Passing through a military checkpoint, whose primary function is to watch for illegal drugs and guns.

On the way to San Felipe you will pass through a "permanent"military checkpoint near the junction of Highways 5 and 3 (km 141)- the Ensenada road.Don't be alarmed. They will ask, sometimes in English but mostly inSpanish, if your have any guns or drugs. Sometimes they will ask to lookin your car or your trailer.

On the northbound trip, the inspection is much more rigid and you will be asked to get out of the car while it is searched for drugs. On busy weekends (particularly on Sunday afternoons) this inspection process can cause a backup of traffic headed for Mexicali. We have seen lines miles long after an event such as the Baja 250 race.

In addition to the checkpoint at the junction of Highways 5 and 3,there's also a periodic checkpoint near Valley de Trinidad, between Ensenada andSan Felipe. Also, there is an occasional checkpoint about 5 miles south of San Felipe, anda checkpoint just north of Gonzaga Bay.

These checkpoints at the request of the government of the UnitedStates in an effort to halt the flow of drugs into the US. An addedbenefit of the checkpoints is that now San Felipe is like a gatedcommunity.

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