03:14 PM

Muchos gracias for some great responses....always waiting for more of them.....

The Baja Almanac was my Christmas present...mostly I've been a map 'n compass guy from my backpacking days but we will be GPSing too.....200 miles will probably be the limit of our gas supply so that advice is well taken....

We hope to be prepared for Baja but not overloaded with gear....how are the temps inland and on the coastal zones for this time frame....and what about precip?

I'm way excited.......:bounce:

mcfez - 1-18-2011 at 06:47 PM

Mexicali to San Felipe to Gonzaga Bay to Bahia de los Angeles

This is a excellent route.

It's mostly paved except down near Gonzaga Bay. Go to Papa Fernández for fishing.

Market, motel, great eatery, camping at the Gonzaga Bay.

Pointe_final at the opposite of the Bay....go up that hill and over in there and there's a great spot for camping and fishing. You'll see a dirt road, sometimes a chain across. Just ask to go on in. They are super nice there. No facilities.

The road leading up to the coastal route....the high desert, is some of Baja's finest.

Bahia de los Angeles is off the track a bit. It's worth to go there. Fantastic islands, great "Mom and POP" town, Camp Daggetts is safe and secure. Fishing...kayaking...you name it, this place has it all.

129707440jmsIvb_ph.jpg - 34kB

TMW - 1-18-2011 at 08:20 PM

The weather can be all over the place, just depends. Usually your looking at 60+ or better especially on east side. Near the pacific it can get cold at night. Mountains get cold at night too. If the sun it out it will be very nice weather.

David K - 1-18-2011 at 11:46 PM

Bahia de L.A. won't be off track if they continue south to San Francisquito or slightly back track and go south via Mision San Borja... Now that place should neve be passed up... for the furthest north stone mission in Baja... but for the wonderful family who live there and will offer to guide you, outside the mission itself.

mcfez - 1-19-2011 at 06:50 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Bahia de L.A. won't be off track if they continue south to San Francisquito or slightly back track and go south via Mision San Borja... Now that place should neve be passed up... for the furthest north stone mission in Baja... but for the wonderful family who live there and will offer to guide you, outside the mission itself.


Yeah...that's a righto.

DK....any pictures of San Francisquito? I have not been there yet.

David K - 1-19-2011 at 10:35 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by mcfez
Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Bahia de L.A. won't be off track if they continue south to San Francisquito or slightly back track and go south via Mision San Borja... Now that place should neve be passed up... for the furthest north stone mission in Baja... but for the wonderful family who live there and will offer to guide you, outside the mission itself.


Yeah...that's a righto.

DK....any pictures of San Francisquito? I have not been there yet.


Just this one Deno (until I find others) from 1983, camping out of my Subaru on the beach, the fly-in resort is at the opposite end:

mcfez - 1-19-2011 at 05:07 PM

Whoa! This place is really cool! David.....what's the route to this from BoLA? Is the road decent for a Ram two wheel?

Thanks for taking the time to get that photo! You are always here when us Nomads need good info.

David K - 1-19-2011 at 05:12 PM

Yes, it is a graded dirt road south from Bahia de los Angeles (was the Baja 1000 route last November)... after you pass the access road for San Francisquito, the graded road continues on to either El Arco or to Guillermo Prieto and out to Hwy. 1 just north of Vizcaino.

Sweetwater - 1-19-2011 at 06:55 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Yes, it is a graded dirt road south from Bahia de los Angeles (was the Baja 1000 route last November)... after you pass the access road for San Francisquito, the graded road continues on to either El Arco or to Guillermo Prieto and out to Hwy. 1 just north of Vizcaino.


Our second rider biffed through that section and needed extraction on the El Arco road....which piece has the silt beds that we really want to avoid?

I've been on that beach at the bay of Gonzaga although the sand spit was covered (high tide?) and we could see the trail on the opposite side. I did ride down to Coco's Corner and rode the wash out to the highway. Did not make LA, San Francisquito etc...but was on the highway through to San Ignacio. Are there places to stay and eat for multiple days south of Gonzaga?

David K - 1-19-2011 at 07:03 PM

The road south to Hwy. 1 via Guillermo Prieto had no moon dust when I drove it, but that was a long time ago... It is a better road than the one through El Arco... mostly because the once paved El Arco highway (Mex. #18) is all trashed.

Yes, the sand bar connects with San Luis Gonzaga Island at low tide, and that trail up the island is where I got the photo that is the wallpaper on my home page http://vivabaja.com

Bahia de los Angeles has many places to stay and eat, and two Pemex stations, too... Now, 24 hour electricity with the wires brought in from Guerrero Negro. See http://www.bahiadelosangeles.info for the scoop on L.A. Bay places.

Sweetwater - 1-20-2011 at 09:11 AM

While chasing for the race in November, I spent one night at the Playa Tecolate north of La Paz...are there other spots comparable to it further south or on the west coast? What's recommended south of La Paz as I did not get to venture there due to racing situations......

We have 3 weeks and lots of mobility....no set schedule or reservations....do we need them?

elfbrewery - 1-21-2011 at 12:20 PM

Two years ago we jeeped the road from San Jose de Comondu to San Isidro. Bad choice. It was painful and very, very slow. The word is the road is no longer used. There is another road from San Javier to the west coast and from Comondus SW to coast.
San Francisquito shouldn't be missed.

Sweetwater - 1-23-2011 at 10:02 AM

Nice ......

I have been logging favorite threads as this goes along....hot springs etc. Do you have favorite threads that you'd recommend I read for this trip?