@BrotherPicnic @ChrisMunro and I are heading to Baja at the beginning of March for a week-ish long tour. We’ll be setting out from the Scottsdale area (Fountain Hills), which is where Jake lives. If one more person wants to join, maybe two, here’s last call. And we need to have ridden with you previously because going to another country with a known quantity/quality is a prerequisite.
As we’re thinking about it now, this will be primarily a bnb/hotel/hut trip so we can travel lighter, and maybe bringing a tent/bag just in case, but minimal camp gear. This is a travel and sightseeing trip, and not a techy/dirt ripper trip. The route is biased for our 690/701 squad (we’ll all be on those bikes), with moderate sand tolerance with ride around options depending on how we’re feeling, 6–7 hr riding days with time to stop, hike, swim, take photos, and the route theoretically has easy bail-outs when conditions change.
General Route (WIP)
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Day 1 / Day 7: Phoenix ↔ San Felipe via Mexicali East
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Day 2: San Felipe → Puertecitos → Gonzaga Bay
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Day 3: Gonzaga → Coco’s area → Calamajue Wash → Bahía de los Ángeles
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Day 4: BoLA → Cataviña → Guerrero Negro → San Ignacio (BCS)
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Day 5: San Ignacio dirt loop toward Laguna San Ignacio
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Day 6: San Ignacio → Hwy 1 → Mex 5 → San Felipe
We will bake in a couple extra days just in case we need them, but this is intended to be a 7-day trip. You can stop reading here, unless you want to see a bit more detail about the route below.
Day 1 — Scottsdale → San Felipe
~6–7 hrs riding + border
Route
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Phoenix → Gila Bend → Yuma area (avoid I-10 where possible)
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Cross at Mexicali East Port of Entry
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South on Mex 5 to San Felipe
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Fast pavement, warm-up day
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Fuel everywhere
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Shake down luggage before dirt
Overnight: San Felipe
Fuel: Full services
Day 2 — San Felipe → Puertecitos → Gonzaga Bay
~5–6 hrs riding (short sand, lots of views)
Route
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San Felipe → Puertecitos
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Continue south on Mex 5
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Optional beach/dirt spurs (easy exits)
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End at Bahía San Luis Gonzaga
Terrain
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Mostly pavement
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Short sandy bits near beaches (minutes, not hours)
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Zero deep dune riding
Overnight: Gonzaga (Alfonsina’s / Rancho area)
Fuel: Top off in San Felipe; Gonzaga fuel is sometimes available but don’t rely on it
Day 3 — Gonzaga Bay → Calamajue Wash → Bahía de los Ángeles
~6–7 hrs riding (the best dirt day)
Route
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Gonzaga → Coco’s Corner area
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Enter Calamajue Wash (optional)
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Exit near Hwy 1 → paved spur to Bahía de los Ángeles
Bail-out option
- If wash conditions are blown out: Gonzaga → Chapala → Hwy 1 → BoLA (still a great day)
Fuel math
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Distance: ~140–160 miles depending on lines
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With 1 gal extra each: no stress
Overnight: Bahía de los Ángeles
Day 4 — BoLA → Cataviña → San Ignacio (BCS)
~6–7 hrs riding
Route
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BoLA → Hwy 1
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Through Cataviña
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Continue south to Guerrero Negro
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Push to San Ignacio
Terrain
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Pavement, but incredibly scenic
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Optional short dirt photo detours in Cataviña
Overnight: San Ignacio oasis
Day 5 — San Ignacio Dirt Loop Day (Choose Your Flavor)
~4–6 hrs riding (light luggage, relaxed pace)
Option A — Pacific-side dirt
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San Ignacio → dirt roads toward Laguna San Ignacio
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Firm desert dirt, minimal sand
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Remote but not technical
Option B — Mission + canyon exploring
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Shorter loops, rocky but not sandy
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Great midday ride, back early for food/drink
(Skip the deep Sierra cave routes unless you want a full expedition day.)
Overnight: San Ignacio (same place)
Day 6 — San Ignacio → San Felipe
~6.5–7 hrs riding
Route
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San Ignacio → Hwy 1 north
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Guerrero Negro fuel stop
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Cut east to Mex 5
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South to San Felipe
Why this isn’t boring
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Fast flowing riding
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Last long Baja day
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Easy mental load after dirt days
Overnight: San Felipe
Day 7 — San Felipe → Phoenix
~6–7 hrs + border
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Mex 5 → Mexicali East
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AZ-85 / Gila Bend → Phoenix
