your favorites in the SanFelipe-Peurtecitos area??

...I don't have much time this year,,but want to get a short blast of baja anyways,,so plan to go to SanFelipe-Peurtecitos area for remote camping,,sailing,kayaking.

..any recommendations for fun places to visit,,
,,remote camping,,,and/or cheap campgrounds with good showers,
,,good eats,,,etc??

...many thanks in advance




...and no,,I don't plan to stop in PlayaTijuana this time!
http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=57716





[Edited on 1-6-2013 by micah202]

Some photos

Shell Island is a four mile long barrier island which is separated from the Baja peninsula by lagoons and salt flats. During the highest lunar tides (over 18') the lagoons from each end connect creating a true, water surrounded island. Most of the time, one can access the island's sand beach from the road at Km. 26, 2 miles from Hwy. 5. Also, driving on the salt flat road from either Rancho Percebu or Bahia Santa Maria is one able to the access route onto the beach... except at highest tides!





View south:



View north:



View west to Baja from the island:



View of the beach just after high tide:



Our camp:



If it gets windy, some waves are created... up to a foot or two!



Low tide:







No facilities, just you and the beach and the Sea of Cortez... Pack out what you bring in... it has been a beautiful place since I first camped there 35 years ago.

wow,,,TRIPLE thanks Dave,,,
.....only got a 2wd for this trip,,,did allright sand-tracking 2 years ago,,but -no- way for open sand
....I'm hoping there's lots of access trails along that coast--as long as there's driving tracks the crappy nissan fwd can get through okay

[Edited on 1-6-2013 by micah202]

gonzaga sounds like a good place to check-out.

..those camping 'provisions' are just for every 3rd or 4th day,,when I like the luxury of a freshwater shower**

.....any favorite eateries in the area whether tacostands or sitdowns?

**...wether I need one or not!!

Quote:

Originally posted by micah202 wow,,,TRIPLE thanks Dave,,, .....only got a 2wd for this trip,,,did allright sand-tracking 2 years ago,,but -no- way for open sand ....I'm hoping there's lots of access trails along that coast--as long as there's driving tracks the crappy nissan fwd can get through okay [Edited on 1-6-2013 by micah202]

Quote:

Originally posted by micah202 I like the luxury of a freshwater shower** **...wether I need one or not!!

grab a bottle of Prell shampoo. it is the only stuff i've found that produces lather in salt water. that camping soap/shampoo is WAYYY overpriced.

The whale sign is Campo Beluga, south of the Gonzaga Pemex... Punta Bufeo is 7.5 miles north of the Pemex, and it is north of Gonzaga Bay.



My map of the bay area roads in 2002...



Campo Beluga:


Sign on Hwy. 5, in 2011

We camped at Beluga in 2007:


Sunrise at Beluga

"......... I like the luxury of a freshwater shower"
I cant camp without having a shower each day :-) A solar shower allows you the freedom to camp anywhere :-) These units do indeed gather hot hot hot water!




Drive straight on down to Puertecitos from San Felipe. Once there....get a soak at the hot mineral springs. Puertecitos camp has a great bay and launch ramp there. Very good for kayaking southward. Their campsite sucks....but do have electric and sometimes hot showers. Fishing off that litter pier offers great views and little fishies for the deep fryer.



Five miles further down is this area is a great little cove that offers fishing, launching...wind protection......and great hiking. Eight miles down is Black Mountain......again.....a great spot. No 4w is required. Here's a map for you. BTW...if you u2 me....I'll set you up with a good buddy of mine that lives there at the cove.


To play it safe....I would go straight over to Gonzaga bay from these locations. Many spots in between is 4w recommended. http://www.papafernandez.com/ as a fellow BN said......is really a great spot. This area can keep anyone busy for weeks...being located in Bahia San Luis Gonzaga. Gas, grocery, motel....restaurant.

....ahh,I realized that old adage...''be careful what you wish for,,in case it comes true''!!.........all these hints and pictures have removed the 'adventure of discovery' somewhat,,but what the heck, this is a time limited 'business trip' ,I'm proto-testing out a fun new little sailboat I'll be marketing,,,,,DO keep the tips coming!

...McFez,,I'll definitely have the camp shower along,get salty every day,,,,,,the sad irony of them is that when you most need -warm- during the norte' breeze,,they do the least to warm things!...that's when I look for the campground or cheap motel.
...speaking of which,,is there any place in these parts that rivals LasCasitas in mulege for ($30)price/quality??(I'm spoilt!)

and thanks Nancy,,I'll definitely try Bahis Cristina's,,,should I say you sent me??

...any secret picto-sites in the area I shouldn't know about?

Quote:

Originally posted by micah202 ...any secret picto-sites in the area I shouldn't know about?

Yes...there is.......but I can't tell you. It's a secret

...that's strange,,I thought I answered this already!

...remote to me,can be as simple as being 1/4 mile from the highway,down some dirt-track,,,,,,but not see anyone beyond the occasional curious vulture or pelicano stop by on the nearest cactus,,,or a set of dolphins stop and do some tricks as they perceive my presence!

There is a handful of Citizens that would be happy to accommodate you....that are located in and near Puertecitos. There is a large fish packing warehouse right before Puertecitos.......go in there and ask around. The surrounding area has many fishermen that could use a client.

Stop by that Hot Dog joint that is named Cow Patty.....again that is located right before the Puertecitos turn off. Go in there and ask the operators for reference. Buy a beer to support them. Dont mention my name to them.....they will start digging a elongated hole out back

Go past Puertecitos 4.5 miles, look for a house that has a rather large sail boat parked alongside of it. The first house after turning in...is well known to have their boat avail for clients. You can also ask around for Sid there......he will be happy to help you out. Tell him Deno from Ocotillo advised you.

