Baja Road Report

Mid Feburary Road report

2011-02-25T10:27:00.002-07:00

Road Report for mid February, 2011 This report covers Mexico Highway 1 from the Rosarito Beach/Puerto Nuevo area to La Paz, BCS, and was done in a Jeep Liberty towing a 17’ Casita travel trailer. The combination of a short wheelbase tow vehicle and a short trailer on the undulating highway provided an abundance of bounce per kilometer and affected my perception of road conditions, not to mention my comfort as well as that of my wife. The first significant problem, as reported by others, is no longer a problem since the road construction in the hills south of Maneadero is nearly finished, fully repaved in the southbound lanes, and as smooth as glass. Lane striping had not begun as of Feb. 12. In the mountains between Lázaro Cárdenas and El Rosario there is a short (1/2-mile)rough dirt detour due to road construction. South of Catavińa, in the vicinity of San Martin, the road becomes quite rough with hundreds of shallow potholes until reaching approximately Km 203. From Km 203 to Km 215, the potholes pretty much disappear, but it is still rough. Once past Km 215 the road returns to normal and improves considerably around Km 221. And that’s all the bad there is to report! Having last driven the highway in 1990, I found much to be grateful for, as it is apparent that the government is spending a lot of money to improve the highway by widening, repaving, and building bridges where none used to exist but should have. Concrete bridges are being built at all major vados, in sharp contrast with the past, and the detours are paved! But those bridges are a major contributor to highway bounce, because each section of the several it may take to cross a vado, is made with an upward curve where the middle is higher than the ends. Depending on your speed, this provides an undulating surface and significant oscillations. 80 to 90 Kph provided exactly that for our car and trailer combination. Happy travels, Don Neilson

Visit Baja in the Spring

2011-02-12T08:19:00.002-07:00

An Invitation from Your Friends in Baja

Springtime is high season for Baja Sur tourism with throngs of
escaping snowbirds usually flock to our shores and deserts. Removed from
the headlines of Cartel violence, Baja California Sur travel providers
need their friends to come visit.

Baja Road Report

2011-02-12T08:17:00.000-07:00

February 5, 2011
KVB
Tijuana to Cabo San Lucas

We made the drive from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas over two days, starting mid-morning Jan. 31.

The drive was a breeze, and I was driving a fairly low-slung German convertible. Any suggestions that the road is poor is inaccurate. There are some sections that are slightly rough, but I've hit far worse potholes on the Interstate coming in So Cal from Vegas.

Baja roads still closed in Northern Baja

2010-01-26T10:38:00.002-07:00

Baja Norte roads closed from the border south. I just checked with the Federales del Caminos (Highway Patrol) and they say the roads from Ensenada to Tijuana and Tecate are still out. There are ways around but they do not suggest anyone try to use these detours especially in small vehicles. The buses and big trucks are still not able to make it south from the border to Ensenada.

The Federales did feel it would be open later this evening via detours and therfore expect a slow trip down to Ensenada. They really recommned people to wait a day or so before trying to pass these areas and it is still raining in Guerro Negro at the Baja/ Baja Sur border in the middle of the pennisula so driving all the way south can be difficult at ths time...

Wait and be safe and sure....

Baja roads still closed in Northern Baja

2010-01-26T10:27:00.003-07:00

I just checked with the Federales del Caminos (Highway Patrol) and they say the roads from Ensenada to Tijuana and Tecate are still out. There are ways around but they do not suggest anyone try to use these detours especially in small vehicles. The buses and big trucks are still not able to make it south from the border to Ensenada.

The Federales did feel it would be open later this evening via detours and therfore expect a slow trip down to Ensenada. They really recommned people to wait a day or so before trying to pass these areas and it is still raining in Guerro Negro at the Baja/ Baja Sur border in the middle of the pennisula so driving all the way south can be difficult at ths time...

Wait and be safe and sure....

Tecate, Baja California and South road report

2008-11-21T13:28:00.002-07:00

This road report for those that like to cross at Tecate Baja Calfornia has just been sent to us at info@bajainsider.com To recieve our regular BajaInsider updates just subcribe by clicking here.

Also be sure you have the proper auto insurance. You may click here to purchase online and here is the following report from Earl Smith:

This road report will update the one from October 19 for those of us who prefer to cross at Tecate. On Nov.14 we made the run from Yuma to Rancho Sordo Mudo in one day without incident . The RV park was empty.
South of Guadeloupe we encountered the same road construction starting near Chivato and lasting all the way to El Sauzal. There was no problem and only one delay. However there is one curving stretch down a slightly steep hill that could present a problem for folks travelling north especially in a large RV.

The RV park at El Pabellon was empty.

The bridge construction reported at km40 south of El Pabellon is proceeding and there were still no problems getting around the detour.
Just pass this point however the road starts up the steep winding hill to the Mesa El Rosario and topping out at the military check point..
This is torn up and has a gravel surface. Because we had to slow for the construction, gravel and steep curves we had to drop into first gear
to get over. Our V10 almost didn't make it. Our friends had to go
into four wheel drive.

From there the road was alternately the same as always or resurfaced and widened in stretches. The gas pump at the Catavina Desert Inn is still not used. Only one other rig at Rancho Santa Inez The highway is as described in the previous article all the way to Guerrero Negro where we have had to stop to have the engine repaired

Earl Smith experienced Baja Driver

Baja Transpenisular Hwy1 CAUTION

2008-10-30T18:35:00.002-06:00

This report just in from a concerned reader of ours who just drove down the Baja Highway to just southof La Paz. He has very strong caution for those with extra wide trailers..

URGENT WARNING for wide trailers… I just arrived LaVentana 10/26 via Highway 1. I hauled my wide trailer. Wider than a full size pick up truck. If your boat trailer, trailer, or vehicle is extra wide I would not drive it down south right now.

Where they are doing the new construction and really widening the road an hour north of cativina it is not safe to go southbound there with a wide trailer. They have the road torn up and two full size vehicles can not pass opposite directions at the same time in 3-4 different stretches. It is broken into the road enough that if you meet a bus or semi you just lost your vehicles and possibly life. I made it by going 5 mph and stopping. So it is the ultimate roulette. Not worth it….

I would not allow any friend to drive a wide vehicle/trailer on this stretch what so ever… cars and trucks are absolutely fine, just some white knuckles, as a stretch of a quarter mile there was a 3-5 foot sheer dropoff as they removed the road to the west side completely. I do not know if it was just the weekend or what but it was a Saturday and there was no work being done on this section. I highly recommend people post updates to this construction progress for travelers with wide trailers safety… Other than that only one issue just south of lorretto in the mountains a part of the road missing, but was well marked when I went by. Two large vehicles can not fit there either, but jut one spot. Dean

Post Hurricane Norbert Road report for Baja

2008-10-18T11:31:00.003-06:00

This road report just submitted to us from one of our readers, Lorne Reiter, who just drove down the entire transpenisular highway 1 of Baja California. Her report follows as she wrote it:

Norbert had little effect on the transpeninsular highway. Aside from the usual rock falls south of Loreto that have already been cleaned up and a couple of minor construction washouts leading onto the two bridges east of Insurgentes, Norbert's visit did little damage to the highway.
Our trip from San Diego to San Jose del Cabo took two days, starting Tuesday Oct 14. We stayed overnight in Guerrerro Negro and the hotel was nearly empty. Traffic was thin compared to other years. The beaches south of Mulege were empty...first time I have seen that in many years!
There is road widening and resurfacing north of Catavina and again north of Loreto with possible delays for single lane traffic. Constitucion is limited to one lane each way as the main highway in town is being rebuilt. Other than these three projects the highway is better than ever.

Lorne we really appreciate submissions such as yours as many people are preparing to drive the baja and have been asking about the road conditions.

People you may also want to suscribe to our updates so that you regulay will be infromed as to what the roads, weather, fishing and other reports contain.

Thank you again for helping us have more up todate information concerning traveling Baja!

Major Baja Border Crossing Expansioned planned

2008-02-28T10:18:00.002-07:00

New Baja Border Crossing expansion Plans

Published in The San Diego Union-Tribune

Big expansion ahead at border entry

Plans aim to ease wait and increase security

By Janine Zúñiga
STAFF WRITER

February 27, 2008

Federal officials are planning a major expansion of the San Ysidro port of entry to accommodate the growing number of travelers – more than 50,000 vehicles and 25,000 pedestrians daily – heading into the United States.

Graphic:Here is the planned expansion of the Baja border

San Ysidro Port of Entry redesign
Construction may begin this summer on the $577 million project that will increase the number of lanes in each direction and realign southbound lanes. The project will include larger, more sophisticated administration buildings, as well as primary and secondary inspection areas.

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, who has lobbied state and federal officials for the project's funding since taking office, said yesterday the expansion is “critically important to our region's future economic health.”

“We need to move this project forward,” said Sanders, speaking at the border.

Developments

Background: To improve security and reduce border waiting, the General Services Administration is working on a $577 million expansion of the San Ysidro port of entry.

What's happening: The port will be demolished in phases and rebuilt to accommodate the latest security and anti-terrorism advancements. The GSA plans to expand the number of northbound gates from 24 to at least 31. Completion is expected by 2014.
The General Services Administration, which manages federal government real estate, is working on architectural and engineering designs, and on an environmental review. The expansion plan is the GSA's largest border-crossing project.

“It's going to be an incredible landmark,” said GSA Administrator Lurita Doan. “Given how many people come through the port of entry, it will be a chance for us to show them something really amazing.”

Doan saidthefunding is on track. Congress has approved $231 million since 2004, including $197 million in the 2008 budget. An additional $59 million is proposed for next year.

The number of vehicles crossing the border is expected to increase by up to 70 percent by 2030, according to a San Diego Association of Governments study. San Diego County loses nearly $1.3 billion in potential revenue each year from people who don't cross the border because of bottlenecks, another SANDAG study found.

“Quite simply, we need a border wait time of 15 to 30 minutes, and the technology to keep us well within that range,” said Jason Wells, executive director of the San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce.

Wells organized the Smart Border Coalition, an association of business and community groups whose members were concerned when plans included the loss of private property. GSA has since reduced the amount of land it planned to take.

Ramon Riesgo, who heads the GSA's National Border Station Program, said another recent coalition-inspired change to the project was the addition to the draft design of a second pedestrian entry to Mexico east of Interstate 5. Currently, pedestrians enter only on the west side.

Wells said border businesses live or die based on waits at one of the world's busiest land-border crossings. He said businesses countrywide depend on partners, employees and customers south of the border.

