Mission Impossible Trail in June 2016 issue of JP Magazine

I couldn't believe seeing the miniature blue fan palm in the background!

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc

what are you smoking?

Quote: Originally posted by David K

I see elephant trees... ? I guess I will try and find that issue. Thanks!

Quote: Originally posted by Ken Cooke

There has been some inquiries about running this challenging 4wd trail from Hwy1 to Hwy5. It has been done! Rich T has the photographs to prove it. Only for battle-tested Jeeps with 35" tires or better.

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo

Well the photo was there a couple of hours ago.....but it got photo-bucketed!

Quote: Originally posted by del mar

im a little lost....has anyone here driven santa maria down to highway 5?

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc

Quote: Originally posted by del mar   im a little lost....has anyone here driven santa maria down to highway 5? that's what Ken claims

Quote: Originally posted by bajatrailrider

I cant see it anywhere more detail where it is please

I decided to pay $15/month to Photobucket. . Waiting until payday to have all of these photos restored to my BAN threads.

Quote: Originally posted by del mar

im a little lost....has anyone here driven santa maria down to highway 5?

Quote: Originally posted by ehall

Look at 1;35 is that writing on the rock off to the right?

I know...lets build the mission HERE!

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc

the trail is very well defined - I have hiked it many times. Was surprised to learn from these guys that they had a hard time finding the trail. Well defined on Google Earth Guess, hikers and bikers see the ground with different eyes.

Quote: Originally posted by willardguy

so where do we stand, no 4 wheel vehicle has ever made it from the mission to highway 5?

El Camino Real, west of Gonzaga Bay, as seen from space

Now up close from Arroyo Santa Maria just east of the canyon entrance. Points 1-13. You can easily see the trail in the close-up images.
This route was opened by the Franciscans to replace the route in the canyon, used by the Jesuits. That route can be seen where it climbs up from the canyon bottom to the end of the road bulldozed by Fred Hampe of Rancho Santa Ynez, attempting to reach Punta Final from Santa Ynez...




















The bulldozed road is at the bottom.


Close up, bulldozed road at bottom. There is a zig zag trail between the two, that isn't seen here.


Mission Santa María, about 2 miles up the arroyo from the bulldozed road and El Camino Real junction.

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc

here is the last track I recorded hiking the trail: http://baja101.com/Baja-GPS/CaminoRealSantaMaria.kmz

Quote: Originally posted by TMW

Below pin 13 in David's picture is a road or wide trail. Is that the bull dozer road? If so why did they not follow the actual trail?

that is a track Fred Hampe made - it connects to a well used indian trail
who knows what plans Fred had
it is reported that he wanted to continue to Gonzaga
the dozed track in Google Earth is severely washed out by now
I drove it in 1986 to the top - that is no longer possible










[Edited on 7-11-2020 by 4x4abc]

Quote: Originally posted by PaulW

Harald, thanks for that link. Probably wont hike it, but I will save it just in case. =======

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc

Quote: Originally posted by PaulW   Harald, thanks for that link. Probably wont hike it, but I will save it just in case. ======= it's an easy hike the entrance on the Gonzaga side can only be found with the track mission side is easier to find

Quote: Originally posted by del mar

why can't you just walk or ride up the arroyo all the way to the mission?

following the missionary trail is an easy 3 hour hike to the mission from the Las Palmitas water hole
following the canyon it is a tough, boulder hopping, cliff climbing 6 hour adventure
if it is your first trip count on 7 to 8 exhausting hours
all numbers one way

the easy start:



and it gets rougher:




then it gets tight:



don't have pictures of where it get even wilder






[Edited on 1-30-2018 by 4x4abc]

[Edited on 1-30-2018 by 4x4abc]

[Edited on 1-30-2018 by 4x4abc]

[Edited on 1-30-2018 by 4x4abc]

[Edited on 1-31-2018 by BajaNomad]

Yes, that is the canyon route... Good photos Harald!!

The Franciscans had the new route made because the canyon was too dangerous for mule teams with cargo (or passengers). That new ECR route is Harald's white line on his satellite map (and my 13 waypoints on my images above).

I found it in November 2002. Here are my photos from my website www.vivabaja.com. I returned the following year to go further.

Here is where the Franciscan ECR begins in Arroyo Santa María (just east of the canyon entrance):

Here it is!!! N29°41.733' W114°28.175' (Map Datun: NAD27)

Three cattle trails cross Arroyo Santa Maria and converge at the only place where a climb out of the arroyo is possible. This was on my second day searching, and the reward was worth it!



This second climb takes you out of the Santa Maria river valley and into a higher side valley heading northwest. Ocotillos line the trail just ahead.


In case you had any doubts...

This sign says it all! It was laying along the El Camino Real about a half mile up from Arroyo Santa Maria. I continued hiking, with a big smile on my face!



Looking back to the southeast. This was the Baja Highway, before automobiles.



This is where I turned back. The temptation to continue was high, but Chris was waiting for me back at the truck. In fact, the trail ahead gets much rougher and would require better preparation and at least one overnight, for the round trip.

