Emerson
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Laguna Hanson & Sauzalito Last Weekend
Dear nomads, with summer already over, I was in the urge to take the cruiser out into the mountains; with Norbert slowly moving north, I took the risk
and prepped a short trip to Laguna Hanson with the wife to help her un-stress from work; the plan was leave early Saturday morning (yeah, right!); and
come back on Sunday afternoon.
My early Saturday morning got quickly translated to Saturday noon exiting Mexicali; had a good brunch at “La cabana del Abuelo” and headed towards
Laguna Hanson around 3pm; the clouds looked really mean by that time, so I basically raced them to my camping spot in order to setup everything before
the rain started; the road was in pretty good conditions; washboards excluded, I do believe it was recently repaired since it was really nice all the
way to the Laguna.
Once I arrived, I quickly did the camp setup and after an hour of arriving, it started to rain, nothing too severe; just rain with no significant
winds; quickly the fresh forest smell appeared and soothed our senses still hyped from the city life; after a hour the rained seized and the sky
cleared, right on time for observing the moon and stars; perfect weather, we spent a great night; no other campers were at sight.
Next morning, after a great and exquisite breakfast cooked by me  … I
observed we were quickly surrounded by more rain clouds, so we calmly packed everything and just left a couple of chairs outside in order to continue
contemplating the silence and scenery with cattle was roaming around.
My urges for exploring reached the limit and I kindly invited my wife to “drive” around, and she agreed!; first stop was Rancho Bethel, with a lame
excuse of buying soda and some candy I initiated some friendly chat with David, the ranch owner; I started asking about Rancho Alamar, Mora and San
Luis; basically I was interested in exploring the east part of the laguna area; David didn’t reference nothing exiting on the Ranchos I mentioned; but
since he noticed I was interested in the area he recommended “El Sauzalito Resort”; the plain fact of “resort” brought instant interest; David
mentioned 20-30 minutes north from Laguna, after brief directions rain started to fall, we said good bye and we hoped on the Cruiser again.
I turned on the GPS and started driving to Rancho Alamar, south east from Laguna Hanson, with rain coming down hard, things got exciting (at least for
me); after 5Km; a closed gate (with rope) was reached, and I wasn’t very comfortable of exploring further in with only my wife, so I turned around and
headed back to Laguna, by that moment the road was already a fast running arroyo, I had a blast driving thru there; can’t say the same for my wife,
but she remained relatively calm.
After reaching the Laguna area, we headed back to find the entrance to the Sauzalito Resort; I was under the impression that the resort was close to
Rancho Los Pantalones or San Luis entrance, after several attempts going back and forth; we gave up and headed further north towards La Rumorosa, and
after 5km we found the entrance, it was further north from la Laguna than I expected; Big Signs and advertisement are in the entrance; anyway, we
entered the narrow road and continued east; rain started coming down hard again; the road is narrow and very twisty, but mostly flat; after maybe 15
minutes of driving east, the road got narrower and even more twisty, my wife chat halted and her face changed, so I realized I was reaching the limit
of her sense of adventure; I just said to her “5km more, if we don’t find it, we go back”; and I pointed the GPS map and said we were close to the
canyons, so; or we succeeded and reached the Rancho, or we were heading into a dead end.
Surely, after finishing my soothing statement; we reached the entrance of the rancho, a house was quickly visible; I hoped out of the cruiser and a
person greeted me; with rain pouring hard I mentioned David from Bethel sent me; he quickly invited me in the rancho; I justified my interest because
David mentioned he had a big organic crop; and my mother shares the same hobby, and I requested permission to take pictures, he gladly accepted and
introduced himself as Jorge Marquez
So I drove a couple of meters further into the ranch, close to the crop area; I have to say, very impressive! Tons of vegetables, peppers,
watermelons, melons, tomatoes, hibiscus, you name it, he had it.
