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LukeJobbins
Nomad
Posts: 196
Registered: 3-11-2014
Location: Lemoore, Ca
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weekend trip advice
I've been faced with the request of taking my friend to baja for a weekend camping trip to see what the fuss is about. She is tough and wants to
experience the freedom I talk about the place and wants to get away from people and be able to explore and camp.
Problem is I we only have weekends and I am not really familiar with remote cool places that close to the border to really enjoy a weekend instead of
driving for most of it.
Anyone have any ideas for a cool place doable for a weekend?
P.s. we are starting in sd
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ehall
Super Nomad
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Location: Buckeye, Az
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Mood: It's 5 o'clock somewhere
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Away from the people may be a mistake. The people of Baja are a big part of what makes Baja special.
Camping anywhere near Laguna Hanson would be close enough for a long weekend.
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David K
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Location: San Diego County
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Desert, mountains, beaches... take your choice. 3 days is the minimum so you have one non driving day to enjoy. You have 4WD?
[Edited on 6-1-2015 by David K]
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Ateo
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San Pedro Martir.
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bajabuddha
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Nothing is impossible, but I think you're pressing your luck on this one. Why not plan a simple tour of wine country; do Ensenada for a few hours and
head east on Hwy 3, find a nice B&B, head up into Laguna Hanson maybe for an overnighter in the pines, next day swing down to San Felipe and spend
the day IN THE CAR/truck enjoying the A/C and desert scenery, back up Hwy 5 to the border, maybe back to Sandy Eggo/Tecate via Mex 2, home.
Meantime, spend your summer planning ahead where you can have at least a full week (or three) to do it right. Otherwise, she won't see Baja, and you
probably won't see her again, either. Good luck. Slow down.
I don't have a BUCKET LIST, but I do have a F***- IT LIST a mile long!
86 - 45*
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captkw
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Hey Luke
Go North and ck out cali. alta
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MMc
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I would drop into the area between Punta San Jose and Colonet. San dunes beach camping, tide pools, cliffs over the beach Bat Caves. That is a big
stretch of beach with plenty of diversity a bit remote too. I would go in Aug. Sept. OCT time frame. What area do you like to go to when you have more
time?
"Never teach a pig to sing it frustrates you and annoys the pig" - W.C.Fields
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Ateo
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Quote: Originally posted by Maderita  | Ateo, agree that the Parque Nacional Sierra de San Pedro Mártir is a wonderful place. Also cooler temperatures in summer.
It is not close to the border. To visit on a 2-day weekend, you'd spend most of your time driving. |
I did it on a 2 day weekend and had a blast. We bailed after work Friday night, stayed in Ensenada, then drove the couple hours to the park Saturday
morning. Set up camp, hiked, saw the observatory, and came back Sunday after stopping by Baja Dark Skies Inn. Yeah, I guess that may be a tad busy
for some, but it worked for us. =)
Another idea: Punta Cabras area like Mmc says..............
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Alm
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What Captn said. Go North and check CA.
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Hook
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Laguna Hanson is a novelty if you are a seasoned Baja traveler, in that pines in Baja are a bit of a novelty. But it is not much different than
camping in the mtn's of SoCal, except that there will be fewer people than the mtns of SoCal. It's certainly less interesting than most places in the
Sierra Nevada mountains, IMO.
And San Pedro Martir is too far for a weekend.
I like MMc's suggestion. Somewhat remote beach camping. It might not be that warm during the day, right now, but it wont be cold at night. This is a
June gloom area, but your highs will be around 70.
It's hard to do unrestricted beach camping in the US, these days.
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Skipjack Joe
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For a weekend your best bet is to avoid hwy1 but instead drive the highway south of San Felipe. Anywhere along the coast as far as Gonzaga is all
prime camping areas.
[Edited on 6-1-2015 by Skipjack Joe]
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bajaguy
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Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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Suggestion
Luke
I applaud your efforts to share Baja with your friend. Although not much for camping, my suggestion mirrors Buddah's recommendation.
Take her for a weekend of exploring the outstanding wineries and restaurants of the Guadalupe Valley. A short drive from San Diego.
Head south along the coast, explore the Valley then cross back into the US at Tecate. Before you cross back into the US, take some time and explore
the Plaza in Tecate.
A short simple trip that will yield successful results and build a foundation for future trips.
If you need suggestions on wineries or restaurants, please let me know.
[Edited on 6-1-2015 by bajaguy]
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mtgoat666
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SPM is great for a 3 day weekend, especially if you can drive part way the evening the weekend starts.
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bajabuddha
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....AND ANUUDAH T'ING....
If you're not very experienced driving Baja, DON'T drive after dark. If you are experienced, you'll know better anyway. Be safe, have fun, don't
rush things.
I don't have a BUCKET LIST, but I do have a F***- IT LIST a mile long!
86 - 45*
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soylent_green
Junior Nomad
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head south for fish tacos or a nice lunch in Ensenada
then continue 50 miles south to Erendira and stay at Coyote Cals Hostel http://www.coyotecals.com or beach camp 5 miles north at Long Beach. On way down, maybe stop at the Santo Tomas vinyard in Santo Tomas http://www.santo-tomas.com Erendira is around 3 hours (no stopping) south of the border / 140 miles
come back through Valle De Guadalupe for wine tasting, pizza at Ochentos http://www.ochentospizza.com and cross northbound in Tecate.
[Edited on 6-1-2015 by soylent_green]
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SFandH
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Above plan is a good one, but..................
As you probably know, the border northbound on a Sunday afternoon or evening has the longest wait times of the week. Maybe a couple of hours.
[Edited on 6-1-2015 by SFandH]
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durrelllrobert
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Exactly 2 hours from San Ysidro border
and everything to make your lady friend a happy camper. Straight down MX 1 to Maneadero, turn right on road to La Buffadora and go about 6 miles.
Link has all the info:
www.lajollabeachcamp.com
Bob Durrell
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David K
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| Quote: Originally posted by soylent_green | head south for fish tacos or a nice lunch in Ensenada
then continue 50 miles south to Erendira and stay at Coyote Cals Hostel http://www.coyotecals.com or beach camp 5 miles north at Long Beach. On way down, maybe stop at the Santo Tomas vinyard in Santo Tomas http://www.santo-tomas.com Erendira is around 3 hours (no stopping) south of the border / 140 miles
come back through Valle De Guadalupe for wine tasting, pizza at Ochentos http://www.ochentospizza.com and cross northbound in Tecate.
[Edited on 6-1-2015 by soylent_green] |
This is the area also known as Punta Cabras (mentioned earlier by others):
If you are not familiar with Baja locations, Santo Tomas (on the map above) is 30 miles south of Ensenada, or 100 miles south of the border (Tijuana
or Tecate). To access Erendira (paved side road), Coyote Cal's (just north of Erendira), or Punta Cabras (just north of Cal's), go 16.8 miles south of
Santo Tomas (small town, gas station, motel, campground 'El Palomar', mission ruins).
Here is a larger area map, note Santo Tomas in the lower left corner...
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Marc
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Gonzaga Bay is about 4 hours from Mexicali.
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durrelllrobert
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Location: Punta Banda BC
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| Quote: Originally posted by soulpatch | Tell me you're not coming all the way from Lemoore for a weekend.... you'll be beat like a soapy d, uh, you'll be tired.
I'd vote for Villarino's just a few yards past La Jolla..... that way you could play a bit in Ensenada and still have a good time on the beach and
maybe dig for some hot water in the sand. |
Villarino's is also nice but you can't camp on the beach because
of the wall between cit and the camp area and ony 2 small gates to get onto the beach.
Bob Durrell
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