While traveling in Baja is not the adventure it once was, it is still not what most people are used to in the states.

Mexicali to San Felipe via Highway 5

Extensive roadworks are underway (September 2008) in the city of Mexicali. See our news page for details and also the maps page (to the left) with Mexicali routes. San Diego area visitors should consider coming through Tecate to avoid all of the problems in Mexicali.(see below).

Work on the four lane section of the highway from the Arches in San Felipe north towards the junction with the Ensenada road is proceeding well. The section up to Cerro El Moreno (the northern end of the electricity line and the last of the campos) is complete.

Repairs after the Labor day rainstorms have been completed south of La Ventana. Watch for rough spots and potholes between La Ventana and the Ensenada road junction.

We strongly advise all our residents and visitors NEVER,EVER, to drive after dark on any of the roads to San Felipe.

General conditions:
Allow 2.5 hours from the border at Mexicali to the Arches in San Felipe. Speeds of 70-80 mph are possible in some stretches, radar and highway patrol permitting. (Remember the maximum speed limit is 50 mph or 80 kph). There is currently only the 'permanent' military checkpoint at the junction with the Ensenada Road where checks for drugs and guns are always made, particularly on the trip north. With the new emphasis on security, random military checkpoints are being set up, often just for a few hours at a time, to catch drug smugglers. On busy weekends, the traffic north can be significantly delayed by these checkpoints. Worst travel times are Sunday afternoons where northbound delays in excess of of 30 minutes are possible. Remember there is no gasoline or diesel fuel available in the 130 mile stretch from Mexicali to San Felipe.

The government is planning to upgrade the entire road to a four lane divided highway between 2009 and 2012. The first 20 km of this work, south from Mexicali, has been completed.

San Felipe to Puertecitos via Highway 5
The road southtoward Puertecitos is in excellent shape and well paved to Puertecitos. Allow 1 hour for the trip. Note that the new Pemex station in Puertecitos still not open Also note that the restaurant in Puertecitos is opening weekends. A small store at the entrance to the town has beer and potato chips if you get hungry.

Puertecitos to Gonzaga Bay and Mexico Route 1

From Puertecitos south, the road is mostly slow going due to more washboard all the way to Gonzaga Bay although the basic structure of the road is safe and only moderate pitch. We could see the old climbs that have been bypassed about 10 miles south of Puertecitos, but it's nothing like that any more. Any car should be able to make it, even with pretty low clearance, just by going slowly. Gasoline is available in Gonzaga and Alphonsinas motel is highly recommended. Allow 2 hours to Gonzaga.

Algodones to the Mexicali-San Felipe Highway via Highways 2, 3 and4
Significant maintenance has occurred on this road and it is in generally good condition. Signposting can be a problem, so if you think you are lost you should stop and ask. Consider taking the new toll road between Mexicali and San Luis (see below).

The Ensenada to San Felipe Road via Highway 3
This is the scenic route from the San Diego area to San Felipe! Normal driving time from Ensenada to San Felipe is 3 hours. There have been a lot of potholes in the road surface and the crews are slowly fixing them. You are warned to go very slow as you approach Heroes de la Independencia, a farming community about half way across the peninsular. There they have put a series of bumps in the road to slow down the speeding vehicles. Believe them when they warn you to slow down or you could burst a tire or break a spring. The Buena Vista cafe, on the south side of the road at Valle de Trinidad, is the only rest facility on the journey. Beware of the small, almost invisible, step at the cafe entrance. Stay overnight in Ensenada and enjoy a relaxing gourmet meal rather than drive this very isolated road in the dark!!!

Mexicali west to Tecate, Tijuana and San Diego; east to San Luis Rio Colorado

San Felipe travelers are now blessed to have the new East-West tollway (officially the "Libramiento") open for travel to Tecate, Tijuana and San Diego without having to pass through Mexicali. The new toll road crosses the Mexicali-San Felipe highway (Mexico Highway 5) about 13 kilometers south of Mexicali. In the eastwards direction it runs to San Luis Rio Colorado, where you may cross the border to Yuma. The westbound direction is only accessible from the southbound lane of the San Felipe highway. This road is of no use to you for reaching the two Mexicali-Calexico border crossing stations.

If you are driving north from San Felipe, go under the highway overpass and make a U-turn - you will now see the sign as in picture above. At present the road is only a single lane in each direction but the traffic is very light and the road surface excellent. Immediately on entering the Libramiento, you will come to the first toll booth (45 pesos) and the road will take you around Mexicali and join with the main toll road up La Rumorosa and on to Tecate and Tijuana. I routinely take this road to go to San Diego and it is an absolute pleasure to return to San Diego via the Tecate border crossing on a Friday afternoon. Note that the Tecate crossing can be very busy on weekends as all the tourists flock over from San Diego to visit the famous brewery. The journey to Tecate will cost you a total of about $11 dollars in tolls and take about 1 hour from highway 5 - or just under 3 hours from San Felipe to the border there. This is also a very good way to travel from the Tijuana/San Diego area to San Felipe and completely bypass the traffic of Mexicali. Note that there is no SENTRI lane at Tecate.

The toll road to Tecate is a beautiful engineering accomplishment and rivals some of the most scenic routes through the Swiss Alps. The road is well maintained and excellently signed (in fact there are almost too many informational signs along the way, with even signs to inform you not to deface the signs). The climb up the mountains to La Rumorosa is spectacular and there are rest areas (no restrooms) where you can pull off the road and look out over the Mexicali and Imperial valleys. You also get a chance to look at the huge pipeline and one of its pumping stations that sends the Colorado water to Tijuana. The trip to Tecate is highly recommended. Cellphone coverage is very spotty on the zig-zag road up the mountains.

To cross to the U.S. at Tecate, leave the toll road at the Tecate exit and proceed on the main city streets past various pharmaceutical plants and maquiladoras. (Map below - follow the yellow line) Just before getting to the town proper, you will see signs on the right-hand side of the road saying "Garita" and pointing to the right (north). A new road has been constructed which leads both passenger and commercial vehicles to the new crossing gates. You will go up and down two very steep hills and be driving right next to the boundary fence on this last mile of the road. Stay in the extreme right-hand lane! Trucks must use the left lane and will turn in through one of two massive iron bar gates to the inspection point. Cars will enter through the second massive gate which is only 30 meters farther on. There are two crossing lanes for cars at this gate but no SENTRI lane.

The town of Tecate itself is also a delight with its zocalo (extreme left of the picture above) with a bar and cafe and there are two or three internet cafes within a couple of hundred yards of the square. Parking is relatively easy on a weekday. Small fast-food restaurants abound in the vicinity. An excellent liquor store opposite the northwest corner of the square sells a very comprehensive selection of Tequilas. From downtown, the access to the border crossing is now only from the East. You will have to backtrack to the road at the eastern end of the town. (yellow line on map above).

September 2008 update