Due to prior expansions and renovations at the 32-year-old border crossing, inspection areas and offices are next to a busy pedestrian bridge. Holding cells and areas for confiscated drugs are next to rooms for travelers awaiting documents.

Plans call for the expanded port to cover 225,000 square feet of federal land, and several privately owned parking lots and a duty-free store. The government may take the land, but Riesgo said GSA officials are talking with the land owners. The duty-free store may be relocated to nearby property.

An expanded southbound I-5 will veer west just before the border then south to an area at the border used in the past for commercial inspections.

Sanders said yesterday that Mexican officials are working with U.S. counterparts to accommodate the new crossing.

The project's first phase includes acquiring property and construction of northbound lanes. A second phase includes northbound inspection buildings, and a third phase includes the southbound roadway and renovation of a 1930s port building.

Once the design and environmental review are completed, GSA will seek development proposals. The port will remain open during construction.

Tourist Violence in Baja California (Norte)

2007-12-04T18:03:00.000-07:00

Violence in Baja California (Norte)
BajaInsider.com

There are well publicized reports of violence against travelers in Baja California (Norte) including robbery, assault and kidnapping. Attacks mostly occurred at night in remote locations, but at least one attack was reported to be brazen. Travelers should take precautions and not camp in isolated areas and not travel at night. Traveling in convoy with others could be helpful. North American travelers are often spoiled by the security of our State and National Parks and Forests, but US parks have security for a reason. Even with this security acts of violence occur in US parks as well.

This is not to diminish the situation. I have traveled worldwide for many years and there are few countries where I would camp in remote rural areas and not expect trouble. At this time the state of Baja California (norte) is no exception. Even experienced Baja travelers should elevate their level of awareness.

This week the Sud Californiano announced that at least one of the described attackers had been apprehended red handed with the weapon he was alleged to have used in previous attacks. There may still be others at large. Reports in North American press allege local authorities did not take this issue on promptly but now appear to be treating the situation with priority.

None of these attacks have occurred in Baja California Sur.

It is important to remember that bringing a firearm to Mexico to protect yourself IS NOT AN OPTION. Should the weapon be discovered in one of many possible military searches you are very likely to spend time in a Mexican prison. Should you be so misfortunate as to have to USE the illegal weapon to defend yourself and someone is injured you will almost certainly be looking at several YEARS in a Mexican prison.

Baja California Sur road update

2007-12-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

Please be advised that the road headed north of Cabo San Lucas towards Todos Santos is under construction and has large delays many times as you are entering the city from the North. Be advised this can add a half hour or more to your trips from Cabo to La Paz or of course the other direction as well.

The largest portion of this construction is located from the Transito (Police) station 3 miles north of downtown Cabo and continues to the Soriannas just entering the main part of Cabo San Lucas Baja California Sur.

Not much any of us can do about it other than plan for it. There will four lanes with new laterals for turning off on when they are finally finished hopefully soon.

2007-09-06T16:06:00.003-06:00

September 6, 2007Cabo San Lucas to TijuanaVarious Insider Readers
Roads in Baja Sur appear to have suffered little from the passage of Hurricane Henriette. We have not yet received detailed road reports from readers, but here is what we have learned so far.
Highway 1 - La Paz to East Cape is open and passable in a car. There are many places where debris has washed into the road and a couple of vados that must be forded. The construction around the bridge work is the most difficult, mud and tire ruts. This was being worked on when we passed.
La Paz to Cabo San Lucas via Highway 19 (Todos Santos) Now open, there were some closures initially at the Bordo in La Paz due to flooding. This is now open. (They are currently constructing a bridge to remedy this problem) Some wash into the road in several places. Road crews are on it.
Puerto Los Cabos is cut off, dur to flooding of the crossing.
La Paz to Pichilingue - Some washouts near Balandra - watch the shoulder!
La Paz to La Ventana - No Report
La Paz to Constitucion - Cars were being escorted across 2' of water yesterday near the la Paz Airport, only the boldest of drivers crossed. This section is open today. Much debris on the roadway. Large sharp rocks took out one Insider's tire. Road is OK all the way to Constitucion.
Constitucion to Loreto - Sketch reports coming to us, one report says roads are passable, another thought no.. Some flooding around Constitucion.
Loreto to Santa Rosalia - No Report
Santa Rosalia to San Diego - No problems.

2007-09-06T16:04:00.000-06:00

September 6, 2007Cabo San Lucas to TijuanaVarious Insider Readers
Roads in Baja Sur appear to have suffered little from the passage of Hurricane Henriette. We have not yet received detailed road reports from readers, but here is what we have learned so far.
Highway 1 - La Paz to East Cape is open and passable in a car. There are many places where debris has washed into the road and a couple of vados that must be forded. The construction around the bridge work is the most difficult, mud and tire ruts. This was being worked on when we passed.
La Paz to Cabo San Lucas via Highway 19 (Todos Santos) Now open, there were some closures initially at the Bordo in La Paz due to flooding. This is now open. (They are currently constructing a bridge to remedy this problem) Some wash into the road in several places. Road crews are on it.
La Paz to La Ventana - No Report
Puerto Los Cabos in San Jose del Cabo is cut off due to flooding.
La Paz to Pichilingue - Some washouts near Balandra - watch the shoulder!
La Paz to Constitucion - Cars were being escorted across 2' of water yesterday near the la Paz Airport, only the boldest of drivers crossed. This section is open today. Much debris on the roadway. Large sharp rocks took out one Insider's tire. Road is OK all the way to Constitucion.
Constitucion to Loreto - Sketch reports coming to us, one report says roads are passable, another thought no.. Some flooding around Constitucion.
Loreto to Santa Rosalia - No Report
Santa Rosalia to San Diego - No problems.

Baja Californa Road Report

2007-07-15T12:50:00.000-06:00

July 14, 2007Hwy 1/19 La Paz to Los CabosBaja Insider
The four lane expansion continues between La Paz and Cabo San Lucas along Hwy 1 and Hwy 19 along the Pacific Coast route of the Baja Sur loop. Four nicely paved lanes now are complete from La Paz to the 1/19 Y. The exception is a new bridge over the vado just about 1 mile north of the Y.
The bridge construction of the piles has been completed and crews are now working just south of the roadway, prefabricating the beams for the bridge. The pieces will later be moved into place by cranes. A similar process is underway right within the pueblo of San Pedro. San Pedro used to be a series of speed bumps on the road to Todos Santos from La Paz. Pottery shops, roadside tacos, locals selling pitayas or queso are common and little tiendas lined the highway for not much more than a mile. I think when the four lane is completed it will alter the face of San Pedro into a place where dust collects from fast passing cars.
Another significant challenge to La Paz/Cabo driving is a construction of a new bridge at the Bordo Vado on Calle Forjadores (Hwy 1) just meters south of the cutoff for Pichilingue. They have already paved the by-pass to which traffic will be diverted shortly. The vado is nearly a Km wide and ALL commercial traffic and a majority of all traffic bound for the rest of Baja Sur will have to cross this detour then enter a traffic signal that is already congested.
For more information on how to purchase & print Mexican auto insurance online, please click here to visit Adventure Mexican Insurance Services at or click here for phone contact information.
Speaking of paving, they are resurfacing Hwy 19 between Cerritos and Cabo San Lucas. Three years ago this section was resurfaced with what I call the 'rice krispy cookie' technique, were aggregate is laid down, then tar applied and the process repeated. That section of highway was under construction for months. It also proved not very durable under the heavy traffic and high heat of that section of roadway. Everything consumed in Los Cabos travels that road. This time a paving machine is laying beautiful asphalt surface at the rate of about a 2 feet a minute. The road crews of closed 1 of two lanes for what seemed to be an inordinate distance of about 3 miles. Traffic is held in one direction for up to 15 minutes. Quite a line can build up in that time ad this can be particularly difficult in the southbound direction in which all the trucks are full. The 30 mph crawl that the pack is reduced to can often be reduced further when there are several heavy trucks in your convoy.

Construction on the 4 lane has begun from Todos Santo northward. Along the south side of the road clearing has begun. Unfortunately, one of the most ill-conceived Pemex stations has been constructed on the outskirts of Todos Santos. The new station is located on the headwaters of the freshwater feed to the city below. All gas stations leak, at very least from their parking apron. To add insult to injury here, the construction company pushed the building trash into the marsh are RIGHT ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD in plain view. That's OK Pemex, there is lots of clean fresh water here in Baja Sur!

Click here for Phone Contact Information for Adventure Auto Insurance

In the middle of the stretch from the Y to Todos Santos is a restaurant named Bugunbillia and a cluster of homes. In this area the 4 lane work is in process as well and there is a detour off the road during weekdays of about 2-3km. This is driving over graded desert. There are places that will become quickly impassable when it rains, even a little Traffic is slow and the dust is high.
I have been driving the Baja Sur Loop back and forth to Cabo now for 6 years. There have always been a limited number of places to pass and fewer that many drivers would call safe. Over the years I have memorized al of these places and strategically plan my moves around convoys of trucks. on this last trip, so much traffic is using this road in the other lane, those rare passing locations often have on-coming traffic. Although the 4 lane construction is going to be much more painful before it gets better, it is sorely needed.

For years, the 1/19 route was faster for La Paz travelers to get to the San Jose del Cabo Airport. Today, With the increased traffic, construction and that southbound trucks are laden, I found the Hwy 1 route along East Cape, although longer, took exactly the same amount of time as the Pacific route. Northbound, Hwy 1/19 is still a few about 15 minutes shorter.

Drive sober, drive safe - try not to drive at sunset and after dark. Much Ojo!

Tijuana to La Paz March 10, 2007

2007-03-22T00:53:00.001-06:00

Baja Road Report Tijuana to La Paz March 10, 2007

Looking north over the quiet little town of Santa Rosalia

March 10, 2007
TJ to La Paz
Robert
Veteran Baja Driver

The transpeninsular highway has never been in better shape! I crossed the border at San Ysidro in the predawn hours and was waved through Customs, despite having tripped a red light.

Traffic was light until I was on the south side of Ensenada – it must have been Friday rush hour! From Ensenada to Colnet, truck traffic kept me below the posted limits most of the way. It is incredible how much areas like San Quentin and Colnet have grown!

Need Mexican Auto Insurance? Click here for an instant quote or print your policy online NOW!

The military check point north of El Rosario was already busy at 11AM, with about 15 cars waiting for northbound

Santa Rosita, south of Ensenada has nearly doubled in size in the last few years.

inspection. This was the only checkpoint that even bothered to open the rear hatch of my car and take a cursorily look through my belongings. Northbound travelers seemed to be getting a pretty good going over through.

