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Author: Subject: Trail Riding near Ensenada Dirt Bikes
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[*] posted on 11-30-2017 at 10:10 AM
Trail Riding near Ensenada Dirt Bikes


Hello!
I'm in search of dirt biking trails near Ensenada or on the North Western side of Baja. My Girlfriend and I are planning our first trip to Baja and are eager to get some riding in while we are there.

We're beginner/intermediate riders and will be bringing our bikes with us as opposed to riding down from SoCal.

Any ideas would be much appreciated! Looking forward to our first visit! :yes:
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[*] posted on 11-30-2017 at 10:23 AM


You would have better luck a little east of Tecate at Rancho Santa Veronica. Lots of trails start right at the hotel. Big race this weekend so trails should be very easy to locate after that. Touchy area, don't trespass and please leave the gates as you found them. Probably be able to hook up with some other riders also.
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[*] posted on 11-30-2017 at 11:29 AM


Do you have a map or an idea of how far out you want to ride? Most roads in Baja are dirt roads.

Going east from Ensenada, explore roads off Hwy 3 to San Felipe and see gold mines, hot springs, pine forests...

Going south from Ensenada take roads west from Hwy 1 on the way to San Quintin and follow the Pacific Coast. Maybe stay at Coyote Cals near Ejido Eréndira?

Need maps?

[Edited on 11-30-2017 by David K]




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[*] posted on 11-30-2017 at 12:16 PM



Quote:

You would have better luck a little east of Tecate at Rancho Santa Veronica. Lots of trails start right at the hotel. Big race this weekend so trails should be very easy to locate after that. Touchy area, don't trespass and please leave the gates as you found them. Probably be able to hook up with some other riders also.


Thanks Ehall. Any idea if it is okay to ride CA Green Sticker (non plated) bike in these areas legally?
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[*] posted on 11-30-2017 at 12:20 PM


Thanks for the reply David.

Quote:

Do you have a map or an idea of how far out you want to ride? Most roads in Baja are dirt roads.


We don't have maps yet. I'm hoping to find this info on this forum ;D

Quote:

Going east from Ensenada, explore roads off Hwy 3 to San Felipe and see gold mines, hot springs, pine forests...

This sounds incredible! We're used to riding trails in California with clear signage etc, so I'm a bit concerned about getting lost while exploring. I'm very interested in any maps you can point to or other advice/info experienced riders of the area have.

Thank you
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[*] posted on 11-30-2017 at 12:24 PM


Quote:

how far out you want to ride?

We need to stick to rides that don't require oversized gas tanks, as our bikes are not equipped with that. Ideally, we'd like to be able to ride out and back in a couple hours, though if there are places to get petrol along the way, a full day of riding isn't out of the question.
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[*] posted on 11-30-2017 at 12:46 PM


OK, amigo... petrol is called gasolina in Mexico, unlike Spain.
Roads are not well signed... some are, but you do not rely on signs for navigation on dirt roads in Baja.

You must get a GPS device with Baja topo maps loaded on, there is just no question of that being what you want to do. There are a few different choices here is one map that can be downloaded into a GPS: http://www.lbmaps.com/

For a general visual of the road network out from Ensenada:





The 2010 Auto Club map is easy to use and has mileages along every road on the map... they just don't show all the roads...



Close up:




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[*] posted on 11-30-2017 at 03:49 PM


You will find no signage offroad, but you should have no issues getting lost if you just stick with the graded dirt roads shown on the maps David posted. GPS is still a good idea and pretty cheap these days. Not sure what your fuel range is, but south of Ensenada the roads from Santo Tomas to La Bocana or to Punta San Jose/Punta Cabras are fun and easy rides. Watch for oncoming vehicles, farm equipment, livestock, and dogs (some of them love to chase bikes), and be careful around blind corners.



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[*] posted on 11-30-2017 at 03:54 PM


David K, thanks for the info!

Where can we ride a non-plated dirt bike?
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[*] posted on 11-30-2017 at 04:04 PM


Where-ever you want and not mess with locked gates.

Closed gates are okay to open (and reclose behind you) as they are for livestock control. Only if it is posted to keep out (No Hay Paso) are you not welcome.

Driving to Mission Guadalupe (west of Mulegé), I had to open and close 4 gates... twice (going in and coming out).




