wilderone - 8-20-2018 at 09:45 AM
Does anyone know what this road is like? Suitable for compact rental car? Populated? Safe camping on the beach? Anything of note to check out? I
could explore as a day trip from my yurt in Buena Vista, but might be a nice place to camp overnight (?).
caj13 - 8-20-2018 at 10:21 AM
stayed in the Yurts in BV, love those things. we made that drive in a rental car, a bit squirrelly, might want to rent a quad or side by side for
the day, works better IMHO. I'm assuming you plan on taking the road that stays close to the coast? alot of private property between the road and
the beach along alot of the road. road pretty much terminates on the beach just south of the Hotel there, you have to walk around the point to get
to "their" beaches. If its calm, great snorkelling on that side among the rocks and corral. if it's blowing - forget it.
SunDevil - 8-20-2018 at 11:03 AM
The last time we were on this road was November 2017.
You could probably make the trip in a compact rental car if you were careful. You might want to make sure your insurance and rental contract allow
this. If you are using a credit card for LDW check that it is good for unpaved roads.
I would not try it myself. If I didn't have a high-clearance rental then I would rent a quad in Los Barriles. We have found good rates at Can-Doo.
https://candoorentals.com/
Be careful when driving off the road, there are places where the sand is soft. A four-wheel drive truck was stuck at the beach just south of the
hotel.
The road continues past the hotel and into the town of El Cardinal. From El Cardinal you can take a paved road back to LB. Check it out with google
satellite view.
mcnut - 8-20-2018 at 11:04 AM
Should be fine. You could do the dirt coast road to Cardonal and return via the paved road.
Further north where the coast road crosses the mountains is another matter though.
Bruce
wilderone - 8-20-2018 at 11:13 AM
Thanks for the advice. Since I'll be solo, I don't want to take too many chances with soft sand, roads to narrow to turn around, etc. Just looking
for things to do to maximize my time. I know the area in front of Rcho Leonero is good for snorkeling - maybe they'll let me stay for afternoon chips
and salsa! Got a nice collection of places to check out - including a bat cave near Santiago - been there? Will camp at or near the hotsprings
there, Cabo Pulmo, and maybe a turtle release camp near Todos Santos, get a boat out to Isla Espiritu Santo from Tecolote. Can hardly wait!
gnukid - 8-20-2018 at 12:17 PM
The road is maintained but narrow, steep and rocky in sections, big bumps and is best going very slow, but locals and kooky tourists go very fast so
be careful. The distance is quite short perhaps 5 km or so between LB and Pescadero and very enjoyable. It's also quite nice to visit further El
Cardonal where a new restaurant exists and of course if you are feeling confident go all the way to Ensenada de Los Muertos.
The rainy season will cause issues through August to October and it will be at its worse before it gets cleaned up for tourists and then the idiots on
quads will drive about 40-50km around blind corners so watch out.
Here are recent shots:
[Edited on 8-20-2018 by gnukid]