The trip through the high desert was lovely, very green and the Boojums are in great spring form. Watch for the speed trap in Catavina. Even the Semi's were going through the area at a crawl. There is the reoccurring pot hole in the south bound lane in the vado on the south side of Catavina.

There was virtually nothing to report the rest of the the first day, in Baja California. we crossed into Baja Sur around sunset and stayed in Guerreo Negro. At the immigration Station we were asked for our travel papers but the car was neither searched or sprayed.

A Columbia Exports truck winds it's way up the steep grade south of Ensenada

We left about 9AM, after the fog lifted in Guerreo Negro and made good time on the long straight-aways toward San Ignacio. There were some rough spots in the road for the fist 80 miles, but nothing drastic.

In San Ignacio a truck carrying chicken crates had lost part of it's load right at the main intersection where you turn off Hwy one to go to town. There were a few chickens running about, but there didn't seem to be enough to have filled the cages dumped in the road. Perhaps Chicken was on the menu at several additional homes in S. I. that night!

As we got closer to Santa Rosalia there were still some warning markers for hurricane road damage. It seemed that most of them were false alarms, as any damage we saw and already been repaired.

A bridge is under construction at the canyon north of Cuesta del Infierno

Just north of Cuesta del Infierno, (the long steep hill, just north of Santa Rosalia) there is a dramatic vado that the highway has wound through for years. There are always a few wrecked cars at the bottom, those that failed to negotiate the sharp curves and drop-offs of this road hazard. Now they are building a bridge across it that will make the roadway flat and straight from one side of the canyon to the other. Having driven this road for years, I think it will take away some of the charm though.

Mulege still showed debris lining the riverbed, but nothing like we had expected.

South bound at Cuesta del Infierno homeward bound travelers get their reassuring first glimpses of the Sea of Cortez

Closer to Loreto there was more evidence of road repairs and just one dip about 2km south of Loreto that rattled my teeth a little. Could be much worse pulling a trailer.

Just north of the CD Insergents intersection they are rebuilding a bridge. It's a short detour that slows you down to a crawl for a few hundred yards.

It was clear sailing from there to La Paz, with the exception of the traditional road damage near Santa Rita. One vado made the car bottom out at 50mph - Ooops!

In the entire trip we saw 1 Federal Hwy patrol car and one Green Angel (Hwy rescue) which is fewer than I have EVER seen.

Looking north along the main boulevard in CD Constitucion

We saw quite a few US license plates driving south and met some great people at our rest stops. Truck traffic seemed light, but our second day was a Saturday. We had just one run in with a small caravan of RV'ers headed south. They seemed to feel it was an affront to their manhood to be passed, despite the fact they could barely maintain 40mph on some of the grades. Please guys it has nothing to do with size - it's how fast you can drag it!

Overall, it was probably one of the smoothest trips I have made in 8 years. Our total 'on the road time' was 22hrs and 15 minutes, from the border to our home in La Paz.

Happy (and safe) Trails all!

Detailed Baja Road Report La Paz to Otay Mesa January 4, 2007

2007-03-22T00:51:00.000-06:00

Detailed Baja Road Report La Paz to Otay Mesa January 4, 2007

Looking north over the quiet little town of Santa Rosalia

January 3-4, 2007
La Paz to Otay Mesa - Detailed Report
Tom Zyber - Co-Publisher BajaInsider
Veteran Baja Driver

Making time on the northbound straight-aways outside La Paz

On January 3 and 4, 2007 I drove from La Paz to San Diego. Since most of our readers are traveling north to south and this report is written from south to north, you will have to read this road report in a mirror. (Those that get the joke are safe to operate a motor vehicle.)

08:10AM MST With a full tank of gas and clear blue skies I left La Paz for Guerreo Negro, the first leg of a two day drive to San Diego. The first military check point just north of La Paz involved a few questions as to the intent of my trip and a peak in the windows.

KM 77 north of La Paz there is damage to the road in a vado. The warnings for this area of broken pavement was limited to one set of black and orange hazard markers. The washout is short and passable but is particularly rough in the north bound lane.

Just north of El Cien there is (Km100 north of La Paz for those that don't know why it's called El Cien) there is a minor washout in a vado, rough pavement for about 20 feet.

Road reports are all provided for us by our readers. If you are driving Baja please take notes and submit your report here.

Click here to submit YOUR Baja Road Report

Help make Baja roadways
safer for all!

North of Insergentes, just south of KM18 near the turn off for Ejido #1, there is some bridge repair underway. A short patch of rough road is the result of damage from Hurricane John.

Just north of Nopalo (near Loreto) less than 0.5km from the entrance to Loreto Bay there there is a washout and rough road in a vado.

11:42AM - Past through Loreto, 227 miles north of La Paz.

The road repairs near Loreto are clearly marked in most cases. The repairs seem nearly complete

Km 27 north of Loreto and just north of my second military checkpoint there is a washout that has been completely repaired. Large spools of fiber optic cable are on the sides of the road indicating this may have been one of the locations that caused two days of internet service interruption following Hurricane John. At the checkpoint I was required to open all my doors, my glove box and my hard computer case before being wished a safe journey.

35Km north of Loreto there is a well marked washout that has had limited attention. There are a couple of significant pot holes in the dirt repair that over about 25mph in a car and 15 in an RV would bang your head against the roof and certainly startle the undercarriage of your vehicle. The shoulders are steep here and there is no getting around this bump.

Km 120 south of Mulege there is bridge repair nearing completion. However, at both ends of the bridge are some significant bumps where it rejoins the highway at both the north and south ends.

There is one small bridge south of Loreto still under repair.

In Mulege there is still evidence of the high waters which roared through the town following Hurricane Johns 20"+ inches of rain. The roadways are unblemished but down in the river bed there is still debris, trees and some silt indicating the ferocity of the flood waters. There are also several buildings which remain unrepaired and uninhabitable. The roadway along the river on the south side has been rebuilt. I had driven that side road some years previously and the repairs I am sure were welcomed by the locales. Overall, I was impressed with the return to normalcy that the Mulege residents had achieved.

Km157 north of Mulege a damaged vado has been completely repaired but the warning signs are still present.

From Km 160 to 157 there are several vados that sustained Hurricane damage. All are well marked with the orange and black warning signs most have been repaired. One close to KM159 however, is still quite a jolt at 50mph and you come up on it very quickly. There was about a 12' section of dirt with some nasty potholes in it.

Campers along the Sea of Cortez enjoy a rapidly vanishing way of Baja Life.

Just around the bend south of Santa Rosalia there are signs of obvious washouts from the hurricane and another couple of spools of replacement fiber optic cable. The roadway has been completely repaired.

Just a few minutes north of Santa Rosalia was my third military checkpoint. Southbound cars were being waved through while northbound cars received a moderate inspection.

Rough road, apparently where the last resurfacing of the highway had better luck sticking to passing tires than to the previous roadway, there is some very rough pavement that began around KM126 south of Guerreo Negro and continued off and on all the way to the Baja Sur/Baja California border. Some of the road damage consisted of groves in the new pavement about 4" deep and can really toss you around, particularly if you are hauling a trailer.

Rossy's Disco, north of Guerrero Negro is huge. If everyone for 100 miles came, it would still feel empty!

4:10PM After almost exact 8 hrs on the road and 489 miles north of La Paz I arrived in Guerreo Negro, where I called it an early day. I regularly stay at the Motel Ballena. The place is certainly not for the resort crowd but the rooms are always clean and I have always been able to enjoy a hot shower at the end of a day of driving. You can park inside the compound right in front of your room, even if you are driving a smaller RV or towing a small trailer, your vehicle can be within ear shot of your room. I have never had any problems in Guerreo Negro, but the security of having my loaded car close to the room lends serenity to my nights sleep.

6AM Wednesday - Woke up early to get a head start on the days traffic - sleep in folks! At this time of year particularly, the fog was thick as pea soup that early in the morning. Remember to only use your low beams in the fog, but for the first hour I was driving less than 40mph with my four way flashers on. It was some of the densest fog I have ever encountered.

First light through the Yucca north of Guerrero Negro

At the Baja Sur/Baja California border it was too cold and damp for the station guard to come and inspect me, I was waved through.

Some of the driest desert exists just north of Guerrero Negro.

After the sun came up around 7, the fog lifted fairly quickly. By 7:30 I was ascending into the Valle de los Cirios nature reserve and the fog was left behind. It was a beautiful morning in the desert. A full moon had been the night before and was just setting as the sun rose, golden over the Boojum, century plants and elephant trees. It would appear the state has seeded purple and yellow wild flowers along the shoulder of the road in Baja California.

Much to my chagrin on this trip I passed more than 8 convoys of heavy equipment on flatbed trucks headed south, undoubtedly to increase the pace of development in Baja Sur. They seemed to travel in packs of 2 or 3 laden flatbeds, with the required lead and chase cars with flashers. On long up-hills these convoys may prove more annoying on my return southbound trip.

A Boojum tree in Valle de los Cieros nature reserve

Just south of Nuevo Rosario, in a short and sheltered valley, is perhaps the best stand of Boojum trees visible from the road on the entire drive. Now, looking across these spinney trees that look and sound like something invented by Dr. Suess you would probably hesitate to call it a 'forest'. But just imagine how dense the foliage would be if all of these spires contained the bushy foliage that we, as North Americans are use to.

127-120 south of Puenta Prieta there is a series of curvy vados. The fog that I had experienced earlier in the day remained in the deep pockets and reduced my speed for about 4 miles.

For those of you who haven't traveled the road for some time, there is STILL no gas at Puenta Prieta, the turn off for Bahia de Los Angeles.

My 5th military check point was just south of Catavina. It was a moderate search, where I had to open all my doors and allow them to open my hard computer case, which somewhat resembles a gun case. They were polite and quick and I was on my way

This is the one stretch of Baja driving that you need to be aware of your gas gauge. The last gas northbound is about 45 minutes north of G.N. and the next Pemex station is located in El Rosario, when you emerge on the Pacific coast. If you need emergency gas, there is often a guy selling gas from the back of his truck in Catavina at 2X the pump price. Pemex is building a mini station across the street from this entrepreneur at the La Pinta Hotel, so he will probably be looking for other work by the end of the season.

The urban area of San Quentin now stretches almost 14 miles along hwy 1.

Do watch your speed limit in Catavina. I spotted the local Barney Fife eagerly anticipating his next victim in the 20mph speed zone. For those who aren't aware he IS authorized to issue you an expensive little ticket for your infraction. If you notice as you are entering the pueblo there is a little sign which indicates the end of the federal highway! The federal highway resumes on the opposite end of town.

