David K
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Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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EXOTIC DESERT CANYONS (Part 1, Friday)
EXOTIC DESERT CANYONS
For those who enjoy or seek details of off pavement routes, this article has them all. The reward of seeing these water filled canyons containing blue
palms, hot springs, or petroglyphs was very much worth the effort!
On April 9th, 2004 fellow Baja enthusiast ?jide? and I set out for a three day camping and hiking trip to Baja?s Valle Chico, on the east side of the
Sierra San Pedro Martir, Baja?s tallest range of mountains.
We left San Diego before sunrise and headed south for Ensenada. Filled my Toyota Tacoma?s gas tank and two 5 gallon cans. Price was (in Pesos) $5.83/
litre and the exchange rate was 10.8 pesos : Dollar making gasoline cheaper then in San Diego, at US $2.05/ gallon.
Highway 3 from Ensenada towards San Felipe was excellent. Pemex has a gas depot at the Ojos Negros junction (about 25 miles east of Ensenada). Other
gas sources on Hwy. 3 include a gravity reservoir gas pump at Ejido de los Heroes de la Independencia (is this biggest name for a small town in all of
Mexico?), and a new station at the junction for Valle de la Trinidad.
Time to leave the pavement! About 25 miles from Valle de la Trinidad/ 100 miles from Ensenada, Highway 3 comes to the foot of a desert mountain, Cerro
el Borrego. Here a good graded road turns right and heads for the north end of Diablo Dry Lake. See Baja Almanac Map 9 (Y-6), GPS (map datum @ NAD27):
N 31-16.86?, W 115-19.22? (elev. 1,762?). It is 6.3 mi. to the dry lakebed, the road curves to the left just before reaching the lake. If dry, head
onto the lake. If wet, take the detour road on the left (east) side. Baja Almanac Map 11 (X-1).
After 13.2 miles (19.5 from Hwy. 3), the southern end of the lake is reached and at mile 19.7 from Hwy. 3 is a major fork. GPS: 31-02.84?, 115-13.01?
(elev. 1,300 ft.). Heading to the southern end of Valle Chico, we turned left at this fork (signed for San Felipe) to get to the fast East Valle Chico
road. In two days we will return to this junction coming north on the old west Valle Chico road. Baja Almanac Map 11 (Z-3). The road is now heading
east and going up hill. It is very poor condition with deep sand and lots of ?whoops? or moguls from heavy off road racing use, 4WD is employed.
At mile 28.3 (8.6 from above fork), we arrive at the east valley road, coming in from the right (south) GPS: 31-01.68?, 115-05.75? (elev. 1,913?).
Baja Almanac Map 12 (A-3). Reset odometer to 0.0 and make a sharp right turn onto a good hardpack fast road (2WD) and head south!
Lots of race arrows and ribbon at mile 12.1 to mark the racecourse?s hard left turn, off the Valle Chico road. GPS: 31-51.75?, 115-07.12?. This is a
route to Arroyo Chanate and is described in Bruce Barber?s new guide, ??of Sea and Sand.?
The east Valle Chico road passes the signed road west (right) to El Arco de Triunfo at mile 13.6. GPS: 30-50.43?, 115-07.14?. Continue heading south
for a couple more miles then the road begins to swing westward to cross the valley. Baja Almanac Map 12 (A-6).
Major intersection at mile 19.3, ahead 1.3 miles is Rancho Algodon on the old west valley road. TURN LEFT (south), GPS: 30-47.03?, 115-09.95? (elev.
1,543?). The improved road is a bit rough for a mile and the parallel sand track is better. Pass an abandoned farm (Linda Vista) on the left in 5.1
miles (GPS: 30-43.00?, 115-08.75?). Two miles further, a wide road to the right, at mile 26. 3, was the airport for Plan Nacional Agrario (Agua
Caliente). GPS: 30-41.48?, 115-08.05? (elev.1,388?). Baja Almanac Map 14 (A-1).
Arrive at the abandoned ?ejido? of Agua Caliente (Plan Nacional Agrario) at mile 27.7 from the start of the east Valle Chico road. The main road south
turns left at the occupied ranch house GPS: 30-40.33?, 115-08.05?. Straight-ahead (west) is the way to Agua Caliente Canyon (more on this, further
down).
Heading south, the road is still very good and fast for the 5.8 miles to the Carricitos fork, at mile 33.5. GPS: 30-35.67?, 115-06.98? (elev.1,938?).
Go left for Matomi Canyon, go right for Carricitos (big corral and ranch ahead), Carrizo, Berrendo, and Parral canyons. We are headed for Parral, and
take the right fork and pass the corral. The track to Carrizo turns right just beyond the corral and heads west, more later on this road. Baja Almanac
Map 14 (A-2).
1.4 miles from the Carricitos Fork, at mile 34.9 is the junction with the sandy road right to El Berrendo Canyon. GPS: 30-34.48?, 115-06.71? (elev.