Kayak rental.......forget that.

[Edited on 1-11-2013 by mcfez]

Quote:

Originally posted by mcfez There is a handful of Citizens that would be happy to accommodate you....that are located in and near Puertecitos. There is a large fish packing warehouse right before Puertecitos.......go in there and ask around. The surrounding area has many fishermen that could use a client. Stop by that Hot Dog joint that is named Cow Patty.....again that is located right before the Puertecitos turn off. Go in there and ask the operators for reference. Buy a beer to support them. Dont mention my name to them.....they will start digging a elongated hole out back Go past Puertecitos 4.5 miles, look for a house that has a rather large sail boat parked alongside of it. The first house after turning in...is well known to have their boat avail for clients. You can also ask around for Sid there......he will be happy to help you out. Tell him Deno from Ocotillo advised you. Kayak rental.......forget that.

...not sure whether to thank you or change my plans!

....sounds like a mexican setup!?

Quote:

Originally posted by micah202 Quote: Originally posted by mcfez There is a handful of Citizens that would be happy to accommodate you....that are located in and near Puertecitos. There is a large fish packing warehouse right before Puertecitos.......go in there and ask around. The surrounding area has many fishermen that could use a client. Stop by that Hot Dog joint that is named Cow Patty.....again that is located right before the Puertecitos turn off. Go in there and ask the operators for reference. Buy a beer to support them. Dont mention my name to them.....they will start digging a elongated hole out back Go past Puertecitos 4.5 miles, look for a house that has a rather large sail boat parked alongside of it. The first house after turning in...is well known to have their boat avail for clients. You can also ask around for Sid there......he will be happy to help you out. Tell him Deno from Ocotillo advised you. Kayak rental.......forget that. ...not sure whether to thank you or change my plans! ....sounds like a mexican setup!?

.......okay,,thanks fez!

...yeh I guess I missed that last year,'cept for the 'lost' van distraction

[Edited on 1-11-2013 by micah202]

.....had a good trip,,

.........had a good trip,,....but too short as always.
....it's actually warmer here in vancouver than north Baja these days,,,similar temperatures,,,stronger winds there,,but we went for sailing,,so that was fine.

....crossed in TJ,,,hit the fish market ,,Yummmm,,as usual
,,and on to the Hot Spring campground at Golfcourse road,s of Ensenada...........it's a great way to 're-humanize' after a long drive,,and re-frame into baja-mode!
........the hotspring road was in fine shape,,,there's absolutely NO worries for the ~30minute dirt-road drive with ~7 creek-crossings,each creek is well groomed with stones and level,,water ~4-6'' deep,,,I was driving a very loaded 2wd minivan,,have about 4-5'' clearance,,,-anyone- can make it,,,,and soooo worthwhile.....we had the place completely to ourselves.

.....finding,,and crossing to SanFelipe was a breeze,,finally replaced the rear shocks,,great pricing
...the town's pretty quiet,,,sounds like they also have lost their spring-break crowd ,,,so I don't envy all those businesses along the malecon,,sitting there day after day waiting for a customer,,,had an overpriced dinner there,,,recommend finding
local eateries in town,,,,,had a GREAT chicken meal at the S entrance to down,,don't remember the name of it,,,but it had a coke sign as it's main banner.

....driving south from SanFelipe,,as a wild-camper(find a nice spot on beach and camp),,I was sorely dissapointed with the blocked accesses all the way through Gonzaga Bay,,,but I guess it's much the same on the westcoast this far north,,,the great wild camping starts at Mulege.

.....the vado's between felipe and peurtecitos are something to behold!!!,,sure glad I replaced the shocks,,some vado's are not marked,,while others have a sign,,no dip!-I love baja!

...the road from peurtecitos almost to Gonzaga is among the -very best- I've seen in baja,,the drive finishes off with typical washboard,,and it sounds like it continues that way out to the #1,,,,,found the worst ride was to go sloooow over the washboard,,better to speed up!


...we ended up staying at the Beluga campground,, heard from a fellow that Rancho Grande was better in some way,,but was happy to stay put...once we got the pricing sorted out to $10/night seasonal rate,as Grande was charging,,,initially Beluga had wanted $25!...the caretaker at Beluga was very quiet and seemed a bit unfriendly,,but I assume he's an offseason caretaker,,,and prefers solitude.
.....the locals in Gonzaga are very helpful,,good fish-bargains from the many fishers,,,great fish or prawns every night!!

.....we had some really good sailing for 4 days,got used to the new boat,got some videos shot--objectives met('business' trip),,,and carried on back north---a bit cold at night to stick around longer,,woke up to 39degrees one morning!

.....drove out to Mexicali,,was surprised how difficult it was to find a calimax or other big grocery chain amongst everything else,,,missed stocking beans/salsa for back home!

........hopefully next year I'll cut a longer swath of time and get back to the south for a month or two,,always love baja!

....oh yeah,,my son was impressed to see that you don't have to pass through gunfire in TJ,,like he heard!!



.

........HUH???



.

ah,,okayyyy
...didn't stop there,,don't like hotdogs

..drove through Peurtecitos,,,got kinda turned off by the big 'Privato' signage,,,,drove on.
.......Gonzaga Bay is a nice place for north-baja,,,seemed great for sailing,,,not too long a beach when the tide's down

[Edited on 2-17-2013 by micah202]

Hot dogs? Oh, maybe that is what is advertised on Cow Patty's?
Never stopped there... it was closed most times we went by, and when it was open we were not hungry or thirsty, as we had just left our camp at Shell Island (30 miles north) to head south.

There used to be this IH Scout across from her place:





This is in the town of Puertecitos...



[Edited on 2-17-2013 by David K]