As far as road conditions, from this point north to TJ, there is nothing worth mentioning as far as road damage.

The first of the most significant military checks occurred at a permanent and well groomed checkpoint north of El Rosario. When I arrived there were about 10 cars in line to be searched and two trucks in the truck lane. Quarter panels were tapped, mirrors under the vehicles and complete checks of the baggage were performed. I was delayed more than 40 minutes at this stop. All bags were removed from the buses and searched. A small tanker truck which looked like a septic pump truck was probed with a long pole looking for false bottoms. (not my kinda work for sure!) Southbound vehicles were backed up about 5-7 deep, waiting for their inspection. Southbound inspections are usually lighter than north bound. (who in their right mind smuggles drugs INTO Baja Sur) By the time I left there were more than 20 cars waiting for northbound inspection.

MILES of greenhouses and truck traffic stretch from San Quentin all the way to where the road leaves the Pacific north of El Rosario

I have not driven the full length of the peninsula in about two years. I was stunned by the increase in traffic in both directions from just north of El Rosario, where the highway becomes within sight of the Pacific all the way to Colnet. Miles of new commercial greenhouses line both sides of Hwy 1, many were still under construction. From passing it seemed that some were cultivating roses while others were filled with strawberries. Truck traffic became heavy in both directions allowing little time to pass the herd in front of you, even in those legitimate spots. San Quentin has grown to more than 18km of traffic and stop lights. My average speed for more than an hour was about 40mph.

My final military checkpoint in Mexico was just north of Santo Tomas. These guys were almost as through as the guys at El Rosario. The delay was significantly less however.

Traffic continued heavy all the way north to the four lane of Ensenada. I was again amazed at the growth in that area. Ensenada now extends almost all the way south to the grade up into the mountains around Km42.

The 90ft tall Jesus overlooks the Pacific north of Ensenada. His twin brother adorns the hwy near TJ as well.

Usually I route through Tecate and enjoy a leisurely drive through the Baja Wine Country. The delay is usually less at Tecate but the drive back down to the 8 freeway usually absorbs just about as much time as you save. Instead, I selected to cross at Otay Mesa. I arrive at the end of the line to cross about 4:30PM, my progress had been much slower on the second day.

I really detest the border wait and on arriving at the checkpoint some 110 minutes later I determine that the 2km I had just traveled personified all the worst attributes of southern California drivers; pushy, self impressed, impatient drivers (most with CA plates) switched lanes, blew horns and tried to jam past each other in an effort to rush their way through the check as if they were the most important client of the day. I was too tired to criss-cross my from lane to lane in an attempt to get a car or two ahead. I made note of those cars around me on my arrival and for all their lane changing, cussing and near fender benders all of us cleared to the US side within a car or two of each other.

6:15PM PST I arrived at my destination in Point Loma 13+ hours after my wheels began rolling that morning. My total drive time was 21hrs 8 minutes and I had covered 1067 miles from Marina Costa Baja in La Paz to my destination. I took a bunch of pictures for you on the way, but unfortunately, left the download cable in my car when I caught my flight to the east coast the next morning. I'll be returning to La Paz the end of next week so look for pictures and south bound update on the 15th of January.

Baja Road Tip - Pemex Scams

2007-03-22T00:30:00.001-06:00

Baja Road Tip - Pemex Scams

The latest reports of road conditions and driving conditions along Mexico's Hwy 1 through Baja California.

March 15, 2007
Baja Road Tip
Marilynn

The largest of the Tres Virgines peaks north of Loreto, volcanic activity has made this area a research station for geothermal power generation.

Today, my husband took our little Baja bug to the Pemex gas station here in San Jose del Cabo. He requested to have the tank filled. We have seen the old scam, where they do not clear the pumps before filling your tank. That was the first thing the attendant tried. Then he filled the tank, it came to about 23.05 liters and an even $150 pesos.

The attendant came around to the drivers window, he had a calculator with 230 on the screen and shoved it in his face. My husband said, no 150 pesos. He handed the attendant two 100 peso bills. The next attempt to get more money was to hand him four 5 peso coins as change. So, my husband said no, no 50 pesos and started to get out, at that point the attendant reached into his pocket and produced a 50 peso bill. The wise driver always makes certain the gas pump has been cleared, watches the numbers on the pump for both the liters and the price.

It is also a wise idea to simply get out of the car, stand by the pump and if you have a locking cap to unlock it yourself. For those who are tourists, take the time to understand the peso. It is really not difficult and it can save you from a simple scam. Most Mexicans are delightful people and very helpful. However, always having a watchful eye can help to make your visit memorable.

Need Mexican Auto Insurance?
Click here for an instant quote or print your policy online NOW!

Lates report of highway from Border to San Jose del Cabo

2006-12-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

There were several washouts along the way and some road work. Most was well marked. There were two hazardous spots. The first was about 20 to 25 miles north of Santa Rosalia. Anyone who knows the Baja knows that often the road is very steep and windy with high cliffs all around. We went around one curve and found there were very large boulders on the road making it very narrow. Two cars passing each other might collide. The other spot was about 20 miles north of Mulege. Again most of the washouts are marked. We went down a vado (dip in the road) and hit hard on a very rough washout. Fortunately we did not need the tire store that was just ahead on the right. Our truck is older and sturdy and we were fine.

The road to Bahia de Los Angeles is excellent. No more wash board road here. The have even paved turnouts for slower cars to safely move aside (wish they would). This was a beautiful and pleasant drive, very few cars along the way. Two things to be aware of, a local motel owners wife was shot and killed on this road. They had left very eary in the morning for a shopping trip and were fleein as they were being shot at in their vehicle. The word is do not leave really early, wait til say 7,30 or so. The other thing to watch are the animals. If we had not been alert and seen a cow munching along the road we would have hit it. We slowed and it walked out right in front of us. The cowboy was there, but the cow went anyway.

The road down the Baja is becoming increasingly busy. Especially the semi trucks and often when you are passing they do not move over well to let you by. Watch out and try to wait until you are certain it is safe to pass. Also there are still animals in the road. We came upon about 5 buzzrds, eating on the road. There we a large semi right on out tail, like in tailgating. We could not slow down and hit one large bird right in the ass. Our left marker light is now loose and we have no turn signals, otherwise all is fine.

The drive this season was very green and very beautiful. Remember this is a narrow 2 lane road, be cautious.

Marilynn

2006-09-22T16:00:00.000-06:00

We drove south from San Diego to La Paz on September 19th, following the passage of Hurricane John. The effects of the rain were evident from the turn of to Punta Abreojos South, the desert is amazingly green. About 5 miles south of Vizcaino there is road work and resurfacing for about 7 miles. Vado Lester, 48K north of Santa Rosalia the road is washed out very badly. All the way down Cerro del Infierno there are rocks slides into the road. Once you enter Santa Rosalia, take it slow, there are washes into the road from many side roads and vados.

In the entire coastal section from Santa Rosalia to north of Insurgentes we recommend NO night driving. There are severe washouts in many vados, and chunks missing from the side of the road that you could not possibly see at night. Road repairs are going on throughout this section of highway and you may come upon slow moving trucks and work crews with little warning. Watch for orange and orange/black precaution signs – they mean it!

There are rocks slides all along the road from north of Santa Rosalia all the way south to the pass through the mountains north of CD Insergentes. The size of these rocks ranges from tire poppers to car stoppers. Also beware drivers in the opposite lane dodging problems in their lane,

Hwy 1 through Mulege was all right. From the bridge you can see down into the river bottom, the area was decimated.

North of Santispac the bridge is washed out and in the middle of being repaired. Slow down and beware. Watch for the signs. South of El Coyote Trailer park at the bottom of the hill the road is washed out. This one isn’t well marked so watch out. About 2km further south the problem repeats itself, another big washout.

South of El Requeson there are lots of rocks slides but they all seemed to be out of the roadway.

There are many washouts south of Mulege that are poorly marked watch for the orange and black striped markers and SLOW DOWN. (Insider Tip: Also watch for white painted rocks on the shoulder, when out of hwy cones, crews revert to this older form of Baja road communication) We saw some markers in the north bound lane that had been tipped over, hard to see them that way when the wind or a passing truck knocks them over.

There are bad washouts that were not well marked at 32km, 25km, and 16km north of Loreto. These are some pretty serious washouts and you come upon them very quickly. The rest of the way into Loreto there were lots of small washouts that were not well marked.

Leaving Loreto there are several major washouts and men and equipment in the roadway, making the repairs. There is a very big rock slide at the scenic overlook south of Loreto. There are three more washouts before Nopolo and three more before the Puerto Escondido turnoff.

After Ligui there is one bad washout that is not marked. Again, 65km, 46km and 16km there are washouts, four bad ones in all on the way to CD Insergentes.

South of Constitucion the road is washed out at Santa Rita. (for those of you who travel the hwy often, you know this area seems to wash out when we have a heavy dew)

About 112km north of La Paz there is bridge work, down to one lane. 103km north of La Paz and arroyo washed out the roadway and again 77km north of La Paz.

From there into La Paz it was pretty clear sailing. The entire roadway would be considered passable, with a few rough patches and detours along the way. Again, we stress avoid driving at night. The animals are finding the new grass growth along the roadside very attractive. In the evening they are often looking for water in the flooded vados and despite the infinite amount of desert where they could graze and drink safely they seem to find the roadside of particular interest.

TJ to La Paz

2006-09-21T12:44:00.000-06:00

I just arrived September 21 after a three day trip down to La Paz from Los Angeles. We crossed the border at Tecate. There was no line and I got the green light. After a night in Ensenada, we had a very pleasant ride to Guerrero Negro where we spent the second night. The following day, there were no problems at all getting to La Paz before dark. The landscape was extremely green and even damp looking. Many, many vados had patches of dirt or dirt and rock at the very lowest point. One had to slow down at the approach of each vado until one saw if it was all pavement or it was dirt and rock. Three small detours went around areas of road or small bridge that was being repaired.

11AM 09/06 From El Sargento

2006-09-06T11:29:00.000-06:00

We have received reports that many places in the road to La Ventana have been heavily damaged and the road MAY be impassible. We are waiting on further word and photos.

