My brother and his wife are leaving in a few days to move to Cabo from Canada.
He is taking his pickup and towing a small 12' enclosed cargo trailer loaded with personal belongings.
His plan is to cross the border at Tijuana early in the morning and drive about halfway to Cabo before stopping for the night.
Can any of you Mexico folks make any suggestions as to a good location to stop overnight where the safety of a parked truck and trailer won't be an issue? He does not want to try driving it in one day.
Is there any particular route he should stick to that would be best?
Any considerations to be aware of? He has his documentation and such in order.
I wonder if crossing from Canada into the US will be an issue too, with a bunch of personal belongings with him.
Thanks, I am just trying to help him have a safe and uneventful drive there.
2007 GMC 3500 dually ext. cab 4X4 LBZ
Duramax / Allison Fire Red
This website . . . http://ontheroadin.com/baja/thebaja.htm . . . has a map - you click on an area and it gives another map showing RV parks - click on an RV park and there is info about that park. There are other better sources but this one is quick and easy. Their road guides and logs are also well worth the price they charge - can be downloaded online and printed or used with a computer . . . http://ontheroadin.com/Mexico%20road%20Logs/mexico_road_logs.htm . .
Personal opinion - I know people do it - but I would never even dream of driving the Baja in two or even three days - maybe 4 - others will say otherwise. The road for the most part is very narrow and there are lots of curves and hills. It is slow going with a trailer or in an RV. It is tiring. The lanes are about 9' wide and our motorhome is 8'6" wide so only about 6" extra room - in many areas there are no shoulders and a steep drop off. Big trucks coming the other way take up the whole road. It takes concentration and effort. It can be exhausting and then mistakes are made. There is very little margin for error. So we take our time and don't worry about a schedule. You will see many little crosses and flowers along that road where families mark where their loved ones have died. It is not a road built for speed or taking chances. Relax and enjoy the scenery - that is my advice in the Baja.
Oh - there is only one road so no need to plan which route to take - there is only one.
We stopped doing the Baja because of the Narrow Road.It is faster to drive to Puerto Vallarta or Guadalahara and a lot less stressful!
Your Brother should plan to stop at Catavina the First Night. Guerro Negro the second. Then Ciudad Constitution or perhaps Mulege the third. He should be able to make it to Cabo the Fouth Night.
That's a rough guide and really depends on Traffic and Road conditions!
Rob & Jean
98 Dutch Star Diesel Pusher ..92 Tracker 4X2
That's an average of more than forty one miles an hour. Passing through Tijuana, Ensenada, San Quintin, vados, curvas peligrosas, etc. Eating, fueling, unpacking and packing. Oh yeah, how about an hour plus just getting tourist cards and paying for them.
I've only driven the length of Mex 1 about 40 times.
And what you are proposing is suicide unless you drive day and night with about a thousand watts of halogen lighting, and dual caliper disc brakes front and rear. And 20/10 vision.
Here is a realistic recommendation:
First night at BAJA CACTUS HOTEL next door to Pemex gasolinera in EL ROSARIO
Second night in Loreto. Take your pick of hotels.
Third night in La Paz. Oh did I mention the TWO MILE PER HOUR rocky detour road between Pescadero and San Lucas?
Oh gosh darn I forgot about the eight or ten military inspection points along your route. You will pull up and wait behind a line of cars. Count on 20 minutes per reten.
TJ to Cabo pulling a trailer in 2 days? Only if you have a death wish!!
Nothing can be so important that you can't slow down to 55 (the speed limit) and take a few days to get there. That way, at least you know you'll get there.
Turtle & Toad, On the Road
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I agree with the previous posters. Do not try to drive from US border to Cabo in 2 days.
And this is from a guy who has driven a number of times to Mexican border from BC in 2days by himself with heavy camper.
There is no comparison between I5 and Mex1.
One thing that wasn't,t stated previously is that the Baja road in many places is quite hilly so pulling a big load will slow you down a lot.
"A word to the wise is sufficient"
Dave
2006 F350 Diesel 4X4 CC SRW, Michelin XDS-2 19.5's, Vision Wheels
2011 Outfitter 9.5 Extended Cabover
Some Of Our Fun:http://daveincoldstream.blogspot.ca/
There is one road! And it is narrow, compared to the Canadian, and US roads.
After La Paz there are to roads to los Cabos.
Do not even think of driving fast, there are to many situations, that will come up, that need your full attention, at the wheel.
Even in day time, you may encounter a cow, or a bull, in a blind bend, that is scared, and feels trapped, and they can do a lot of damage, burros also, two legged paisanos, are also a danger, in small towns, specially on a bicycle.
Plan to stop, well before sundown, and leave earlly after dusk, not at 4 A.M. in the morning, the light is still not good enough, truckers call it the "zero" hour, you can't see to well with headlights, or with the dawn light, most accidents on the roads, happen at this hours.
Plan on a slow travel, and engoy the sights, "get-there-itis" is a good way, to a bad time. There are two books, that list campgroungs, Good Sam and Woodalls, they list most of the camp grounds in Baja, and have the phone numbers and or E-mail.
As all the others have said, two days is a death wish. Numerous topes in ever town and check point will slow you down to a crawl or it will once you have hit the first one to fast. Please be courteous to the tractor trailer guys especially on hills. If you see one coming up pull over and stop and let him have the road. The roads up the hills are crooked and the truck is going to need most of the road around these curves. The stopping points that others have suggested are all good. Safe travels.
Driving fast through Baja California would be like sprinting through the Louvre. One trip I rounded a blind curve south of Loreto in the mountains and found a whole herd of steers trapped between the cliff on one side and a high guard rail on the other. It was a real zoo. Another time between El Rosario and Rancho Tres Enriques I crested a blind summit to find a big rig stalled in my lane.
Keep this in mind: In many places it will take an ambulance three hours just to get to the scene of an accident.
I'm selfish. I don't want to be on the highway the same time as someone wanting to marathon from TJ to San Lucas in two days.
Geez, two days is not a death wish...they will just be very long days. I think for someone's first trip it would not be the preferred method, but towing a little cargo trailer with a modern pickup is not like driving a motor home or 5er down Highway 1. Did it several times in an old VW bus and we know how fast they go...
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