BajaNomad

Los Planes to El Cardonal, Los barriles coast road (Nov 2014)

AKgringo - 11-3-2014 at 07:28 PM

I took the road headed east from Los Planes going over a mountain pass and down to the coast. I was driving a stock Kia Sportage 2 door, with 225/75/15 tires and 4x4 with manual hubs. Be cause of some front axle issues, I used low range 2wd for crawling through most of the washed out areas.
This road was in bad shape before Odile from old storm damage that had never been repaired, and it is even more challenging now.
A couple of miles up the east side of the pass is an area with some large boulders that will absolutely stop any rig that is wider or longer or has less clearance than my Kia! Only heavy equipment or some creative field engineering is going to move those rocks.
I spent a lot of time in second and third gear low range crawling over rocks and wash outsbut was able to do it in 2wd until one point where I could not keep all four wheels on the ground. Since I had to get out and put my hubs in, I threw a couple of large rocks in the trough to keep from crushing my rocker panels or oil pan. You're welcome!
The road is like that for about seven miles, and is better suited for ATVs and dirt bikes, but I had fun, and the scenery was worth it.
If you take that trail, be prepared, you probably won't see anyone else.
From about five miles north of El Cardonal to Punta Pescadora is actually pretty good dirt, and recently graded so no washboard.
From Punta Pescadora to Lose Barriles on the coast road has been opened, but not repaired very much. It is rugged 2wd road with a little rock crawling and a couple of tight spots.
If you are driving a low rider or land yacht, you can still drive the twelve mile or so paved road between Los Barriles and El Cardonal. The road was poorly designed and constructed, so there are pot holes, rock falls and washed out shoulders to watch out for but you could drive anything on it.
Hope this helps! G.L.

[Edited on 11-4-2014 by AKgringo]

[Edited on 11-4-2014 by AKgringo]

[Edited on 2-12-2015 by AKgringo]

Tioloco - 11-3-2014 at 08:06 PM

I was last on that road in 2007. Sounds like it has gotten a lot worse since then. Thanks for the report

AKgringo - 11-5-2014 at 01:10 PM

In response to a reply I got from a friend who does not want to share on a forum, I will respond here!
It isn't a matter of how tough your truck is, or how awesome you are off road. My dad's old Suzuki Samuri would make the tight s-turn through those big a** boulders in 2wd, your tricked out Tundra won't. Size matters!
The steep bank on the uphill side, and nothing but air on the downhill, means that you would have to move those rocks if you are larger than that Samuri.
Would I do it again? Sure, but it would be nice to have back up.
G.L.

[Edited on 11-6-2014 by AKgringo]

AKgringo - 2-12-2015 at 09:46 AM

A question was posted about the southern half of this trip report, so I thought I would bump it back.

David K - 2-12-2015 at 10:23 AM

Thank you!

4x4abc - 2-12-2015 at 11:36 AM

come on guys - it's a beautiful easy to drive dirt road. No need to get into a contest over Suzuki/Toyota/better driver etc. I do it twice a year for rock hounding at the beach. It is always absolutely delightful.
Easy to get stuck at the beach though - even with a capable 4x4 and reasonable skills.











AKgringo - 2-12-2015 at 02:24 PM

Harald, nothing like driving in a bed of marbles is there?
Thanks for adding the photos, did you happen to take any on the road through the arroyo and over the pass?
If you or anyone else has been over the pass since November, I was wondering if the two huge boulders on the east side of the summit have been moved, they were the only thing that kept that road from being a day cruise in any good 2wd truck.
If you have been there lately and are wondering "What boulders?", they must have been moved!

Edit.....The boulders are on the west side of the summit, probably three miles or so from the paved road

[Edited on 2-12-2015 by AKgringo]

4x4abc - 2-12-2015 at 08:23 PM

didn't notice anything extra big. Some rough spots. But rocks are my business. They provide good traction.
Could be that those boulders have been moved before I went there


AKgringo - 2-12-2015 at 08:38 PM

Some one must have taken some equipment up there. The rocks were cab high, with a tight S turn that my little Kia barely squeezed through.

motoged - 2-12-2015 at 10:20 PM

DT Bushpilot and I rode that road on motos around Christmas time just past....two big rocks were at the side of the road just before the downhill to Los Planes...two weeks later I met some folks in Mulege who were driving Landrovers and an FJ Toyota and they all made it through.

My recollection was that each boulder was about 4-5 feet roughly in diameter....but DT is always correcting me, so he might chime in here....or hop on his bike with a camera and a tape measure to bring us all up to date....

Harald....that rock garden w/ two vehicles doesn't look like what I saw along that route...but again, my memory batteries might be low....maybe in the canyon area at the north end before the road down....we wove our way between some rocks and some moist coarse granite sand ....:?:

[Edited on 2-13-2015 by motoged]

4x4abc - 2-13-2015 at 02:16 PM

that rock garden was part of an epic west - east crossing a few years ago
we got quite some fire for fixing the road
http://carlosnpainter.smugmug.com/Events/Uno-Baja-Extreme-Ad...

motoged - 2-13-2015 at 04:17 PM

Harald,
Was that west-east trip the one down to Agua Verde?

dtbushpilot - 2-13-2015 at 06:00 PM

The boulders were still there a few days ago, the dirt road from Constitution to Agua Verde was fine until I got to the "downhill"...a bit sporty after that....

motoged - 2-13-2015 at 07:44 PM

Quote: Originally posted by dtbushpilot  
The boulders were still there a few days ago, the dirt road from Constitution to Agua Verde was fine until I got to the "downhill"...a bit sporty after that....