Baja Road Report 09/05/06

2006-09-06T11:15:00.000-06:00

We just got to San Jose del Cabo after a drive down from San Diego. Don't make this trip unless you absolutely have to. There are rock slides and washouts everywhere from Santa Rosalia south. (and one major rockslide north of S.R.) It looks as if Santa Rosalia has major damage from mud and rockslides, although Rt. 1 is passable through town. The square is covered with feet of mud and the benches are torn up and scattered on top...possibly 5 ft. high.>From there to Mulege the road is a mess and very slow going. Trailer trucks are stopped everywhere and the majority of vehicles getting through are SUV's and light trucks. Occasionally a small car will make it, but with a push now and then over some of the rock piles. Every vado is washed out, with only makeshift detours. We saw only one place where repairs were being made by a lone front-loader. Mulege was dark and filled with trucks, so we just drove through to Loreto. That trip was harrowing in the dark, but a few of the washouts had been marked, and cars kept an eye on each other. We also found soldiers at one point who hopped out of a truck to put up a better barracade at a washout. We got the last room in a little hotel in Loreto, and this morning the drive was much easier. There was more evidence of work being done on the roads, and much more equipment and manpower in use. After Ciudad Constitución there was no highway damage until the road from Todos Santos to Cabo, where there were a couple of small washouts. The amazing thing was that yesterday no one knew anything about the condition of the roads in front of us. Only one soldier at a checkpoint warned us of the rockslide before Santa Rosalia; other than that no police officer, soldier, or gas station attendant had any idea if we could get through or not. It was only the fact that cars were driving toward us on the roads that led us to think we might get through. This morning in Ciudad Constitución a station attendant told us the road to La Paz was passable.Fortunately, trucks are getting through from La Paz south. I don't know how long it will be before Mulege is going to get supplies, there are just so many places that are impassable for trucks on both sides of the city.Pray for all of the road workers, electrical line workers, police, and soldiers. They are so overworked and the job ahead is huge. They are earning their pay this week.

Tropical Storm Warnings for Baja Sur

2006-07-25T15:47:00.000-06:00

Information on Tropical Storm Emilia

3PM MDT 07/25/06 THE GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO HAS ISSUED A TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR THE COAST OF BAJA CALIFORNIA FROM BUENA VISTA TO BAHIA MAGDALENA.A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

03PM MDT 07/25/06 Tropical Storm Emilia is moving NNW just 155 miles SW of Cabo San Lucas. The storm is currently located near 21.8N 111.6W and is moving 340° at 11kts. Current estimated barometric pressure is 991mb and winds are 55-65kts, a tropical storm. Forecasts call for the storm to strengthen through the day today, and may verge on becoming a hurricane. By late tonight the storm should move over cooler waters and begin to degenerate.

Rain in Baja Sur is steady and widespread. Los Cabos is receiving rain and some wind. Scattered power outages have occurred. Roadways are wet and localized flooding may cause some secondary roads to become impassable. La Paz has received more than a inch and a half of steady rain since it began early Tuesday morning.

In Cabo San Lucas there has been intermittent rain and winds from Emilia since yesterday midday. It seems to hit hardest in Cabo Centro (downtown) with some mud and gravel being deposited on the main street along the Marina. People are already cleaning it up and they know there is more to come, but the merchants work hard to keep their stores clean and free of flooding.There are some roads that have gotten pretty messy from the lack of pavement and there is bound to be more as these squalls seem to keep coming. The surf is large and storm-like, so not good for swimming or surfing but the storm watching from the different bars and restaurants is really something to see. The temperatures are cool and with the just about continual breeze the humidity appears to be very low even though it is raining. Air conditioners are not really necessary, just a good fan or sit with a breeze and it is a very enjoyable climate.

So far the impact from Tropical Storm Emilia in Baja Sur has been limited to moderate rain and wind.

Baja Sur Transpenisular higway 19 being widened

2006-02-02T18:33:00.000-07:00

The Baja trans-peninsular highway is growing in Baja Sur. The Baja Sur loop highway 1 and then the part that is the pacific side Highway 19 are being expanded in width to handle all the new traffic.

From the capital city of Baja California Sur, La Paz headed south there is major construction going on to widen the highway. The government is working hard at creating new bridges as seen here north of the “Y” where highway 1 and 19 meet. The road widening project is being done in those areas that are most easily modified first. This means the highway immediately leaving La Paz, through the town of San Pedro and a major portion of highway 19 before Todos Santos are already under construction.

Also south of Todos Santos a few kilometers south near the town of Pescadero a major turn is being straightened and widened at the same time. You can see in these photos the work being done and the detours (desviación) that causing people to use dirt side roads to bypass the construction.

While the detours are fairly easy to see the transitions are a little abrupt when going form asphalt to the dirt. Also while at this turn in front of the Campo Experimental the construction detour is well lit. This is not the case in all the areas along the highway and many of the shoulders have very abrupt edges.

In other words drive slower and be aware that driving at night in these areas are a bit more hazardous that before. As in many things life, It must get worse before it gets better. Also keep in mind if there has been much rain as we had last week these detours do become a muddy mess quickly. The nice thing after the rains is the bypasses are very well compacted and not very dusty as the road workers continually spray the detours with water.

There are still many areas that will take a long time to be improved such as the area north of Cabo from the Migrino area all the way to Cabo. Because this area will require major blast and excavations it goes through some serious hills.

The widen areas will allow for much safer passing but as you get closer to Cabo expect possible delays if you get behind the big truck convoys bringing all the Pemex (gas), construction materials, foods and those Costco, Home Depot, City Club goodies to the booming community of Los Cabos.

Once again this is a case of things getting worse before they get better. Ah the price of living in a growing paradise. Just remember you are in Mexico where we take things a little easier and a little slower or it might just kill you literally as in the case of driving.

So remember Mucho OjO and have a fun safe trip, buen viaje!

Corridor between San Jose and Cabo has detour

2005-10-06T12:09:00.000-06:00

There is a detour at the Tule Bridge between Cabos San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo.

They are repairing the west bound lane and approach to the bridge which seems to falling away into the arroyo.

This could get alot worse considering we may have some more rains headed our way. Keep an eye on the tropical updates for the latest in storm development.
(Click here)

Expect some delays as the west boud traffic is detoured on to the east bound lane and the west bound traffic ( San Jose to Cabo) is forced on the old highway down in the arroyo.

Latest report for all of highway 1

2005-10-06T11:52:00.000-06:00

This is just in from one of our regular readers. So far so good.

HOLA-You asked for a road report. Road is fine all the way to Pescadero ( just north of Cabo San Lucas). "A little water and blowing sand, but no big thing. Gary "

Do keep an eye on our www.bajainsider.com updates ( click here to sign up) as there is yet another massive storm brewing a fair ways to the south but we may get some more rains soon.

Buen viaje y "Ojo mucho OjO" (Mexicans way of saying be careful and be aware)

Cabo Road Report Following Hurricane Otis

2005-10-01T13:56:00.000-06:00

This is a report for the Cabo area to let people who are traveling here that there has only been a minor amount of flooding. There are some washed out dirt streets in town but the majority of the town is already cleaned up and drying out.

As far as we currently know the higway to La Paz is open with little troubles.

Of course if anyone else has more of a report from anywhere in Baja please make a comment or seperate post

Safe travels and have a great day, JAG

Rains in Baja Sur

2005-09-30T09:17:00.000-06:00

It is Friday morning in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico and the last day of September and we are now having one of the first real rains of the rainy season here in Cabo. A little late in the season but we now have a category 1 hurricane, Otis off the coast. Please be sure check the Baja Insider Tropical watch to see how hurricane Otis is doing.

It is expected to make landfall in central Baja, Monday during the day. The road between Cabo and La Paz was fine yesterday with only one vado flooding last Monday, but now no telling what the roads conditions are presently.

Last week there was a pretty good dump in La Paz and so it is advised at this not to drive in Baja Sur unless necessary.
.
Please if you have any information concerning the roads anywhere in Baja California Sur please send us a report so that we may share with other travelers of Baja.

Be safe stay where you are unless it is really necessary to travel and be sure to carry food and water in case you are delayed by the Vados (river crossings) filling.

Baja Road Report

2005-08-14T11:58:00.000-06:00

We just drove to Chula Vista from La Paz a week ago. We had seven military stops. At four we waited in line only to be waived through. At three, we had to get out of the car while they searched it. They did not seem very interested in the luggage, though. The road was quite good except for a patch that was being resurface north of Loreto. We had to wait a half hour for the flag man to let us through. The cirios were blooming in the Valley of the Cirios and were quite lovely. We had an hour and 40 minute wait at Otay Mesa to cross the border.

Baja Highway road report 1st week august

2005-08-14T10:19:00.000-06:00

Baja Transpenisular Higway 1 Road Report. This just in from one of our readers. as you can see still not many chages but as we enter the rainy season it is a good idea to check back or sign up for updates on www.BajaInsider.com to keep abreast of the weather and road conditions.

Baja Transpenisular Higway 1 Road Report:

We just drove to Chula Vista from La Paz a week ago (1st week of August). We had seven military stops. At four we waited in line only to be waived through. At three, we had to get out of the car while they searched it. They did not seem very interested in the luggage, though.

The road was quite good except for a patch that was being resurface north of Loreto. We had to wait a half hour for the flag man to let us through. The cirios were blooming in the Valley of the Cirios and were quite lovely. We had an hour and 40 minute wait at Otay Mesa to cross the border.

June 14 Road Report - Speeding

2005-06-14T13:16:00.000-06:00

It would appear that the Federal Hwy police are getting very serious about speeding between La Paz and Cabo San Lucas. There have been two car policing this stretch of road for a long time - you could pretty much anticipate where to find them.

On a recent trip from La Paz to Cabo San Lucas 7 Federal Hwy Patrol cars were seen. They come in a variety of configurations too, from the Crown Victoria Intercepter to 4x4's and Pickups. It's very easy to come right up on one of these officers and not know it. Three cars were entirely black with just the Federal Hwy Police lettering front and back. The cars are equipped with video cameras and some have radar.

They patrol with good reason too. Overloaded trucks, cogestion caused by particularly slow drivers or a laden truck and the vast diversity of speed at which people travel this section of Hwy 1 has caused many accident.

So, keep it slower, 65mph seems to keep them happy. Remember, Mucho Ojo!

May 10th Road report

2005-05-15T17:02:00.000-06:00

Some friends of mine, Bruce and Debbie, just finished driving from Cabo San Lucas (Land’s End) to the border and they sent back a quick note concerning the condition of the Baja highway. “Construction on the two bridges on the road south of Constitución is getting close to being finished. We found Loreto to be very quiet as a lot of eating places closed even on a Saturday night.

Gas is only a problem if you are heading south and plan to go to Baha Los Angeles,no gas there but there is a guy selling at the turn off for 30 pesos a gallon which is not bad really.

Going over the border northbound, to Tecate through the Ruta de Vino was the way to go,(but mums the word (Insider information)) The signs coming into Tecate say USA stight ahead but when you get there you find you have to go up and around to the right to get on the right side of the homeland security barriers and then run parallel with border fence heading west and thro the massive gates. We had four cars in front of us, to cross the border, nice.”

That’s it. Not much to talk about but as Hurricane season is now upon us we hope that any last minute repairs and bridges are up before the real rains could come. Stay tuned for more updates as the road conditions change into the rainy season. Let us if you have any other Baja road reports you would like to add we would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks from www.bajainsider.com and www.loscabosinsider.com

New Emergency Numbers for Traveling Baja California

2005-04-14T10:49:00.000-06:00

New emergency number for Baja California (Norte)
In an emergency in Baja California all you have to do is remember the numbers 0-7-8 and you will connected to the Secretary of Tourism of Baja California ( Norte) with English speaking operators 24 hours a day. They can help with everything form auto accidents to medical emergencies including providing transportation to the border and Baja care will arrange for an ambulance on the north side of the border if necessary.

As far as Baja California Sur you will still want to dial 0-6-6 to reach emergency services and yes they too have English speaking operators 24 hours a day.

Have a great trip and remember when driving …Mucho OjO Much OjO

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Mexico -- Bus crash kills 20 in Baja California Sur

2005-04-08T19:18:00.000-06:00

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Mexico -- Bus crash kills 20 in Baja California Sur

Mucho Ojo folks! This tragic bus crash 4/7/05 ourside Constitucion claimed 20 lives is another reason to avoid driving after dark in Baja.

Baja Road Report Tecate to La Paz

2005-03-04T11:39:00.000-07:00

Victory, a rookie Baja driver provides us this report from Tecate to La Paz:
We crossed the border at Tecate on Feb. 27, 2005, at 6:00 a.m. PST. The road to Ensenada was in good shape and the scenery very beautiful. Between Ensenada and La Paz we encountered six military stops. Three times they just motioned us through. The other three times they asked where we were going, what we had in the truck and whether we were on vacation. The only vado that had water running over the road was just south of San Quintin. It was an enjoyable, if long, trip.

Road Report Mud in Viscaino

2005-02-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

February 14, 2005
South of Guerrero Negro
An Insider Reader
Vizcaino, south of Guerrero Negro, has a mud hole in the center of town, right in the middle of Hwy 1. Until it is fixed try to bypass it on the side streets. It does have a bottom, but even tractor trailers have been getting stuck.

Baja Road Report from a Reader

2005-02-14T13:05:00.000-07:00

We would like to thank Will and Eliza for help keep Baja Highways a little safer with this road report.

(This Road Report is before the rains of 02/11/05.)

Drove from Tijuana to San Jose Del Cabo January 30 - February 2. Will is a seasoned traveler, but this was my first time. We caravaned with Lou in 2 trucks loaded inside and on top with household articles. Will prepared me for bad roads and harassing military checkpoints, but we had neither.

Paid 75 pesos in tolls between Tijuana and Ensenada. Checkpoint at Maneadero, only checking N-bound traffic. Fruit and customs stop before Guerrero Negro, 20 pesos for fruit spray, no search. Checkpoint before San Ignacio, questioned regarding destination, no search. Checkpoint before Loreto, waved through. Checkpoint before La Paz, asked about destination, no search. Each time we told them we were vacationing.

Several bridges being built over bad arroyos, but the detours were not a problem. We did have one scary moment before El Rosario. It was dark, and a truck was stopped on the road without any warning flares/fires, fairly close to a curve. We were able to pass fine, and Lou followed right behind us. As soon as we had finished passing, a car came from opposite direction. My heart leapped as I watched in my rearview mirror, but the driver put on his brakes and Lou moved over quickly. Whew! We never drove at night again...

Baja Road Report - Baja Norte

2005-01-31T16:26:00.000-07:00

I drive the roads of Baja Norte frequently. It is important to know that both night time and rainy conditions pose a problem. Sustained rain brings flooding conditions to many areas and pose a extreme danger along the inside lanes (especially) headed north along the coast road. Rocks slide down the steep embankments and end up in the right lane which we are encouraged to travel unless passing, this is particular dangerous as you approach a been in the road with limited visibility. Under these conditions travel at night is not recommended. Also entering Tijuana along the boarder, rain of almost any amount brings flooding... allow more time to compensate for this. As one approaches the boarder crossing be extremely careful as driving habits in both Mexico and the US are very dangerous with unexpected last minute maneuvers.
Soon I plan a trip from Ensenada to Nogales, I will be happy to report the conditions of these roads as well.

Road Report - La Paz to San Diego

2005-01-31T16:24:00.000-07:00

Over all the road is excellent. A few bad spots around San Ignacio, central Baja around Punta Prieta and two bridges are still being build between El Cien and La Paz with a small detour. Drove it on Jan.25 and 26 2005.

Baja Road Report - Loreto to Agua Verde and San Javier

2005-01-31T16:22:00.000-07:00

Just returned from a couple of weeks in Baja. The road from Highway One just south of Loreto to San Javier is in very good condition. Another traveler, however, had his street tires on his truck at 80 lbs and had two flats.
Also the road south of Loreto out to Agua Verde is in good condition.
On the main highway, be careful when approaching the deep vado just north of Catavina as the road was quite damaged by all of the rain. Also, the road in and out of Guerrero Negro has some deep pot holes.
We have never seen Baja so green with so many wildflowers. It is beautiful.
Diane

Road Report - Police in Catavina

2005-01-31T16:02:00.000-07:00

Watch out for the police in Catavina as they will stop you for any reason possible. We brought a boat down last month and they were going to write us a ticket for the motor sticking out the back too far and no red flag. They also stopped the freind I was with a few weeks earlier because he was going too fast in the school zone (not posted). Go really slow in Catavina!

La Paz to La Ventanna, Bahia de los Suenos

2005-01-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

Just a few days ago I drove south of La Paz, out to La Ventanna and el Sargento on BCS 286 to visit a few old windsuf buddies. The bridge that was out last year has been repaired. You will alos find that the new bypass around La Paz has been completed and is crossing the higway right before the repaired bridge. A little confusing a night so caution.
As for the potholes of last year most of them are patched however there are still a few new or old ones on the way down into the Los Planes area before the El Sargento turn off so be careful with those trailers.
I didn't get a chance to continue on to Los Planes or Bahia de Los Suenos (bahia del los [casi]Muertos) so if anyone has a report for that section of road please post it here.
There are many windsurfers and kiteboarders in La Ventanna Bay area driving betweeen there and La Paz so expect more than normal traffic until late Feburary.

Take care drive safe and remeber "OjO mucho OjO" (keep your eyes open), JAG

Baja Road Report

2005-01-05T18:54:00.000-07:00

Our Insider Reader Doug, from the sailing vessel "Trula A" in La Paz brings us this road report:

We crossed the border at Tecate at daybreak and the guard was bundled up like an eskimo. He opened the doors to our van to discover it packed full. He inspected our cooler and asked is we had any 'armas' and sent us on our way.
The road surface coming out of Tecate was rough for the first 10K but not too bad. The drive through the wine country and cattle ranches in the early light was lovely. The only disconcerting thing was the increasing number of housing developments and and property for sale. More southern California urban sprawl.
We filled up in Ensenada at 5.2 pesos per liter and the posted exchange rate was 11:1. (making it $1.78 gal) There was construction widening the road south of Ensenada, but no delays.

Traffic was light and the road was in great shape all the way to the intersection for Bahia de Los Angeles. It was dark by the time we reached the intersection so we spent the night in the van behind the old Pemex station. when we woke in the morning there were four other vans and six freight trucks who had spent the night with us in the lot.

In many places, from 80km north to 30km south of Guerrero Negro the road was rough enough to make the CD player skip. But in the entire trip we never encountered the tire eating, rim bending monster potholes of years past. At the border with Baja Sur in GN, we were required to get the bottom of the van sprayed (as usual) for 10 pesos.

One thing I found annoying was all the old tope signs in Baja California (norte) had been replaced with new ones with a sedan with it's front wheels on the bump. For someone who has been driving Baja for years, they were much harder to spot.

In Santa Rosalia there was a slight delay for road crews packing cold patch into a sink hole. All the vados along the Sea coast had been filled and in one, the patch was still sticky.
We spent the last night of our journey in Loreto, at the hotel across from the Pemex for $220 pesos, perfect. We filled up one more time there for $5.50 pesos/liter.

South of Insurgentes there are 3 new bridges under construction, one before Constitucion, one at Santa Rita and the last at Las Pocitas. The detour at Las Pocitas was the roughest.
We encountered only 4 military check points on the trip from Tecate to La Paz. We were waved through 2 and only asked if we were 'vacaciones' at the other two.

All in all, it was a very pleasant drive. The hills and fields in the north were still green, but with the exception of a few wild daisies, the flowers have all finished blooming. Safe travels!
One Eyed Doug and his Faithful Indian Sidekick

Baja Road Report

2004-12-21T10:05:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update from our readers report, every bit of the November road report holds true. Resurfacing of the road north of Guerrero Negro appears completed. Resurfacing projects north of Cabo San Lucas on Hwy 19 and north of Loreto on Hwy 1 linger, so watch for loose gravel. Aside from that, those bridge repairs and short detours mentioned in the November road report are about all challenges Holiday Drivers will face.
The desert has dried out a bit since my trip in November, but it's still a lovely drive. Please be aware of the danger of cattle in the roadway. The worst section of road for cattle is between La Paz and Cabo San Lucas on Hwy 19. This is also the busiest section of road in Baja Sur, as so many of the supplies for Cabo are trucked from the port in La Paz. Long lines of traffic form behind heavily laden trucks and drivers become frustrated and pass where they should not.

Baja Road Report Cabo San Lucas to Tijunana

2004-12-01T11:08:00.000-07:00

Baja Road Report

November 29, 2004

This past week I drove every inch of Baja’s Hwy 1, twice. The road is in very good shape. Without the impact of hurricanes this season, the road crews had a chance to get ahead of the game. There has been a lot of resurfacing of the Hwy from Cabo to Tijuana; some of it is on-going. There are a few bridges still under demolition and repair, but permanent by-passes have been constructed. The gentle rain that most of Baja received last month has made the trip beautiful. The desert is very green and many plants are still blooming. I enjoyed a moon rise on my southbound trip over the Boojum forest that was breathtaking.

Since most of you will start in the north, we’ll begin there. If you haven’t driven south since last fall, pay attention at the crossing in San Ysidro. The Scenic Toll Road now turns off into a better ramp, sweeping right, instead of back around as it use to. The first few miles along the cement curtain (US Border) are quite rough, busy and narrow, but once you crest the hill and turn south, the highway is much better.

The toll plazas along the coast are being replaced and construction is nearing completion, the plaza closest to Ensenada is the least complete. Watch for construction workers and traffic around these sites. The first two new plazas are 1 km south of the existing toll booths. The current northern most plaza has a mini-mart adjacent to it and cross traffic can be difficult. It will be easier and safer when the current toll plaza is removed. Two axel toll is $24 pesos, they take dollars and pesos but not a combination there of. So make sure you have enough of the correct change ($72 pesos) before you hit the hwy.

The alternate road to Tecate is in the usual condition, as I took that route when going north. They have revised the approach to the border crossing and you have to dog leg into the street that takes you up to the hill to the checkpoint. I waited 45 minutes to cross at Tecate, two simple lines, none of the pushing and shoving that you experience at San Ysidro, where I understand that the crossing time (11/21/04) Sunday evening was close to 3 hours with the weekend traffic and returning competitors from the Baja 1000. There are several wineries open along that hwy now; most are open from 10AM to 5PM daily for tastings.

In Ensenada I recommend not taking the truck route. I found with all the stop signs and traffic lights that the waterfront route is faster by far. It’s no more a challenge for the long rig than the truck route, maybe less so. You pass the fish wharf and the Plaza de Tres Cabezas, the cruise ship dock and make a left on Delante Blvd. You rejoin Hwy 1 near the Gigante store. Hwy 1 is now 4 or more lanes for several more kilometers to the south now. The stop lights slow you down and there is construction at the south end of the 4 lane, as they extend it even further south.

Ensenada is growing and the city blends right on south into the dusty pueblo of Maneadero and out toward Colonia CaÅon Buenavista. Your first military check point is located before you start up the grade of the Sierra el Encino.

This section of Hwy 1 from Ensenada to San Quintin was very busy with truck traffic; sections to pass are limited and dicey on the hill climbs. Don’t expect anyone to use turnouts. Choose your opportunities carefully.

San Quintin as expanded too, but only along the road. From Colonet to San Quintin there is heavy rural traffic, tractors and loaded trucks. My speed was reduced to 35-40mph for about 20km. San Quintin use to have two paved lanes and 1 Pemex (gas) Station. They have at least 4 Pemex now and four lanes go almost all the way through town. Watch ahead though, on two occasions the left (fast?) lane becomes the left turn only lane.

From San Quintin to El Rosario the roads are excellent and well marked. Get gas in El Rosario. The last remaining Baja Gas Gap is from here south, about 250km to the next station. Despite the addition of new gas stations along the way, there are still no stations in Parador Punta Prieta or Punta Prieta. (the intersection to Bahia de los Angeles)

The road south of El Rosario into the nature preserve is in very good shape. It was resurfaced and striped during the summer.

There is a local policia truck in Catavina and the SCT highway ends outside of town. According to my sources, this means he can legally write citations to passing motorists. All the truckers crawl through town at the posted speed limit, so think about it. In the legendary Catavina Vado last year’s beautiful repair seems to be coming apart at the seams. There is a major pothole right near the middle of the road.

Some of the best and worst of the pavement of the trip occurs in the “Valle de los Cirios” (Valley of the Candles) protected area north of Guerrero Negro. There is resurfacing in process here on the southern most part of Hwy 1 in Baja California, and for good reason. This section of road has been the roughest since I have been driving Baja. There are 4 road states in this area; 1) Old, rough and pockmarked, 2) Scraped for resurfacing 3) Rolled cold patch and finally the finished… 4) Beautiful machine laid black asphalt. There are no lines painted on that new pavement so in the dark, the road disappears.

Once you begin down the grade south of Jesus-Maria, keep a sharp eye for cattle in the road. I saw a number of herds on the side of the road when I was headed north in daylight and the roadside fences are non-existent. On my southbound trip I had to drive more than 1 hr in the dark as I approached Guerrero Negro. I chose to tuck in behind a truck after dark and let him find the errant bovines.

At this time of year it is difficult to make Guerrero Negro in daylight from Tijuana. The days are short and you are traveling against the time zones. To make it in daylight, you have to cross the border by 8:30AM and press hard all day. Someone said to me yesterday that they thought the drive from TJ to Cabo was so difficult. If you accept that it IS a two day trip, it can be a very pleasant trip.

In Guerrero Negro I stay at the Motel Las Ballenas, a small place on the right off the main drag half a block. It’s a very simple room, but I’ve always found it clean with plenty of hot water, secure parking and just $200 pesos for one person. There is a diner in this same block on the main road, I would use the same adjectives to describe the food as I do the rooms. I usually enjoy my best meal of the day at Hotel Malarrimo’s restaurant. They have great beef in particular but anticipate $15 an entrÃ©e average. This place is very busy during the whale watching season.

Most of the minor problems on Hwy 1 occur in Baja California Sur. Baja California uses mechanical asphalt machines where Baja California Sur uses the ‘rice crispy cookie’ technique to resurface the highway it seems. Tar is first applied to the prepared roadway. Then crushed stone is smooth on, then another layer of tar and so on. The finished product is rolled and left with quite a bit of loose gravel on top of the new surface. Along Bahia de Concepcion north of Loreto there is some of this type of resurfacing in process. Watch your speed on some of the corners; it can be like driving on ball bearings.

At km99 south of Mulege the bridge has been out for more than a year and the roughest detour of the trip is around the construction. It is paved, or shall we say was paved. It’s now a series of small car eating potholes so take your time; it’s less than 150 yards. At km35 in the same stretch there is a big chunk on the northbound lane missing near the shoulder.

The roadway from Loreto to CD Insergents is wonderful. Resurfaced this summer with great new yellow and white lines, I didn’t see any cattle in this area on either trip.

From Insergents to Constitucion is four wonderful lanes the entire way. Watch for slow moving farm machinery that takes up more that one lane. In ConstituciÃ³n the center two lanes are the through street and four lanes outside the boulevard are to access the local streets.

Several traffic lights have been disconnected and who stops and who doesn’t seems to be tribal knowledge. The best fast food in town is Taquaria Karen on the east side of the road at an intersection. The beef, pork and fish tacos are something I try not to miss when I’m passing though.

Significant paved detours exist around bridges that are out just north of Santa Rita and just north of El Cien. These bridges have been out for a while and demolition is still underway while construction of new pylons has begun. Both of these detours are about 200 yards long and rough. Take it slow and it’s not too bad.

From El Cien to La Paz the road is complete. After years of construction this road is wide open. The corners are banked and the pavement is well marked. The final military check point is just north of La Paz. Construction has begun on the overpass on the north side of La Paz but traffic doesn’t seem to be affected.

Watch for cattle and goats in the road between La Paz and Cabo San Lucas. There are more road kills in the section than the other 850 miles combined. Particularly bad are from La Paz to the Hwy 1, Hwy 19 intersection and from El Migraino south to Cabo on Hwy 19. Truck traffic from La Paz to Cabo is heavy and radar has been seen in use by the Federales. Some resurfacing is wrapping up from Todos to Cabo, watch for loose gravel on the turns.

If you haven’t been to Cabo in a year you won’t recognize it and more importantly, almost every street downtown now is one way the other direction. Coming into town from Hwy 19 you will find construction and heavy traffic from Soriana’s in. Four lanes are under construction, but they were needed about 4 months ago. Lazaro Cardenas, the main street though town has major changes too. The left lane is no longer the through lane but a delayed arrow left turn lane at several intersection. U turns are not allowed at any of the intersections, although you may make what they call a 120Â° turn onto the opposing service street. At City Club, the left turn is achieved from the left lane of the right hand service road. Don’t worry, you’ll understand after your first ticket. They are aggressive in Cabo now on parking tickets and moving you along in red zones.

All told, the road is in great shape and the desert drive is beautiful. So take your time, don’t drive when you are tired and enjoy the scenery.

Tomas

Remember - Mucho Ojo!

Tomas Zyber

Editor

tkz@bajainsider.com

Baja Road Report - Mulege and north

2004-11-03T21:55:00.000-07:00

Baja Insider Reader Keith B. tells us:

We just got back to Santa Cruz, CA from Mulege 11/1/04. The road was in much better shape south of Ensenada than it is in California. Due to the rains, the desert is in bloom and relatively green. On the way south on 10/21, we had pretty heavy rain all the way to Cataviña. A great drive in both directions.

Seeking Road Report

2004-11-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

Do you have the road conditions for the road between Hwy 3 begining at Valle de Trinidad and ending at hwy 1 at LLano Colorado just below San Vicente? It looks like a dirt road but would like to know its condition and if it is possible to travel pulling a 15' travel trailer with a 4x4 1/2 ton Pickup? Thanks, Andy

Baja Road Report - General Update

2004-11-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

11/01/04 General update: Baja received a bit of rain over the weekend, spotty occurrences from north to south. It was light rain, not our usual torrents, so road damage is minimal. Do watch vados for minor flooding. We have received reports of a lot of rocks in the road in the passes south of Loreto, where the rain has dislodged them from the hillsides.

Constitucion has had minor flooding with 6-15" of water on the main road through town. It just makes it kinda messy of your on a motorcycle.

I just drove from La Paz to Cabo and 98% of the construction along the route is wrapped up. The is still a little construction north of Migraino but the long stretches of loose gravel are gone. Drive like you are on ice when you encounter the loose pea gravel and avoid sudden moves or need for quick breaking.

Always keep an eye out for animals in the roadway. I counted 26 carcasses just between La Paz and Cabo, of fairly recent kills. The car in front of me got at least one, maybe two goats about 18km north of Cabo. Goats result in several hundred dollars in damage, cattle can be trip-enders or worse.

The Federal Hwy Patrol was using radar just north of Todos Santos. I passed the trap at 60mph without getting a ticket. Remember, you can get ticketed by local police on Hwy 1 within city limits (it's not Federal Hwy there!)

At breakfast in La Paz I chatted with a Green Angel jefe who told me they have received three new trucks to cover the 'southern region'. Unfortunately, I can't tell you exactly how large the southern region is, but if you have a breakdown along Hwy 1, Green Angels are a welcome helping hand, for free!
Mucho Ojo!

Baja Road Report - Oregon to Los Barrilies

2004-10-26T11:34:00.000-06:00

Debbie L, an experienced Baja traveler sent us this road report for most of the west coast!

Our Reader Says: "We left Bandon, OR on 10/22 for our trek down the Baja to our house in Los Barriles. We spent our 1st night near Sacto, the 2nd in Mission Valley (near San Diego), made the border on our 3rd day about 9am. No one there! Just had a blinking green light, drove right thru! Stayed to the right on the Scenic Route to Ensenada, no problems. Stayed in Guerrero Negro our 3rd night and Loreto (Villas de Loreto, great place!) our 4th. At Villas now and will head out in the AM for LB. The roads have been terrific, only one detour because of a wash out and that was just N of Loreto. Not much traffic to speak of, light rain. Several military check points, 3 searches, one charged us a dollar just North of Guerrero Negro."

