BajaNomad

Where to buy paper maps?

Aldervale - 10-31-2015 at 05:51 PM

Greetings All

Where can I buy some fairly accurate and up to date Maps particularly for non asphalt and for Baja Sur.

Many thanks

Aldervale

north Oregon coast

woody with a view - 10-31-2015 at 06:05 PM

search for Baja Almanac.

[Edited on 11-1-2015 by woody with a view]

RBoffroad - 10-31-2015 at 06:15 PM

Everyone likes the AAA Baja map. I just had them mail me two.

BigBearRider - 10-31-2015 at 06:41 PM

Quote: Originally posted by RBoffroad  
Everyone likes the AAA Baja map. I just had them mail me two.


Where did you call? They're all out of the Baja maps here.

David K - 10-31-2015 at 09:59 PM

Seriously! 2010 was the final printing of the 2007 map.
The Baja California Almanac is the best map of dirt roads in Baja. 2009 was the last edition of it.

Aldervale - 11-1-2015 at 07:28 AM

Many thanks for the suggestions.

Aldervale

MulegeAL - 11-1-2015 at 07:31 AM

Alder,

Baja Almanac. 2009 is about 4 or 5 major-road wrecking hurricanes ago, keep that in mind and inquire locally before committing to little dotted lines on 7 year old maps, esp the ones that go over the sierras or along beaches in baja sur! AAA is OK for cars, but the data is old, and it has no hack marks for lat/long to use with a GPS.

3 of the 4 routes out my back door westbound in Mulege are heavliy damaged to impassable for example, and those routes still show on the maps referenced in this thread. I use day copies of the Almanac, a simple GPS and take notes on milage/times, distance to gas and blockages/washouts.

When I meet ranch hands on mules I always inquire because it usually means that where they came from is no longer passable with a pickup.

You planning 4 wheel or 2 wheel travels off the tarmac? Any GPS?

Have fun, great people and vistas back there...

TMW - 11-1-2015 at 08:28 AM

You can still buy the Baja Almanac. Check with Discover Baja or Amazon. Also for a paper map National Geographic does a Baja North and Baja South map that's not too bad and is sold on Amazon.

The paper map I used for the access roads in the Off-Road section of Nomad was done on a Nat. Geo. map

Just remember that the rains can change things on the dirt roads which often use the arroyos to travel in, but the main dirt roads usually stay due to the local traffic using them.

Samples...

David K - 11-1-2015 at 10:34 AM

2009 Baja California Almanac:




National Geographic Map (2008):



AAA Baja Map (2007 & 2010):




Folding Baja Almanac Map (2003):




2003 Baja California Almanac Map Book:




Folding Baja California Guidebook Map (1975):




Here are the variouos editions of the Baja Almanac & Baja Topo Atlas map books...




On the left are the two Baja Topo Atlas editions (1986 & 1991). Huge scale, great for exploring, but big and bulky.

In the middle are the two book (Norte & Sur) Baja Almanac editions (ca1998)...
and the single book, full color topography edition of 2003.

On the right is the larger, but smallest scale of the three styles, 2009 Baja Almanac.

RBoffroad - 11-1-2015 at 10:45 AM

The AAA map I received says copyright 2003-2010. Had them mailed to me from the Lynnwood Washington AAA office. I am up in Canada and they still mailed them to me at no cost. Nice people.

David K - 11-1-2015 at 10:50 AM

The 2007 map includes data from 2003 & 2004. The last map that had any additions was 2007. The 2010 maps contains data originally shown on the 2003, 2004, and 2007 maps. Lucky you got one. All the southern AAA clubs are long out of them.


1996:


2001:


2003:


2004:


2007:


2010:


[Edited on 11-1-2015 by David K]

1975 map

AKgringo - 11-1-2015 at 11:09 AM

Interesting! The 75 guide map calls out Punta Final as 'San Francisquito'. I wonder if that was a mistake, or an older name for the place (the camp, not the actual point)?

It also shows the main road south following Calamajue Canyon, with the cut off to Chapala as the secondary route! It is hard to believe that the old mission route was still a road in the late 70s.

David K - 11-1-2015 at 11:26 AM

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo  
Interesting! The 75 guide map calls out Punta Final as 'San Francisquito'. I wonder if that was a mistake, or an older name for the place (the camp, not the actual point)?

It also shows the main road south following Calamajue Canyon, with the cut off to Chapala as the secondary route! It is hard to believe that the old mission route was still a road in the late 70s.


