BajaNomad

Calamajue Canyon Wash

mcnut - 1-25-2017 at 11:40 AM

This was just posted on a motorcycle focused forum:

"Last October, after riding from Bahia de los Angeles through the Calamajue Wash towards Gonzaga, Coco told us the military had stopped by just the day before to ask him to warn off-roaders to not ride that wash anymore at the risk of bikes being taken away.
Has anyone heard anything about this since late October?"

I guess we could see this coming, the reroute of the racing, signs going up. I think prohibiting racing is appropriate, but if closed to all motorized travel, the reality will be that next to no one will experience this remote and scenic canyon.

Bruce

motoged - 1-25-2017 at 12:28 PM

More faux news?

Source?

mcnut - 1-25-2017 at 12:42 PM

TT Baja Forum, posted today.

Also recently, there has been mention of a sign being posted at one end (west I believe) here, ADVRider or TT, I can't remember.

Personally, I don't think it fake news. I do believe if it is a complete motorized closure it will be almost impossible to enforce given the location, lack of alternative routes once there, and history of use.

Bruce

TMW - 1-25-2017 at 01:00 PM

SCORE no longer uses that route, as I understand it, due to environmental concerns. If the army is posting signs to keep out I guess that makes it official.

We can expect more and more of this. Many private land owners don't want off-roaders crossing their land and some have put up locked gates. The Pole Line Road is one and the owner of the No Wimp Trail at the north end does not want racing on his property. However so far he has not objected to people using the trail. I think the owner of Rice and Beans in San Ignacio owns land near Trinidad at the south end of the NWT and he at one time was thinking of building a facility out there to serve the off-road community.

AKgringo - 1-25-2017 at 01:00 PM

I did not go near the Calamajue wash this trip, but I did notice a closure sign posted on a short wash that I have used before to access the beach at Bahia San Rafael in December. This was just north of Pancho's camp.

I assumed that it was probably protecting a turtle habitat, but that wouldn't extend to Calamaue.

[Edited on 1-25-2017 by AKgringo]

David K - 1-25-2017 at 05:09 PM

There was a sign (last Sept.), facing the south (for northbound traffic) at the south end of the canyon... all in Spanish saying basically "keep out".

However, it is of little use for southbound traffic (from the mission or Coco's Corner) which will have already driven in the arroyo to get to that point. To turn around at that point would be to drive in the wash twice!

Anyway, you will only see it if you are northbound (if it is still there) unless you notice it southbound and actually look back as you drive by.

This road, in the arroyo, was "Highway 5" from about 1960 to 1983 (when the graded road from Laguna Chapala was blazed through to Coco's Corner (the future site) and to the cove of Puerto Calamajué.

PaulW - 1-25-2017 at 08:09 PM

Fact
No race permits for Calamajue Wash. Racers going there obviously do not have the required environmental permit. We all should follow the lead and not go there.
Yes Tom Ricardo had those plans. Bad weather is a big is a big deterrent. The hurricane damage back in 2009 is why we never got further north than Trinidad. Of course gas was also a big issue for that trip, especially after we gave a stranded rancher 5 gal.
No environmental issue has been raised so far for that track to date.

Pacifico - 1-25-2017 at 08:34 PM

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo  
I did not go near the Calamajue wash this trip, but I did notice a closure sign posted on a short wash that I have used before to access the beach at Bahia San Rafael in December. This was just north of Pancho's camp.

I assumed that it was probably protecting a turtle habitat, but that wouldn't extend to Calamaue.

[Edited on 1-25-2017 by AKgringo]


I saw this sign as well...If I recall correctly, it said no ATV's permitted.

sign

ztrab - 3-8-2017 at 07:16 PM

I rode it north to south a few weeks ago, looked for but did not find a sign

liknbaja127 - 3-8-2017 at 08:33 PM

We drove it new years, Coco's to the bay, never saw any sign! Did see
David K at Coco's. I think he also went that way.

y2kbaja - 3-9-2017 at 08:11 AM

I'm going that way 3/19. We will stop at Coco's and ask what the current situation is before doing Calamajue

David K - 3-9-2017 at 08:29 AM

In 2012, stopped at Coco's on our way to Calamajue and another couple was there with a Jeep. They wanted to see the mission and go through the canyon, but Coco had told them the water was too deep.

I had just read a trip report on Nomad by BajaTripper, who just went through and reported the lowest water level he has seen there.

I told the couple that they could follow us, to which they were greatfull. Coco said he would not be responsible for us, lol! I said the Toyota won't leave the Jeep behind. Ha!

It was great, there was only one deep puddle and the normal trickle in the road/streambed for a couple miles.

I returned last September and again virtually no water, compared to years past. Long story short: Read Nomad for accurate road conditions.




[Edited on 3-9-2017 by David K]

degoma - 3-9-2017 at 05:26 PM

We drove north to south through the wash on February 6th. Just before the road leaves the wash (south end) there was a sign, (about 4’ x 3’) broken off lying in the sand to one side face up. It said, ‘Federal property, prohibited to enter without permission’. I’ve seen in other posts that this sign was directed toward north bound traffic. Lot of good that would have done us! And what about permission…just how would one go about getting, ‘permission’?