Just so you all know, the $10 peso charge at Guerrero Negro is to pay for the pesticide they spray on the under side of your car before entering Baja California Sur.

Baja Road Report - Rains in Baja Sur

2004-10-25T17:28:00.000-06:00

For you folks that will be traveling the Baja Highway in this next week we have been having rain for the last few days from Guerrero Negro south to Land's End in Cabo. I have mostly heard reports of steady soaking rains and not the torrential tropical burst that we can have.

I do caution people however that vados (dips in the road) can fill very quickly after they have been soaked and many of the areas of construction or detours can become difficult to pass.
We have not had any reports of the road not being passable at this time but it is defintely time to drive with caution and slow down as there have been alot more highway accidents recently.

Buen Viaje, safe travels and please send any updated road conditons that you may have. thanks from www.bajainsider.com

Baja Road Report 10/20/04 Off Hwy 1

2004-10-20T10:31:00.000-06:00

The road leading from 1 to Rancho Guayaquil, where it splits (20 miles) is fine. From the ranch to Punta Canoas is ok for about another 20 miles. The last 3 miles is deep with moon dust and we got stuck twice in a 2 wheel drive truck. Road from Rancho Guayaquil to Puerto Catarina (20 miles) is fine. - Clay (For neophytes, this region is located south of Hwy 1 between El Rosario and Catavina)

Tijuana border traffic wait times online.

2004-10-16T10:33:00.000-06:00

ByTheBorder.com : Tijuana border traffic ... online.

A site I thouhgt our readers would find of interest. This site has current wait times for the border crossings at San Ysidro (tijuana) and Otay Mesa (other Tijuana Crossing) headed north from Mexioc to the US.

Fortunately for driving south from the US over the border there is almost never a wait time unles the HomeLand Securty warnings for the states goes up a level.

Baja Road Report October 16, 2004

2004-10-16T09:46:00.000-06:00

We just returned from the States. The road is very good except two spots. Km 96 south of Mulege, a paved detour around a bridge under construction and Km 32 to about Km 38 south of Mulege the road is still from 1 to 2 lanes due to side washout. - Bob Martin

Baja Road Report October 9, 2004

2004-10-09T19:35:00.000-06:00

We left Ensenada 6 in the morning Wednesday 6 Oct. There was heavy fog between Santo Tomas and Rosario I found that the drivers side wiper didn't work or the defroster. After Rosario the road was excellence with few, if any snowbirds going south and the standard trucks. It was cool till San Ignacio where we camped by the lake for the night at the first turn off to town, $5 to camp. Than it got hot. so we stopped for a cool swim at Santispac.
The road was good with only a few minor detours. The only water on the road was 90k before La Paz.
We arrived at 7.30 Thursday night in Todos Santos at our house." Lobo

Baja Road Report October 5, 2004

2004-10-05T13:58:00.000-06:00

I recently drove the stretch between La Paz and Cabo San Lucas. The desert is just amazing. Take your camera and take some time to stop along the way. This degree of greenery will only last a few weeks.

You need to keep your eyes on the road though. There is resurfacing in several places between Pescadero and Cabo. The interim phase of the repairs leaves lots of loose gravel and several cars and the second trailer of a Pemex truck have found themselves over the side. The work also serves to slow and bunch traffic and fray driver’s nerves. People passing where they should not is the result. This resulted in a fatality I passed driving north last week.

Once again, beware animals in the road. The stretch from Migraino to Cabo in particular. Avoid driving after dusk if you can.

Tomas Zyber

Editor

tkz@bajainsider.com

Baja Road Report September 27, 2004

2004-09-27T14:19:00.000-06:00

I went to Constitucion today. The road only has two spots worth talking about. At km 15 before Insurrentes, Puent Reteraro, there is a detour, good condition. At km 222after Insurrentes they are still constructing a new bridge. They have created a cement batch plant to make the long reinforced concrete beams for the bridge. The detour is paved but 1 lane wide as opposed to the 4 lane road. The rest of the road is excellent." - Bob Martin

Baja Road Report September 21, 2004

2004-09-21T13:19:00.000-06:00

Central Baja took a great deal of rain from the passing of Javier our first reports are in and we would love to hear from more Baja Travelers as the season progresses.

Baja Road Report Sept 7, 2004

2004-09-07T11:52:00.000-06:00

Much of Baja Sur has received heavy rains at one time or another in the last week. 9/3 a large band of heavy rain, spun off from Hurricane Howard pass across central Baja from Santa Maria Bay to about Mulege. According to radar, rainfall could have been 3"-7" and localized resulted. Many of the vados have been flooded and road damage has resulted. Drivers should be cautious when driving in the rain or at night. These normally dry beds can turn into raging rivers at a moments notice.
Hwy 1 is now an important artery for Baja commerce and will be made "passable" shortly. But for first time Baja drivers you may find the definition of passable varies form that in the US.

Baja Road Report Aug 4, 2004

2004-08-04T11:01:00.000-06:00

After having driven the full length of the Baja Highway One, three times in less than one month, I feel I have a pretty good idea of the Baja road conditions. Let me say though that these road reports are obviously subjective. For example you may see the road report by, Escarabajo Amarillo (yellow beetle) on the front page of Eastcapers now hosted by us here on the BajaInsider.com. This little car’s perception may be a bit different than mine however where the road is gone it is bad and you do need to drive with extra caution in those areas.While I have driven the Transpennisular highway for over 15 years, my perception is, the road is in pretty good condition.

In fact as I see the road from Tijuana to Cabo is better now than it has ever been. San Ignacio is worth the short detour from Hwy 1Yes, there are still two major sections out and another one lane area that is being worked on between Loreto and Mulege. Yes, there is still more construction just north of La Paz but I will have to say that there is more good and great highway than there is bad. They’re even using computerized paint systems to paint the lines on the highway! Times have truly changed.

Some other noticeable changes have come in the use of more signage for dangerous curves and construction work ahead (tramo en reparacion). Again this statement is relative to what was before. If you compare the Baja Transpennisular highway with the American roads just over the border you will be disappointed to say the least. It amazes me every time I get over the border headed north as to how wide and smooth California highways really are. How ample the shoulders are and how often there are turnouts even on small narrow highways. Yes there really is no comparison from the U.S or Canada to Mexico, but then the Mexican government is not investing a million dollars a mile as is the case in many of the US highway systems.

Baja Road Report for July 6th 2004

2004-07-06T11:49:00.000-06:00

The construction south of Ensenada to widen the road continues with fairly well created detours (desviacion). There is however a lack of markings for night driving so take it slow if driving at night south towards Meandero.

There is the regular rough road going from Colonet through San Quintín caused by the heavy farm equipment traffic. There are still some rough areas around Catavina but there is also a lot of new highway between there and the Baja Norte, Baja Sur border at Guerro Negro.

From there you will find more new road intermixed with a few bad areas of rough road patch. There is more, rough road, south of San Ignacio and then it smoothes out to Santa Rosalía. Just after the cuesta del infierno (hell hill, I just love that name) you will encounter some rough and poorly repaired road entering Santa Rosalía. The reason so many areas near and in around towns are so bad is that they are not apart of the Federal Caminos system controlled but the SCT (Secretaria Comunicaciones y Transporte). Therefore it is up to those little towns to repair and mark their sections and obviously it is not a priority for what little money they have.
As mentioned above while the crews are working on most of the bad road sections between Mulege and Loreto they have not finished and it can be very rough going from the paved highway to dirt and back. Once leaving the Sea of Cortez to head over to the Pacific side you will find the construction I saw my last trip all finished and painted. This is where we saw the paint equipment in use on the way up and finished on the way back. They truly are getting faster at some things.
As mentioned before there is still a lot of construction just north of La Paz. In fact my partner who was driving a truck and pulling a 4000 pound dual wheeled axel trailer said this was the worst part of the trip. In the last 5 miles before the fruit and drug inspections of La Paz we encountered two long sections of highway torn up for re-paving. Expect this to be like this for the next month or so.

Baja Road Report

Mid Feburary Road report

Visit Baja in the Spring

Baja Road Report

Baja roads still closed in Northern Baja

Baja roads still closed in Northern Baja

Tecate, Baja California and South road report

Baja Transpenisular Hwy1 CAUTION

Post Hurricane Norbert Road report for Baja

Major Baja Border Crossing Expansioned planned

Tourist Violence in Baja California (Norte)

Violence in Baja California (Norte) BajaInsider.com

Baja California Sur road update

Baja Californa Road Report

Tijuana to La Paz March 10, 2007

Detailed Baja Road Report La Paz to Otay Mesa January 4, 2007

Baja Road Tip - Pemex Scams

Lates report of highway from Border to San Jose del Cabo

TJ to La Paz

11AM 09/06 From El Sargento

Baja Road Report 09/05/06

Tropical Storm Warnings for Baja Sur

Baja Sur Transpenisular higway 19 being widened

Corridor between San Jose and Cabo has detour

Latest report for all of highway 1

Cabo Road Report Following Hurricane Otis

Rains in Baja Sur

Baja Road Report

Baja Highway road report 1st week august

June 14 Road Report - Speeding

May 10th Road report

New Emergency Numbers for Traveling Baja California

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Mexico -- Bus crash kills 20 in Baja California Sur

Baja Road Report Tecate to La Paz

Road Report Mud in Viscaino

Baja Road Report from a Reader

Baja Road Report - Baja Norte

Road Report - La Paz to San Diego

Baja Road Report - Loreto to Agua Verde and San Javier

Road Report - Police in Catavina

La Paz to La Ventanna, Bahia de los Suenos

Baja Road Report

Baja Road Report

Baja Road Report Cabo San Lucas to Tijunana

Baja Road Report - Mulege and north

Seeking Road Report

Baja Road Report - General Update

Baja Road Report - Oregon to Los Barrilies

Baja Road Report - Rains in Baja Sur

Baja Road Report 10/20/04 Off Hwy 1

Tijuana border traffic wait times online.

Baja Road Report October 16, 2004

Baja Road Report October 9, 2004

Baja Road Report October 5, 2004

Baja Road Report September 27, 2004

Baja Road Report September 21, 2004

Baja Road Report Sept 7, 2004

Baja Road Report Aug 4, 2004

Baja Road Report for July 6th 2004

Violence in Baja California (Norte)
BajaInsider.com