Took some quick pictures, and we rushed into a very nice 3 story cabin, very nicely built, its being finished to hold up to 20 people at once, 2 fully
functional bathrooms, I have to say it’s the nicest cabin I seen in a long time around there, great amount of work has been put into details; it’s
still lacking some furniture, but hey, it didn’t leak a single drop on the pouring rain!
Jorge explained that he bought the property 16 years ago, and he started to work on it only 6 years ago, he is now a permanent resident in the area
and is planning on hosting groups of people in his very impressive cabin, offering lodging and food made with some if his own ingredients (Vegetables,
Milk, cheese and eggs from his property) in addition to some imported ingredients from Tecate of nearby areas.
We were lucky enough to buy some vegetables that were available; we actually cooked them yesterday and they were top notch in terms of quality and
flavor.
While we were there he was hosting a couple thru the weekend that actually got lost on Saturday while wondering the area without caution and got
rescued on a nearby road on… Sunday!; Jorge mentioned that he insisted on guiding them but the guy told him he had knowledge of the area and knew how
to use his GPS and he didn’t need a guide. The good thing is that they found help and they were soaking wet, but in good overall conditions.
Jorge has access to satellite internet, so you can find him @Facebook, as “Sauzalito Resort”; plenty of pictures and info is available, he’s looking
for customers, so feel free to pay him a visit; he formerly worked in the US, so English shouldn’t be a problem for him.
After saying goodbye, we headed back to the main road and then back to La Rumorosa; road was a little wet, but nothing serious; back at the paved road
we safely arrived to our home in Mexicali, very nice trip, helped my wife relieve some work stress, and we got to do some exploring around the area
(Bonus for me!)
Pics in: Here
Until next time; take care.
-Emerson.
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bajajudy
Elite Nomad
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What a great find!
Lucky you
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chuckie
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Thanks!
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BajaBlanca
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Nice pics and good narrative!
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David K
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Way way cool trip report Emerson! This is a part of Baja that I have not been to very much, and have never seen Laguna Hanson... Very beautiful!
Nomads, click on Emerson's photo link to see photos, like this one...
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Maron
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Emerson,
Great report and pics. We have never been in that area, but it is now on our list.
Many Thanks,
Ron and Mary Ann
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redhilltown
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Excellent!! A really great area of Baja.
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David K
Honored Nomad
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Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/elsauzalitoresort
Translated:
About
Rancho Turistico, Naturalesa Tourism, Natural Resort
Description
The Sauzalito Resort is located in Sierra Juarez, Baja California.
It's a ranch that has two cabins upgraded for extreme climate of the Sierra Juarez, restaurant and organic garden and hotel.
has a beautiful panoramic view, you can see the Laguna Salada and Guadalupe Canyon and archaeological routes.
Inf. USA (619) 638-2624, MX (665)113-9057
General Information
COME AND ENJOY A PLACE TO RELAX AND ENJOY YOUR NATURAL VIEWS. YOU CAN HARVEST YOUR OWN ORGANIC GARDEN ON OUR ALIMETO, WALK AROUND BY GREEN AND KNOW
YOUR VIEWS
PANORAMICAS ALSO WALKING AND ITS ARCHAEOLOGICAL RUTAR APREDENDER LOCAL HISTORY MEET AROUND AS THE NATIONAL PARK AND OTHER BEAUTIFUL PLACES
CONTITUCION. Let CONCENTIR Sauzalito BY NATURAL RESORT, not regret.
[Edited on 9-10-2014 by David K]
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Maderita
Senior Nomad
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Location: San Diego
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Emerson,
Nice trip report. Thanks for posting.
Too bad that you didn't make it all the way to Rancho Alamar. It is a surprisingly long way from Laguna Hanson as the road winds its way toward the
escarpment. Alamar is a nice place to visit and camp. Alfredo Vizcarra is a gracious host and fluent in English. They also have a few nice cabanas for
rent. Horseback riding available; one of his sons would likely guide.