The following year, my son and I returned to hike to the mission. We didn't start early enough and late November days are short, so we ran out of daylight.

2003:
























Chris was motivated to get to the mission, but the trail disappeared on us here.
We had just enough daylight to get back to my truck, so it was time to turn back. We really didn't want to.

*We would learn from Don Jorge (who followed our lead a week later and made it to the mission) that every place the trail vanished, it could be found by going uphill (northward) and towards the west.


From 2003:

GPS Directions (map datum NAD27 Mexico)

Take Hwy. 5 south 7.4 miles from Rancho Grande, turn west: 29°41.094'/ 114°24.566'

3.2 miles west of Hwy. 5, go straight where most traffic curves left for Las Palmitas: 29°41.278'/ 114°27.639'

0.8 miles from above, park at huge boulder: 29°41.68'/ 114°28.20'

Hike to north bank of Arroyo Santa Maria to: 29°41.733'/ 114°28.175' elev. 609' (ECR-1)

Go northwest and climb out of valley, note ocotillos.

Along left side of side valley: 29°42.374'/ 114°28.566' elev. 741' (ECR-2)

On first padre built switchback up: 29°42.669'/ 114°28.937' elev. 906' (ECR-3)

On a ridge, trail continues northwest: 29°42.671'/ 114°29.425' elev. 1308' (ECR-4)

On the Camino Real: 29°42.748'/ 114°29.482' elev. 1391' (ECR-5)

Crossing ridges and little mesas: 29°43.008'/ 114°29.967' elev. 1477' (ECR-6)

Drop along side of ridge, trail narrow: 29°43.074'/ 114°30.128' elev.1610' (ECR-7)

End of today's hike just beyond this last clear sign of the old trail: 29°43.141'/ 114°30.189' elev. 1702' (ECR-8)

Junction of ECR & bulldozed road: 29°43.126'/ 114°31.753' elev.1413'
(End of bulldozed road, on canyon ridge: 29°43.033'/ 114°31.556' elev. 1,615' )

Mision Santa Maria: 29°43.891'/ 114°32.794' elev.1628'

[Edited on 1-30-2018 by David K]

they sure could have saved themselves a bundle of work and just built the mission at las palmitas, they already have a chapel there!

Riding El Camino Real on a motorcycle, east from Mission Santa María:

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc

here is your rumor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EL-eg5C4Uk

Quote: Originally posted by bajaric

Great thread! Some expert moto riding for sure in the (long) video. I can clearly see the old trail in the moto video, at least parts of it. Since Mission Sta. Maria was abandoned in only a year or two, they must have never really finished the trail. Very rocky country. Hiking overland in that terrain is very tedious. This trail was a briefly used shortcut from El Camino Real in the high country down to the landing at Gonazaga. After the trail was abandoned, the much better trail down Calamajue Arroyo continued to be used, and has been to this day -- I think Ken C. was joking when he said someone towed a trailer down the canyon.

Hi Ric,
This is fun stuff for me, as it is both my favorite parts of historical Baja and I have hiked on some of the mission road in the area.

The mission of Santa María was active from 1767 (after moving from Calamajué) into 1774 (the final census at Santa María).
However, El Camino Real (Baja's first transpeninsular highway) still passed through that valley with the mission until automobiles appeared and mandated a road in a less difficult route than the mission trail.

The Franciscans and Dominicans never built roads in the same fashion as the Jesuits had. They were inclined to just go with the natural terrain and only did roadbuilding where it was absolutely necessary. The Jesuits engineered their road in straight lines with switchbacks when the terrain mandated it. That is why the Jesuit Camino Real is so easy to spot on Google Earth to this day.

The post-Jesuit Camino Real was nothing more than a cattle trail in size, with a few exceptions. The trail from San Borja north was opened just over a year before the Jesuits were removed, so you don't see much of the beautiful road work north of San Borja as there wasn't enough time.

The trail the motorcycles are on was made by the Franciscans after Junípero Serra ordered a better road (than the one he traveled in the canyon) be made. Serra also ordered to be created, the cargo trail or as he called it, the Antelope Spring trail to Gonzaga Bay. This was for the construction of San Fernando mission and more direct communication to the new missions beyond Santa María. That trail bypasses Santa María, to the north and joins El Camino Real just east of the peninsular divide (about 4 miles from the mission, towards Santa Ynez). Ships from Loreto or the mainland offloaded supplies at Gonzaga Bay, where the warehouse was (foundation outlines still visible), destined for San Fernando and beyond. The cargo trail can be seen in person as you drive towards Santa María, near where it ends below the high point.

The Camino Real has always used Calamajué Canyon since it reached that far north in October 1766.

You can enjoy the great work done at spotting the Camino Real (and Cargo Trail to Gonzaga Bay's warehouse) at www.caminorealbaja.com using Google Earth.



[Edited on 7-10-2020 by David K]

Yes, they did ship supplies by boat to San Diego. However, going against the current northward was not as fast or easy as sailing to Gonzaga Bay and then loading burros or mules for the 3-day trip to San Fernando and beyond. The warehouse at Gonzaga and the Camino Real was probably used a lot more by the Dominicans and the Spanish for their northern Baja activities.

