BajaNomad

Camping Near San Javier

PortlandKen - 3-12-2022 at 12:57 PM

Looking to spend a night or two near the mission of town of San Javier west of Loreto and was wondering if there were any campgrounds or other safe places to van camp in that neck of the woods? I see there is Rancho Santo Domingo south of there, but any other suggestions would be appreciated.

David K - 3-12-2022 at 01:27 PM

Good question!
On my research, I did not see any camping advertised, but maybe I missed it or something new has been added since my 2017 trip.
I can visualize camping off the road between San Javier and Comondú, in a few places, like Palo Chino.
Feel free to inquire at the little restaurant by the mission for camping locations closer.

boe4fun - 3-12-2022 at 02:44 PM

A short distance west of the mission there is a large flat area on the right side of the dirt road. The owner is the brother of one of the caretakers at the mission, after camping, the next morning, he let us pick fresh fruit from his orchard. Of course, this was about 25 years ago.

4x4abc - 3-12-2022 at 08:20 PM

pretty much everything is gated or fenced in the area
I would set up camp right next to the cemetery
big flat area overlooking San Javier
25°51'42.81"N, 111°32'28.64"W

4x4abc - 3-12-2022 at 08:25 PM

another area that is not gated is just north of San Javier
use the old road to drive out of town
right next to the pools
25°52'7.33"N, 111°32'45.33"W

camp.jpg - 300kB

Skipjack Joe - 3-13-2022 at 12:57 AM

I camped in my poptop camper in an open lot close to the mission last year. I asked the locals where to camp and was directed to it. So yes, there is camping available near the mission and it's free.

wilderone - 3-13-2022 at 09:02 AM

Rancho Santa Domingo is a long way from the Mision given it's through a rough canyon, and if you're not going that way, then you'd have to backtrack. If you go back to the junction north, and go west, there's many, many places to pull off and camp. Palo Chino, El Horno - west of Monte Alto there is an oasis of palms, mesas. ranchos. At Palo Chino you'll see a road going east - a portion of the El Camino Real connects at some point.


[Edited on 3-13-2022 by wilderone]

PortlandKen - 3-19-2022 at 11:59 AM

Thanks for the suggestions. Went up to San Javier yesterday and as it turns out, there is a really nice campground about 200 yards south of the Mission on the main road. It's called Huerta de Olivar and is in a big lot right on the other side of the fence behind the 300-year-old olive tree. There are plenty of olive trees on the property for shade and we were the only ones camping there. They have WiFi (albeit not particularly strong) and a relatively clean porto-john. Our dog got along famously with the dogs at the property who ended up trailing us everywhere we went. $250 (Mex) per night which was well worth it considering the scenic location and space.

AKgringo - 3-19-2022 at 03:02 PM

Thanks for letting us know about that campground. If they had an outhouse, I don't suppose there was any kind of facility to wash up?

It would be interesting to see if my dog would fit in with the resident pack, or want to take them on. It can go either way, and is unpredictable!

JZ - 3-19-2022 at 03:30 PM

Thanks for coming back and sharing what you found out.

David K - 3-19-2022 at 08:45 PM

Quote: Originally posted by PortlandKen  
Thanks for the suggestions. Went up to San Javier yesterday and as it turns out, there is a really nice campground about 200 yards south of the Mission on the main road. It's called Huerta de Olivar and is in a big lot right on the other side of the fence behind the 300-year-old olive tree. There are plenty of olive trees on the property for shade and we were the only ones camping there. They have WiFi (albeit not particularly strong) and a relatively clean porto-john. Our dog got along famously with the dogs at the property who ended up trailing us everywhere we went. $250 (Mex) per night which was well worth it considering the scenic location and space.


Terrific news !!!
Thanks for sharing with us.:light: