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pacard17
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Registered: 10-7-2021
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Beach Camping Puertecitos to Gonzaga Bay
Hello!
Just found this site today. I'm heading out on my first baja trip. My plan is to spend a night or 2 in the San Felipe area. If I could find a great
beach to camp not too far from town (within 30mi?), I'd stay longer ....be extremely grateful. ;-) Fewer people the better.
Absent finding some good beach camping in the SF area, we were planning to head down to the Gonzaga Bay area. Started wondering if there might be some
good desolate beaches between GB and maybe Puertecitos that any could suggest?
We'll be towing a very capable offroad trailer and have a winch and land anchor...that i'd love to avoid using lol.
Much appreciated!
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David K
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Location: San Diego County
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Quote: Originally posted by pacard17  | Hello!
Just found this site today. I'm heading out on my first baja trip. My plan is to spend a night or 2 in the San Felipe area. If I could find a great
beach to camp not too far from town (within 30mi?), I'd stay longer ....be extremely grateful. ;-) Fewer people the better.
Absent finding some good beach camping in the SF area, we were planning to head down to the Gonzaga Bay area. Started wondering if there might be some
good desolate beaches between GB and maybe Puertecitos that any could suggest?
We'll be towing a very capable offroad trailer and have a winch and land anchor...that i'd love to avoid using lol.
Much appreciated! |
Welcome to Baja Nomad!
Do you need services, palapas, toilets or showers? Rancho Percebu, just past Km. 20 south of San Felipe.
Do you seek an empty beach with nothing but sand and sea shells? Shell Island Km. 26 (the north end of this barrier island is opposite Rancho
Percebu). You must have 4WD and a tire pump (to refill after the sand driving). During the highest lunar tides, you may not access the island.
See my Trip #1 Report for more options south of San Felipe and my Trip #3 Report for campos north of San Felipe...
Trip #1: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2017-baja-expedition-1-e...
Trip #3: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2017-baja-expedition-3-m...
All my Baja Bound Guide Recon Trips: http://www.vivabaja.com/Tacoma_Travels/
[Edited on 10-8-2021 by David K]
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advrider
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pacard17, can you post some pictures of your trailer set up? Very interested. David will set you straight on some of the good areas.
Many campos in the Gonzaga to try. Punta Final, campo beluga and others will be covered above.
[Edited on 10-8-2021 by advrider]
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AKgringo
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What is your target date?
Avoiding crowds depends a lot on avoiding holidays. Mexico has quite a few national holidays that you would not be aware of, for instance, in mid
November there is Revolution day.
I wound up in the area you are asking about, thinking that Thanksgiving would be no big deal in Baja, but Revolution day packed the beaches. When you
know when you are going, check for Mexico holidays.
I have sometimes found "out of the way" campsites using IFA (I follow arroyos). That method frequently winds up with dead ends, or challenging
trails, but sometimes I hit the jackpot!
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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willardguy
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beach camping at papa fernandez might be a good fit, often deserted
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pacard17
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Thanks for the tips, all. Actually marked a waypoint for shell island earlier today. Dont need any services. Dont see a way to upload pics ut i have
a black series dominator that ive upgraded a ton. Bought used. Paid less than half what theyre going for a yr before covid. Scored! Love it! A bit
heavy for the 4runner up steep grades but otherwise tows like a dream even at interstate hwy speeds (which wont be happening in baja lol).
Thanks again!
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pacard17
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Leaving next friday, 10/15.
...and I'll be bringing a compressor to reinflate tires.
[Edited on 10-8-2021 by pacard17]
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John Harper
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Buy yourself a tire plug kit too! Have a wonderful trip!
John
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AKgringo
Elite Nomad
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I also carry an inner tube, just in case I get a cut or multiple punctures that can't be patched. There are tire repair shops everywhere, but you
would be very lucky to find a replacement tire (or tube} at most of them.
A boot, with a tube gives you some time and miles to find a matching tire.
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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David K
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This info is in the Photo & Video Gallery forum, top post.
| Quote: Originally posted by pacard17 | Thanks for the tips, all. Actually marked a waypoint for shell island earlier today. Dont need any services. Dont see a way to upload pics ut i have
a black series dominator that ive upgraded a ton. Bought used.
Thanks again! |
Here are the EZ steps to upload oversized photos onto your posts:
To post photos from your Pictures folder on your computer...
1) Go to www.Postimages.org, make an album if you want to organize your photos to find them easily in the future (by date or by subject). No cost to use
Postimages.org.
2) Change the upload setting from "Do not resize my image" to 640x480 (recommended for forums) or 800x600 (max. on Nomad). You click on the little
arrow to see the size choices.
3) Click "Choose images" and select the photos you want to put on Nomad from your Pictures folder.
4) Click on the image you want on Nomad and click on "Share" at the top of the screen.
5) Choose "Hotlinks for forums" (down next to the last one). You can click the little box at the right end of the link and it is now saved on your
mouse.
6) Go to Nomad and paste that link onto the place where you are typing on Nomad. You can put text in below the photo for a caption or your post and if
you double space between photo links (for clarity), you can put several photos and captions in a single post on Nomad. You can click "Preview" on
Nomad to check and see how it will look before posting to the board.
If you need to fix a post after it is done, click on "Edit" along the edge of your post, and change or delete your post. If you edit more than once,
you can delete the previous Edited on tags so only one edit tag will appear after you edit the post.
==============================================================
If you have photos that are under 342kb, you can directly attach them by using the 'Choose File' button, below where you type in messages.
If you want to add photos already hosted on another website, use the
 (insert an image) button.
If a photo is wider that 800 pixels and stretches the image wider than the Nomad page, simply add (after the [IMG] tag) =800x with no spacing. Looks
like [IMG=800x ] without a space.
[Edited on 10-9-2021 by David K]
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John Harper
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I know nothing about towing trailers offroad. But, lowering air pressure might be required. Make sure your compressor hose can reach the tires on
your trailer!
I realized I may have to help someone off road (I have, a few times) so I got an extended cord for my compressor. A lithium starter and jumper cables
too, you never know what might fit the bill. But, it's cheap insurance to carry it all.
John
[Edited on 10-9-2021 by John Harper]
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advrider
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Here is a picture of our new Kimberly Karavan, unfortunately we got hit our first trip out, the tow vehicle not trailer. Trailer was still damaged but
hope to get it rolling again.
Not what you want to see on your first outing....
Black series trailers are cool as well. Do air down on the wash boards and rocky roads, its a big help.
[Edited on 10-9-2021 by advrider]
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WestyWanderer
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Location: San Clemente, CA
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Pacard, are you looking to camp for free on the beach or are you ok with paying for a spot in a campo (anywhere from $10-27USD/night)?
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John Harper
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| Quote: Originally posted by advrider | Here is a picture of our new Kimberly Karavan, unfortunately we got hit our first trip out, the tow vehicle not trailer. Trailer was still damaged but
hope to get it rolling again.
Black series trailers are cool as well. Do air down on the wash boards and rocky roads, its a big help.
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I'm sorry to hear that. What a bummer.
John
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pacard17
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Wow! Thanks for all the sharing!
John, yup, i carry a tire repair kit, 2 spare tires that are now interchangable betw truck/trailer (265/75/16 ko2 load class E) as well as a bottle of
green slime. Also have traction boards. Yes, air compressor is a M240 easily reaches all tires except the spare on the rear of the trailer. Have aired
diwn and back up many times at this point. Also carry a fully charged noco genius jump starter (rather small device i really like. Can fit under a
seat. Multiple jumps in one charge) as well as cables.
David, thanks for the tutorial!
Advrider, that BLOWS! One of the many things i love about my manual '98 4Runner (orig owner) is its comparitively narrow stance. Sounds like I'll
appreciate it that a fair amt in baja. The trailer is another story being 6'wide. But im pretty competent threading needles with it and have been
around trailers since i was 16.
Westy, i wouldnt mind paying if the beach was nice. But trying to avoid listening to others generators, atv's at all hours, loud groups or screaming
kids. The last time i xamped around people in a formal campground was '94. Geeze, just realized that was a long time ago. We did a national parks tour
out west. Incredible experience. But otherwise, i camp for the peace. Im starting to sound like an old fart lol! Only 51. But nature isnt so well,
natural with a ton of noise/people 10yds away.
Regards,
P
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David K
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The next beach camp south, after Percebu and Shell Island, is Nuevo Mazatlán (Km. 32). This is a campground with hundreds of tall shade trees (salt
cedars). The beach is sand and big. Private homes now hug the coast to the north and south, but before there were any, there was Nuevo Mazatlán. Last
time I camped there (2015) the charge was $20. They have flush toilets and (unheated) showers. The owner is Javier and they have a Facebook page (as
do most places in Baja).
Nuevo Mazatlán in 2017:
In 2015:
We laid out the shells we found on Shell Island the week before on our way south to Bahía Concepción, when we repacked at Nuevo Mazatlán, on our
way home:
Here is my article about the history of Nuevo Mazatlán (originally called Agua de Chale): https://www.bajabound.com/bajaadventures/bajatravel/remember...
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David K
Honored Nomad
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Puertecitos to Gonzaga desolate camping?
2017 Trip #1 photos:
Not a nice beach other than the view of the island, El Huerfanito.
El Faro is the last beach access before Gonzaga Bay.
================================================================
Papa Fernandez' Camping:
The beach camp at Papa Fernandez' is over the hill from the resort, behind a gate (for security). The food at Papa's is great and cheap, too.
More campo photos or info upon request.
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PaulW
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Do you discount Punta Estrella for beach camping?
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WestyWanderer
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Pacard
Nuevo Mazatlan is really nice and not too far from San Felipe but can get busy. The further south you go toward Gonzaga the less populated the
campgrounds are. Puertecitos has a few nice campgrounds, Octavios is on the north end as you enter town and is much less popular than the main
campground on the bay. The main campground (Clara’s) mid week it’s usually pretty empty, it fills up on the weekend. It’s pricy at $27 a night
but that includes water at your campsite, showers and toilets, a nice sandy beach, and unlimited access to the hot springs. South of Puertecitos at
campo La Costilla (KM 84.5) camping is $10 a night and it will be very quiet, it’s also on a nice bay but services are limited to a very old
outhouse. Not sure when you’re headed south, but at Campo Christina (KM 84) there is a restaurant that should be open Saturday and Sunday, she
usually opens around mid October.
There are a few places you can pull off and camp for free, both close to the highway and further away, depending on how much off roading you want to
do.
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David K
Honored Nomad
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Only because of the ridiculous price they charge, but it is on my map. Here are the photos I took (New Years week 2017):
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