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[*] posted on 11-30-2017 at 04:06 PM


Quote:

You will find no signage offroad, but you should have no issues getting lost if you just stick with the graded dirt roads shown on the maps David posted. GPS is still a good idea and pretty cheap these days. Not sure what your fuel range is, but south of Ensenada the roads from Santo Tomas to La Bocana or to Punta San Jose/Punta Cabras are fun and easy rides. Watch for oncoming vehicles, farm equipment, livestock, and dogs (some of them love to chase bikes), and be careful around blind corners.

Thanks DanO. I appreciate the info. I have a stock 2 gallon tank. Will look into a GPS and get those maps. Any other recommendations are welcome.
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[*] posted on 11-30-2017 at 05:07 PM


Quote: Originally posted by Proper  
David K, thanks for the info!

Where can we ride a non-plated dirt bike?


Yes, you can run a non-plated dirt bike. You need the registration when you cross. They will check it against your vin.

Run a GPS app on your phone. They have all the bigger dirt roads already and you can add custom ones you make from Google Earth or someone gives you.

Back Country Navigator is the best, but only works on Android. MotionX is very good and works on Apple.

I have hundreds of miles of Baja mapped out in central and Southern Baja that I can share, but not where you are talking. Most of them I hand created by zooming into Google Earth. You should study the area you are going to ride on GE. Preferably with a large monitor.

I run Back Country Navigator on my phone and mount it on the handle bar. We just rode for 12 days from Loreto to La Paz. You want an app like this for sure.


[Edited on 12-1-2017 by JZ]
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[*] posted on 11-30-2017 at 05:09 PM


Here is the mount I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HUEZ7SS/ref=od_aui_deta...
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[*] posted on 11-30-2017 at 06:24 PM


Coyote Cals South of Ensenada on the beach good trails and dirt roads.
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[*] posted on 12-1-2017 at 11:42 AM



Quote:

Yes, you can run a non-plated dirt bike. You need the registration when you cross. They will check it against your vin.

Run a GPS app on your phone. They have all the bigger dirt roads already and you can add custom ones you make from Google Earth or someone gives you.

Back Country Navigator is the best, but only works on Android. MotionX is very good and works on Apple.

I have hundreds of miles of Baja mapped out in central and Southern Baja that I can share, but not where you are talking. Most of them I hand created by zooming into Google Earth. You should study the area you are going to ride on GE. Preferably with a large monitor.

I run Back Country Navigator on my phone and mount it on the handle bar. We just rode for 12 days from Loreto to La Paz. You want an app like this for sure.

Thanks for all the info JZ!
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[*] posted on 12-1-2017 at 05:56 PM


Quote: Originally posted by bajatrailrider  
Coyote Cals South of Ensenada on the beach good trails and dirt roads.

Thanks for the recommendation!
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[*] posted on 12-1-2017 at 06:11 PM
Insurance


If you don't have a SPOT, get one

https://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=100
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[*] posted on 12-1-2017 at 06:21 PM


Quote: Originally posted by Proper  
Quote: Originally posted by bajatrailrider  
Coyote Cals South of Ensenada on the beach good trails and dirt roads.

Thanks for the recommendation!


This is where I would suggest you go. Looks like beautiful riding along the coast.

@bajatrailrider, can you ride along the coast from Ensenada all the way to Cals? Looks like it on GE.


[Edited on 12-2-2017 by JZ]
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[*] posted on 12-1-2017 at 06:42 PM


Quote: Originally posted by JZ  
Quote: Originally posted by Proper  
Quote: Originally posted by bajatrailrider  
Coyote Cals South of Ensenada on the beach good trails and dirt roads.

Thanks for the recommendation!


This is where I would suggest you go. Looks like beautiful riding along the coast.

@bajatrailrider, can you ride along the coast from Ensenada all the way to Cals? Looks like it on GE.


[Edited on 12-2-2017 by JZ]
Only if you want to do missing link trail Expert only even then you may have to push bike JAAAAAA.
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[*] posted on 12-1-2017 at 07:09 PM


Quote: Originally posted by bajatrailrider  
Only if you want to do missing link trail Expert only even then you may have to push bike JAAAAAA.


Ok, I just read your September thread on that. Did you do the November ride?

Where can you jump down to the coast above Cals that avoids the really difficult stuff?
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