1,946?). We will be back later this day to explore this one? For now jide and I continue to Parral. The surrounding mountain scenery is fantastic, and
this is a geologist or desert photographer?s dream come true! Jide soon spots some blue palms growing a mile away on a mountainside. We will return to
examine this site.
We reach Parral canyon?s arroyo (not ?Arroyo Parral? in the Almanac) at mile 37.7 (2.8 mi. from the Berrendo canyon road). GPS: 30-32.97?, 115-05.41?
(elev. 2,094?). 0.2 mi. later we arrive at the open gate and find a Baja traffic jam! I think there was about 10 vehicles some heading into the
canyon, and more heading out. Since the vehicles were sporting VIVA BAJA stickers, I new this was a friendly group of Baja explorers and the people we
had come to meet. The bigger surprise was the vehicles heading out that belonged to the intrepid Mision San Pedro Martir backpackers. Jide and I
arrived just 15 minutes after all the others met at the open Parral gate. Talk about a weird coincidence. Using a funny phrase of our late amigo
Chopy, I shouted, ?Is this the way to the Escalera Nautica??
We met Baja Lou, Wes, Dan-Over, Wild Bill (not the same one), and their companions from El Dorado in two buggies, a Baja bug, and a Toyota truck. Then
we had the pleasure to meet Mexitron, Pappy, Hudson, and Brooks who just arrived from six days with Jack Swords in search of Baja?s most difficult to
reach mission ruins, San Pedro Martir.
Mexitron and company had other friends who met them to camp the three day weekend in Matomi canyon, just south of Parral. They headed on to Matomi
after the social hour at the Parral gate. Baja Lou and his group show us the way to the big corral (Mile 40.9, or 3.0 mi. from the gate) where we will
camp this evening. Just before the corral, the road forks left but is cut off by a new fence. To get to the end of the road for the palm canyon hike,
drive into and through the corral and exit the other side. The road goes 0.6 mile to a major washout where the 1.0-mile hike begins. This we will do
the next morning. GPS at this Corral where we camp is 30-30.64?, 115-06.48?.
After our camps are set up, we headed out to explore Berrendo Canyon (Baja Almanac Map 14 (A-3). Unfortunately, the sky is cloudy for good
photography. What we saw is hard to describe, it was so fantastic for a desert. It just reminds me (again) that Baja really is a magic place! The road
from the fork into the canyon is deep arroyo sand, 4WD or buggy stuff. The road goes 3.0 miles to the trailhead, passing sheer cliffs with hundreds of
blue palms growing from the sides up to dizzying heights! Trailhead, end of road GPS: 30-32.59?, 115-07.91? (elev. 2,260?). The trail leads up the
canyon past blue palms and finally water. At the end of the hike was a fantastic scene. A boulder the size of an office building on a house size
boulder with water, a big pool, and an incredible grotto. I think I was just so amazed, I didn?t know how to remember this place. Words aren?t enough!
GPS at the grotto: 30-32.11?, 115-08.11? (elev. 2,388?). The hike was under a mile. I figured how the GPS?s trip odometer works after this hike. We
all return to our camp at the Parral Corral for dinner and campfire time? so amazed by the wonders of Baja California. Little did we realize that it
would get better, the next day!!!
TO BE CONTINUED?
Attached Photo from Baja Lou of Berrendo Canyon's grotto...
All Lou's photos: http://photos.yahoo.com/boojums01
[Edited on 4-13-2004 by David K]
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Mexray
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Outstanding....!
According to my clock...anytime is \'BAJA TIME\' & as Jimmy Buffett says,
\"It doesn\'t use numbers or moving hands It always just says now...\"
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 65159
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Thanks Ray... it gets better! Some of the enthusiasm for exploring this area comes from a brand new book that is stuffed full of off road exotic trips
around San Felipe and other areas... Here it is... (Ordering info in my News and Notes link at the bottom of my posts...)
[Edited on 4-13-2004 by David K]
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Debra
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Hey David
Great pic., did you get a new camera?, or just getting better at light and angles?
OOPS! I just noticed was taken by "bajalou" thanks "Lou" 
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
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Registered: 3-11-2004
Location: South of the broder
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Great write up
Hey David - thanks for putting the words together about this trip - it was awsome as you know. Thanks Debra for the coment about the pictures I just
take a lot (95 on this trip) thanks to the digital world.
Our Boojums photo site has pics that I and others have taken of canyons in the San Pedro Matir - Enjoy and check them out on your own.
http://photos.yahoo.com/boojums01
I'll be looking for you in the desert--
(think we'll try Agua Caliente next Fri after david's last report of it)
[Edited on 4-13-2004 by bajalou]
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 65159
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Online
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Photos Coming!
Just an update... I picked up the photos and have downloaded them to my page builder. I started the new webpage ('404' for April, 2004) and will let
you know when the approx. 40 photos are ready to view! They came out great for a disposable camera!
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