Damn, David....

Glad you did that Const-AV ride....again, I am envious.....you are picking off all my To-Do rides....

I thought after two hurricanes ago it was impassable....

Two years ago I was on the Rancho San Cosme road where that track comes out (or at least where I estimated its down hill ended up) and saw a large sign indicating "Keep Out" in more than two words....and it appeared to be a ranch sign....

Thanks for the update :cool:

dtbushpilot - 2-13-2015 at 08:21 PM

The road is impassable. 5 of us came down it a few days ago, I won't be doing it again any time soon.

We finished a 4 day ride Wednesday, logged just under 800 miles. We took the same road from Comondu to La Purisma that you and I did a few years ago. It is impassable now to 4 wheel vehicles, hard core 4 wheelers could do it with some road building but there wasn't any signs of 4 wheel traffic on the road. I saw a couple of old mc tracks but that was it. The whole 20 miles looked like that section where I had fun at your expense. I looked hard for a fun part but couldn't find one. Did I mention that we left Comondu at dusk?....bad planning....

Best hijack lately!

AKgringo - 2-13-2015 at 08:49 PM

Man I am glad I re-posted this old thread. We have left the road to Los Barriles, but I am learning things I wanted to know!
D.T., you just saved me some serious challenges trying to take a rig that has no chance of making it over that Comondu/Purisma road.
Have you, or Motoged (or anyone else) tried the road heading west from the San Evaristo since November? I am hoping that there has been at least a bulldozer over the Pass since Odile

4x4abc - 2-13-2015 at 09:00 PM

San Evaristo to El Bosque is not passable

dtbushpilot - 2-13-2015 at 09:05 PM

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo  
Man I am glad I re-posted this old thread. We have left the road to Los Barriles, but I am learning things I wanted to know!
D.T., you just saved me some serious challenges trying to take a rig that has no chance of making it over that Comondu/Purisma road.
Have you, or Motoged (or anyone else) tried the road heading west from the San Evaristo since November? I am hoping that there has been at least a bulldozer over the Pass since Odile


It was part of our ride. It can be done in a sturdy 2wd vehicle if you know how to drive it, 4wd would be much advised. We took that route up through Las Animas and San Luis Gonzaga to Constitution for a splash of gas then on to AV then took the highway to Villa Del Palmar south of Loreto for the night. The next morning after getting gas from a panguero we headed back south to just east of the AV turn off and headed north up through San Javier to San Jose Comondu and on to La Purisma.

dtbushpilot - 2-13-2015 at 09:09 PM

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc  
San Evaristo to El Bosque is not passable


It is bad and I wouldn't attempt it without 4wd but the ranchers are driving in and out.

AKgringo - 2-13-2015 at 09:15 PM

Thanks Harald, you and I both gave it a go and wrote about it in November, I was hoping to hear about an effort to repair some of the washouts.
I drove that road in December of 2012 (another heavy storm year) and there was an old D-8 working that same stretch that turned us back this year.
I wonder if it will happen again?

4x4abc - 2-13-2015 at 09:17 PM

motoged, the west-east crossing was through El Cien to just north of San Juan de la Costa
west-east-tarambillas

Haven't been able to use the Agua Verde backdoor for a couple of years now.

agua-verde-road


[Edited on 2-14-2015 by 4x4abc]

4x4abc - 2-13-2015 at 09:27 PM

Quote: Originally posted by dtbushpilot  
We took the same road from Comondu to La Purisma that you and I did a few years ago. It is impassable now to 4 wheel vehicles, hard core 4 wheelers could do it with some road building but there wasn't any signs of 4 wheel traffic on the road. I saw a couple of old mc tracks but that was it. The whole 20 miles looked like that section where I had fun at your expense. I looked hard for a fun part but couldn't find one. Did I mention that we left Comondu at dusk?....bad planning....


good friend of mine drove from Purisima to Comondu about 4 weeks ago - in a ML320. He had to use his winch once. Hated the road, he said.


dtbushpilot - 2-13-2015 at 09:29 PM

I'll bet he did, I hated it and I was on 2 wheels.

4x4abc - 2-13-2015 at 09:38 PM

Quote: Originally posted by dtbushpilot  
Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc  
San Evaristo to El Bosque is not passable


It is bad and I wouldn't attempt it without 4wd but the ranchers are driving in and out.


I guess, I have to go check next week. I checked on 11-16 and it was without any tire tracks.
Went for the beach instead - notice how my girlfriend talks to butterflies


motoged - 2-13-2015 at 10:23 PM

Killer rides David ......and Harald.......great links :saint::cool:

4x4abc - 2-23-2015 at 01:21 PM

so yes, to confirm - San Evaristo to Secunda Bosque is open. Pretty rough, but open


Wandering by Bicycle - 3-1-2015 at 12:20 PM

I just returned from a couple of months in Baja exploring the off pavement routes and came across this forum. A few have asked about the boulders on the route over the mountains from San Juan de los Planes. I drove this last month and the route is a bit rough, but passable with high clearance and the boulders appear to have been moved. A photo of the boulders is attached.

https://wanderingbybicycle.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/headi...

chavycha - 3-17-2015 at 11:34 AM

Thanks. We were up there north of Boca del Alamo a few weeks ago. Was curious how bad the road got as it swung up into the mountains. It was passable with 4wd to that point, though it's trying to fall into the ocean at a couple of spots.