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colloquialoatmeal
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Agua Verde back door to San Jose de la Norria
Hey all,
I posted about this back in early 2020, then went down in February to find that the road was still pretty wiped out. There was a section at approx km
14 that still had massive holes in it, just past the old rancher's gate.
However, while planning for a trip next March, I found this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuPqK2y7CjE&t=96s
It would appear that most of those sections have been filled in somewhat...
Has anyone tried the route since this video came out last December?
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4x4abc
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km14?
from where?
Constitucion?
Harald Pietschmann
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100X
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Did the Agua Verde backdoor today in my side by side, from Loreto to AV and back to Loreto via the loop to km 30/hwy 1 Harald recommends.
Km 14 I believe is a little way up the back door grade after the switchbacks (km markers start in the wash from AV and count down from 16 or so as you
climb up and out).
Have never been on this road before so can not compare to previous conditions but is seems pretty good through the switchbacks, then there is an
incline that has seen significant erosion damage. I believe this is the area c..o.. is talking about.
We made it up past the switchbacks and erosion section without issue, thinking we were pretty cool, when we came upon a Ford Ranger with its bed full
of what looked like dark driftwood, stopped, adding water to his radiator. We stopped to see if we could help and were told all was good, just a
little hot. It then hit us he was not going down, but had come up the grade ahead of us, full load of wood, marginal tires, and 2WD!
The rest of the trip went great and Harald's loop back to hwy 1 was very green and spectacular.
[Edited on 12-10-2021 by 100X]
A life of fears leads to a death bed of regrets.
Find someone who will take care of you, and take care of them.
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JZ
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Awesome to hear.
Was the loop-back the one shown on this map that comes out at Turn Off in the center, just West of San Rafael Uno?
[Edited on 12-10-2021 by JZ]
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100X
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Yes, exactly, right at km 30.
A life of fears leads to a death bed of regrets.
Find someone who will take care of you, and take care of them.
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4x4abc
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Agua Verde backdoor is one of the most spectacular drives in Baja
especially after rain
https://carlosnpainter.smugmug.com/Travel/Baja-California-No...
Harald Pietschmann
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4x4abc
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reminds me of the west-east crossing north of La Paz we did many years ago
nobody had done it before
nobody has done it since
a local guy became ware of it
he has a hunting cabin along the way
super remote
close to an undisturbed cave we discovered on our trip
there is so much more n Baja than Mike's Sky Ranch and Coco's
https://carlosnpainter.smugmug.com/Events/Uno-Baja-Extreme-A...
[Edited on 12-10-2021 by 4x4abc]
Harald Pietschmann
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JZ
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Damn good photo's Harald.
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100X
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Outstanding photos/trips Harald!
   
A life of fears leads to a death bed of regrets.
Find someone who will take care of you, and take care of them.
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advrider
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I'll third that, amazing photos. Never seen that style of rig in such remote hard terrain! Very impressive skills and work. Was it a road on a map at
one time or something you discovered?
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geoffff
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Nice video!
Though I'm amazed he decided to drive this with his cooler and stuff hanging way back off one of those trailer hitch cargo carriers. Really messes
with your departure angle.
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4x4abc
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Quote: Originally posted by advrider  | | I'll third that, amazing photos. Never seen that style of rig in such remote hard terrain! Very impressive skills and work. Was it a road on a map at
one time or something you discovered? |
Agua Verde was one of my very first destinations in Baja.
Drove up Arroyo San Isidro almost 3 miles past the entrance to the Backdoor Trail (it did not exist then). Got me my first magazine cover.
I was dreaming of a way over the mountains.
The locals told me of a couple of pack trails - but nothing drivable.
Drove half way to Santa Marta though.
The rest is hiking.
Some Gringo had secured that romantic hideaway for himself.
Go visit if you ever have the chance.
One day dicking around on Google Earth I discovered the new road past San Jose de la Noria to Agua Verde..
So I jumped in my truck and drove it.
Over the years about half my trips ended short because of water damage.
Back to Constitucion the long way around.
Harald Pietschmann
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100X
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Interesting Harald. Are there two ways up and over the mountain?
Although the route I took looked more like a trail, it did have road signs (yellow steep grade) and kilometer markers the whole way. Appears to be an
established road "maintained" by BCS although subject to quite a bit of erosion from storms and not subject to much maintenance except maybe by
locals.
Am curious when the kilometer markers date to. Were they there when you were first there? Subsequent trips? If there happens to be another, more
challenging route, I would like to go back in there and start by hiking it.
A life of fears leads to a death bed of regrets.
Find someone who will take care of you, and take care of them.
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4x4abc
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first time I hear about road markers - I have never seen any.
But i wasn't out there for a couple of years.
Harald Pietschmann
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4x4abc
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| Quote: Originally posted by lencho |
You talking about Santa Marta? Wasn't Tim Means (of Baja Expeditions) involved with that for a long time? I was under the impression they were
trying to turn it into a foundation or preserve or something, at least during that period... |
yup - did not want to drop names
he was not the only one trying to turn something into a "preservation" in Baja
I have met many of those artists
the idea is to keep other developers away
like they say in Los Angeles
an environmentalist is someone who built last year
Harald Pietschmann
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4x4abc
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he definitely wasn't
one more reason to keep builders away
if you are very rich, you buy all the land around you
if you are not, you try to have the government declare the area off limits
except yourself, of course
Harald Pietschmann
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colloquialoatmeal
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This is all good to hear! Yeah, it was 13km up from the end of the wash, just north of Agua Verde. Just past the switchbacks, then across an old
ranchers gate and there were just massive parts of the road out.
I'll definitely be passing it in March and take some pictures.
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JZ
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| Quote: Originally posted by 100X | Did the Agua Verde backdoor today in my side by side, from Loreto to AV and back to Loreto via the loop to km 30/hwy 1 Harald recommends.
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I was thinking about your comment more today. So did you drive it on MX 1 to the dirt or trailer it?
If you drove it, how fast did you go and how was that? I haven't driven mine much on pavement.
My rough calc of the highway driving would be about 80 miles from Loreto and back.
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advrider
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JZ, I run my 1000 Polaris ( non turbo) on the highway a lot, I'm street legal in Nevada and some other cool states. We run 65 MPH no problem and up to
80 MPH if needed. It will go faster but I don't over do it on the highway.
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100X
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I drove it the whole way and if you include the pavement after the AV turnoff, it was probably closer to 100 on the pavement. I stay between 55 and 60
and it does fine.
Only comment I would add is that because the headlights on SXS's are placed inwards a ways from the sides, and because I seem to wind up driving it on
the roads after dark, I have put some reflector tape on the left side mirror and fenders so the trucks don't think they have extra spare room on my
side of the line.
A life of fears leads to a death bed of regrets.
Find someone who will take care of you, and take care of them.
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