backcountry info??/

David and Ged did a great report, and I would bet the roads have not gotten better since then considering storms of the last year or two. So, I am not sure what more you can offer them, as there is no newer guidebook or trip report on Nomad. Even if there was, conditions are posted with opinion or what the writer can compare the road to. I have read reports from people who drive a 2WD graded road and call it the worst thing on earth (because they had to drive at 10 mph in their car made for paved highways).

Your friends are on bicycles, so they simply walk next to the bike what is too rough or steep to ride, yes? So, other than the dirt and washed out roads, what is their choice to do, no matter what is posted here? Will they drop the trip if someone says the road is Hell? Do they have an adventure spirit and go knowing the road may be too washed out for automobiles to drive?

If they want to try and use El Camino Real instead of the auto road between La Purisima and Comondu, I have details and satellite images of it (they are all posted here on Nomad). The El Camino Real leaves La Purisima from the south side of the graveyard, south and uphill from the town... heads south up the hill.

Maps made for Crosby in 1977 of El Camino Real:



As you can see, the mission road is shown as a doule line, which mean easy to follow, constructed roadbed. A single line means the route, but Harry did not begin his mule trip north until Comondu, so he didn't have on the trail experience until then. Beyond Comondu, a single line means the route but the roadbed is vanished from the elements or modern construction.

In 1994, Crosby has more data on the mission trails shown in his book, 'Antigua California' :



Here is a larger area view of the Camino Real routes in central Baja:

Michael,
We arrived in Mulege after riding from San Ignacio through San Juan de las Pilas (sp?) over two serious mountain passes (one which was several kilometers of cantaloupe and toaster -sized rocks presenting itself as a 45' slope/road) on bikes that were carrying lots of weight. It was probably the most difficult day of riding in hundreds of thousands of moto miles over the past 40 years !!!! It was the first time I truly bonked on a ride....out of shape, out of water, out of my zone THAT day.....

It sure was good to make it to Mulege that day.....sorry we weren't better guests....at least I wasn't....DT has way more cred in that department

So, yep....we were bagged.....the ride from Mulege to La Purisima was as taxing as a difficult walk in Walmart dodging fat people in weird clothes clogging the aisles.....the ride from La Purisima to Los Commondus and back had two 100-yard difficult sections....and David pretended they were of little real concern (true that:cool.

So, the route questioned for bicycling is as DK said....if the occasional section is too sandy or rocky, you walk the bike for 10-15 minutes before saddling up again.

Hope your friends took the challenge and visited a part of Baja that every serious Nomad should see at least once.

Two tough sections:
#1:






#2:





The rest would be somewhat like this:






World traveling cyclists sometimes are used to hard-packed dirt or paved roads and have "skinny tires".....Baja cyclists need mountain bikes and wider tires and lotsa gears....two different worlds.

I realize this info comes too late for your friends, but might be useful for others.