I believe this weekend is their semi-annual cabalgata. Promised to be a shorter ride than the one we did in June (7 hours!). Probably not too late to
reserve horses if you are interested.
https://www.facebook.com/rancho.alamar?fref=pb&hc_locati...
Next time you head south of La Rumorosa, it is really worth a stop at Rancho el Topo. Just a short detour, 2 miles, from the main Parque Nacional
road, signed turnoff about 23 miles south of La Rumorosa. The Sandoval family are wonderful folks and welcome visitors. Ricardo is fluent in English.
They have guest rooms, converted in an authentic old barn. Or camp amidst the pines on a secure/fenced ranch many square miles large. New small
restaurant opened in the spring. Horseback riding at reasonable rates. Great hiking in the area.
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David K
Honored Nomad
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Does anyone have a map with either (or both) El Alamar and El Sauzalito located on it... or GPS for them? The Baja Almanac shows El Topo and San Luis
and a non-exact Pantalones listed out from Laguna Hanson.
AAA Map only has El Topo, north of Laguna Hanson of those mentioned:
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Emerson
Junior Nomad
Posts: 42
Registered: 6-24-2013
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Hi David, I'll post a copule of maps of the area once I get home, also some waypoints of the places I visited, lots of stuff to explore around there.
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Emerson
Junior Nomad
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Here is a general GPS print screen.
The waypoints are the following:
Rancho El Topo: 32º 14' 18" N 115º 58' 41" W
Sauzalito Entrance: 32º 09' 28" N 115º 56' 10" W
El Sauzalito Resort: 32º 08' 54" N 115º 52' 08" W
Rancho Bethel: 32º 02' 03" N 115º 53' 43" W
Rancho Alamar: 32º 02' 07" N 115º 49' 29" W
Heres another very famous map extract, I believe Alamar is was not captured on the 2009 edition.
From the recent satellite maps you can tell theres a lot of new trails, I know that some have the sole purpose of "Yucca" extraction only; but others
do interconnect ranches and properties.
I will try visiting Alamar soon, as well as El Topo; I always like to talk to the owners and hear their stories.
If I dont get the pictures right, I'll edit until I get them close.
-Emerson
[Edited on 9-11-2014 by Emerson]
[Edited on 9-11-2014 by Emerson]
Finally!!! Pictures!!!
[Edited on 9-11-2014 by Emerson]
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Maron
Nomad
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Emerson,
great reporting, maps and info. Welcome to the site.
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Maderita
Senior Nomad
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Location: San Diego
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Here are some photos to get excited about visiting the ranchos of the Sierra de Juárez:
Sign near Laguna Hanson in the Parque Nacional.
Rancho Alamar, guest dining and kitchen in this building.
Alfredo Vizcarra, owner Rancho Alamar.
Camping with our horses at Rancho Alamar.
Pine forest near Laguna Hanson / Parque Nacional
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Maderita
Senior Nomad
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Some photos of Rancho el Topo:
The new restaurant, "Cafe 96."
Getting ready for the cabalgata (group ride event).
Beautiful pine forest for riding. Summers are nice at the 5,000' elevation.
Ricardo Sandoval is fluent in English and enjoys hosting and guiding for visitors.
View (telephoto) from Rancho el Topo. The granite crags at the top of Cañón el Tajo (approx. 5 miles to the east).
A working cattle ranch. Betito started roping cattle (okay, calves) at age 5.
My other little buddy is "Cuervito." He was born in the wild and brought from Cañón Guadalupe in the desert.
There are a few single pitch (up to 165') climbing routes on the ranch. Hundreds more routes just a few miles away with world-class climbing at Tajo.
Lots of hiking available if this makes you feel dizzy, jaja.
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David K
Honored Nomad
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Super great... not nearly enough posts about the Sierra Juarez here on Nomad, thank you and Emerson for adding these!
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TMW
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Excellent, thanks.
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Tioloco
Super Nomad
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Great report!
Been to Laguna Hansen several times and now want to go back and check out these ranchos.
Mil Gracias!
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