Perhaps easier to view on this page than the www.caminorealbaja.com map is the Howard Gulick ECR map of this area... It is what Harry Crosby used initially...




Full size version on my website, here: http://www.vivabaja.com/ECR/elcaminoreal3.html

The only difference between what Howard saw as ECR and what the Canadian couple found is between Calamajué and San Francisquito (by Las Arrastras). It may very likely be two routes of ECR that parallel each other.

From Harry Crosby's 1974 book, The King's Highway in Baja California:



Here are the maps of the area, that Harry Crosby commissioned, in 1977...

Hi Ric,
On my website, I have a zoomable map of the Nelson expedition: https://collections.lib.uwm.edu/digital/collection/agdm/id/3...

It isn't super accurate, but gives some idea of his route and the mission sites (Santa María and Calamajué). The dashed line would seem to be El Camino Real, except that it is shown going from Santa María to Onyx (an early name for El Mármol). The ECR went from Santa María to Agua Dulce.

Nelson's route is highlighted on this 1919 map:

Quote: Originally posted by TMW

I found these videos on YouTube. The first one ends at the bottom of the hill leading down into the wash. That hill is the one the Squarcircle had to make several attempts at before getting up in his SUV. The second video picks up where the first left off and ends at the pools east of the mine. The video is pretty shakey at times indicating the roughness of the trail. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5pfH3SQR1k&NR=1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-m6rdWv2do&feature=relat...

From 2008:

Broken down, waiting for Triple A - Mr. Rich T.

Quote: Originally posted by rich t

New mounts, now Baja bullet proof.

MC video Santa Maria to Gonzaga

Quote: Originally posted by K7BVT

Anyone know where to find the you tube video of the guys that rode bikes out of Santa Maria to Gonzaga? ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EL-eg5C4Uk

Sadly, that video is no longer available... too bad! It showed how crazy it was to ride a motorcycle on El Camino Real from the Mission Santa María valley down to the desert by Gonzaga Bay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EL-eg5C4Uk

On this map from 4x4abc, note the white line showing the post-1769 El Camino Real and is what the motorcycles used. The yellow line shows part of the 1767-1769 route (which used the canyon then up to the east end of the yellow line):






[Edited on 11-13-2020 by David K]

Lots of discussion on the Pioneer Mine trail. I collected various tracks I made in that general area for you all to view.
Note that both tracks are shown near the mines. The western loop has driving issues but can be negotiated with a little discovery and spotting. All the other tracks can be driven with a lifted 4x4 and for certainly with a trail bike.
The trail is one of the more difficult trails that many of us have driven in Baja.







I cannot post the KML or GPX (GPS) files as they are to big

here is the pioneer trail

Harald, is the black line a drivable route or just a foot trail?
I always found it interesting that the early government roadbuilders going south from Gonzaga went into a canyon with seemingly no exit, back in the late 1950s...

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc

save the kml as kmz and you can post it

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Harald, is the black line a drivable route or just a foot trail? I always found it interesting that the early government roadbuilders going south from Gonzaga went into a canyon with seemingly no exit, back in the late 1950s... ===v== I drove that straight road heading north from the Pioneer track. It was made by a grader and is in good condition, but crosses a couple of washes that requires slowing down. At the north end it comes to the Rancho Grande property cross fence and a left turn takes one to Hwy 5. Kinda steep up to the pavement.

Quote: Originally posted by PaulW

Quote: Originally posted by David K   Harald, is the black line a drivable route or just a foot trail? I always found it interesting that the early government roadbuilders going south from Gonzaga went into a canyon with seemingly no exit, back in the late 1950s... ===v== I drove that straight road heading north from the Pioneer track. It was made by a grader and is in good condition, but crosses a couple of washes that requires slowing down. At the north end it comes to the Rancho Grande property cross fence and a left turn takes one to Hwy 5. Kinda steep up to the pavement.

Yes, the straight road from the Rancho Grande runway south is the original road made about 1959. My question was about Harald's black line from the south end where the Gulick map shows it ends and over the mountain to the road network closer to Coco's Corner.

A 1960 map by Howard Gulick:




[Edited on 11-16-2020 by David K]

Quote: Originally posted by ehall

I ran both the widow maker Santa Maria trail and the road between Mikes and coyote in the last 2 months. . Mikes to coyote is a lot tougher than the other one. Non stop rocks for 10 miles now.

Quote: Originally posted by steekers

Quote: Originally posted by ehall   I ran both the widow maker Santa Maria trail and the road between Mikes and coyote in the last 2 months. . Mikes to coyote is a lot tougher than the other one. Non stop rocks for 10 miles now. Looking for that video that disappeared of the moto riders that went down the ECR from the mission. Who were the riders? [Edited on 2-25-2021 by steekers]

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc

great video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EL-eg5C4Uk

Quote: Originally posted by Fargoin

Heading down to the area this week and I was doing some recon of some trails we want to ride and found this. Not sure if it is the same as the original video but it is Cargo Connection. https://youtu.be/XMMSDwgDSx4 [Edited on 3-8-2022 by Fargoin]