Correct, the original name of 'Punta Final' (not the point but the camp location) was Puerto de San Francisquito. Gold was loaded here from the nearby mill (Molino de San Francisquito, run by William Lacy who is buried there. The mill is now called Molino de Lacy. The bay from Alfonsina's to Punta Final is also correctly called Ensenada de San Francisquito. "Gonzaga Bay" is just so much easier to say! Gonzaga Bay is the smaller harbor between Alfonsina's and Punta Willard (Papa Fernendez').

The main route of Mex #5 (The Gulf Road) was indeed through Calamajué Canyon to El Crucero from Las Arrastras and Gonzaga Bay. The road over the mountain for Laguna Chapala was there first, but it was so bad, especially southbound, that the Calamajué Canyon route was opened (following El Camino Real).

The government built a new graded road from Chapala across to Puerto Calamajué and was open in 1983. It then became the preferred route to Hwy. 1. Where it crossed the gulf road, that is where Coco set up his Corner. The new, graded gulf road from Puertecitos to Coco's future Corner was built from 1985-1987.

See the change in roads... Howard Gulick Maps

David K - 11-1-2015 at 11:31 AM

1956:




1962:

David K - 11-1-2015 at 11:34 AM

The name 'San Francisquito' for this area near Gonzaga Bay comes from a water hole on El Camino Real, next to Las Arrastras. The arroyo from there to the gulf had its name (since changed to Arroyo Las Arrastras) and the big, open bay had the name... so the beach port also had the same name.


1930 Map:



[Edited on 11-1-2015 by David K]

Jack Swords - 11-1-2015 at 11:54 AM

http://www.eol.ucar.edu/projects/name/science_planning/MX_ma...

Source of excellent Mexican maps, different Topos. INEGI offices are located in several cities (La Paz) and they can sell you the maps or burn a CD with several selected maps that you can use on the computer and copy smaller sections to print and use. Google Earth uses several INEGI images and maps.

PaulW - 11-1-2015 at 02:55 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Jack Swords  
http://www.eol.ucar.edu/projects/name/science_planning/MX_ma...

Source of excellent Mexican maps, different Topos. INEGI offices are located in several cities (La Paz) and they can sell you the maps or burn a CD with several selected maps that you can use on the computer and copy smaller sections to print and use. Google Earth uses several INEGI images and maps.

=========
The newest INEGI maps are dated 1992, but the photo image is much older.
And The INEGI office does not sell maps. There has been several posts on how to download the various INEGI maps. for the latest go to http://www.blueroadrunner.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=...

basautter - 11-1-2015 at 03:38 PM

The Baja Almanac or the AAA map has always worked for me. As mentioned earlier, road conditions vary with recent storms. Good luck!

Jack Swords - 11-1-2015 at 08:06 PM

INEGI in La Paz has sold me a number of maps in the past few years. Using an index, I select the ones I want and they are retrieved from their supply. These are large paper topo maps. I have also had maps burned onto a CD by La Paz INEGI for use on the computer and printing out an expanded section. The cost of the CD was nominal. These are used off-road along with several editions of the excellent Baja Almanac. Google Earth on my tablet with GPS enabled works well if preloaded up to 2 or 3 Gb and then used offline. Nice blue dot shows where you are and those Baja roads show up very well on GE.

BajaGeoff - 11-2-2015 at 11:05 AM

We still have brand new copies of the 2009 edition Baja Almanacs available. They are $25 if you come by the Baja Bound office or add $6 if you want us to pack it up and mail it to you...

cocomo - 11-2-2015 at 12:49 PM

Last I checked at AAA about a month ago, they stopped printing those great maps. Sorry.

bajajudy - 11-2-2015 at 01:23 PM

We also have the Almanac

Click below

Aldervale - 11-7-2015 at 07:42 PM

Many thanks all,

We ordered the latest almanac and have a few maps from a camping trip back in 06.

Aldervale

Udo - 11-7-2015 at 09:02 PM

Another roadworthy item one needs to be aware of:

Some of the roads denoted on both the Baja Almanac, and the AAA map, which shows dirt or graded road, are now paved roads...which is a nice surprise!
But most of them are in Baja Sur.
Quote: Originally posted by MulegeAL  
Alder,
Baja Almanac. 2009 is about 4 or 5 major-road wrecking hurricanes ago, keep that in mind and inquire locally before committing to little dotted lines on 7 year old maps, esp the ones that go over the sierras or along beaches in baja sur! AAA is OK for cars, but the data is old, and it has no hack marks for lat/long to use with a GPS.

PaulW - 11-8-2015 at 03:45 AM

No more INEGI printing. In stock are for sale at some offices. The Mexicali office has very few and they give what they have free. They will help by showing you how to download for DIY printing.