Baja in winter

[Carlotta14]

Heya thinking of taking a month down Cabo, any thoughts, experiences, suggestions ? Tia. M

[JCRC]

This is a hard question that leads to a DEEP rabbit hole. I have thoughts, experiences and suggestions that could fill a book about Baja. We're leaving tomorrow for 4 months in southern Baja with our 75 Argosy towed with a 69 Dodge carrying a 60 Baja bug.
What kind of rig do you have? What tow rig? How much experience do you have on BAD roads? What do you want to see? What is your comfort level with boondocking? Do you speak any Spanish? The list goes on. I highly recommend that you find some YouTube videos of people who have done the trip you want to do. Before we went for 5 weeks last winter we did several months of planning and research. This trip has been in preparation since February.
It's a wonderful place to go, we love it, but it takes planning and preparation to go there.

[Carlotta14]

Originally Posted by JCRC

This is a hard question that leads to a DEEP rabbit hole. I have thoughts, experiences and suggestions that could fill a book about Baja. We're leaving tomorrow for 4 months in southern Baja with our 75 Argosy towed with a 69 Dodge carrying a 60 Baja bug.
What kind of rig do you have? What tow rig? How much experience do you have on BAD roads? What do you want to see? What is your comfort level with boondocking? Do you speak any Spanish? The list goes on. I highly recommend that you find some YouTube videos of people who have done the trip you want to do. Before we went for 5 weeks last winter we did several months of planning and research. This trip has been in preparation since February.
It's a wonderful place to go, we love it, but it takes planning and preparation to go there.

We run northern bc forest roads, sierra 3/4 tonne, fixing flats not a problem, one spare one can of green slime, tire plug kit, I run bfg KO2, but might swap for M55 Toyo, or open country. What do you run ? We are ik boondocks for a week, propane will last 2 or 3, but food and water, maybe 10 days worth. Is resupply an option usually with 100 miles or so ? Thanks , we have been thinking about this for years but never though about detailed route recce. Love to see your rig. We are dragging a 60 Tradewind.

[JCRC]

We did Baja last winter with our 2016 Ram powerwagon with a 4 wheel camper. We did hundreds of miles off pavement. The tires you mentioned are great, we ran Mickey Thompson Baja Boss tires and were very happy. I highly recommend the I-Overlander app to find places to go. Every boondocking spot that we stayed at was from that app. It will find you everything you need for resupply as well. Your trailer is the perfect width for Highway 1, you really don't want wider than 7 ft. Just less stressful. Make sure the trailer has good tires and the suspension is in good shape. The potholes will swallow small cars. Plenty of options for resupply every 100 miles or so. Tons of rigs from British Columbia, like every 3rd vehicle...
Water is easy to get in towns from Agua purificadas. All stuff that I Overlander will locate. Take good paper maps and satellite communication like an InReach. Don't be afraid of the roadside Tacos!

[Mollysdad]

YouTube family Less Junk More Journey took a trip with two other rigs into Mexico.
It was both good and bad.
YouTube> Less Junk More Journey> search 'Mexico' and they posted 8 videos taken in Baja.
In general the roads were narrow, truck traffic unforgiving, nice locals.
One of the group went by himself to do laundry and got robbed..by the police. They only took cash, no credit cards. Other than being face down in the dirt, he was unharmed.
Campgrounds were not like here. Someone has a plot of land and RV's just park anywhere.

[Carlotta14]

Sweet !

[Northerngirl]

I went down to just past La Paz last winter. Had a great trip and meet a number of other Airstreamers along the way. Took Hwy 5 down to Hwy 1. I have a 25’ FC and a truck with big tow mirrors so it was a bit tight along many parts of the highway due to narrowness and no shoulders. Getting use to having very little clearance between yourself and passing semi’s was probable the most stressful part of the trip. You learn fast to keep tight to your side of the road. There were sections of the highway with lots of potholes so make sure you have a good spare with you. I had to use mine but was able to get it repaired at the next town. My flat was due to taking on a nail rather than a pot hole. Was very happy I had tire monitoring on the trailer as it kept me know of the slow leak, giving me time to find a safe spot to pull over, which are few and far between for long stretches of highway.

Having lots of solar will help make the trip go better as well. The best camping spots are found along the beaches. No power or water. Although at popular spots the locals do come by selling good filtered water that they will pump right into your tank or if your staying awhile they will leave you a big barrel that you can pump the water out of as needed. I use a small portable pump that runs of my drill to do that. Having a small portable tote to be able to drain off your waste waters and take to a sani dump is also something to bring if you want to stay in one spot for a week or more. You will have no issues getting into many of the popular beach camping locations. Most are hard compact roads onto the beach area and the beach is also compact so little risk at getting stuck in the sand if you stick to the main tracks. I do not have a lift on my trailer so there were a couple of places I would have liked to have gone into but after parking at the entrances and walking in I decided best to not try to get out to those locations. There was a spot or two I could have gotten into but the sand was pretty loose so did not want to risk getting stuck. I know I did miss out on some amazing camping spots by choosing not to take a chance. I know another Airstreamer who did choose to go out to some of those spots while I was down there and I saw them posting on a Baja FB page at least twice looking for help to get unstuck. LOL Always folks willing to help out in such situations so other than wasting a few hours or so waiting for help no harm done. They seemed to be having a good time regardless.

As suggested many of the campgrounds are not as one expects to find in the US although there are a few that are on par with if not a bit higher end than some US campgrounds. Stable power is often an issue at older campgrounds. So having a good power protection system is a must, you need something that shows you what the lower level is you are receiving. And cuts out when it gets to a level that is to low (which is most common) or to high. About every 8 days or so I would stay at commercial parks to flush tanks and do laundry etc and at all but 3, I ended up disconnecting from power & running off solar due to the power instability. Highly recommend taking advantage of laundry service at campgrounds if they have it. You will never see your clothing and bedding etc come back so well folded.

IOverlander is a must have. Download maps ahead of time. Cellular coverage is none exciting in a big part of Baja, found primarily in or near towns. Free wifi is slim to none. While beach camping it was pretty common to see about 75% of the campers using Star Link.

Had zero issues in regards to safety while camping or while going through Federal security checks along the way. Be polite and have your documents ready. Avoid potential issues by not carrying to much cash or to many charge cards around with you. Stash away extra cards and cash. You do though need to stock up on cash when in towns though as your going to need/want to pay for most of the beach camping and for water etc with it. Locals come around selling fresh fish and bread etc most days so cash is needed.

Join some of the Baja FB pages. Lots of good info and advise.

[21Airstream]

While I have no interest in leaving the Country, I can wholeheartedly recommend Toyo M55 tires. I’ve run BFG KO2’s in the past but being a Commercial tire I believe the M55’s are a superior tire (and I’m on my second set on our current TV, although I also ran them on our previous TV).

[safaridave]

The southern tip of Baja is a fantastic area to explore. We have made the drive from CA to La Paz twice, although without the AS behind our Grand Cherokee. Speaking Spanish is helpful, but there are many there who know Spanglish and you seldom have issues in conversing. We have found some beautiful places with iOverlander and highly recommend it as others here have. We carry a portable water purifier with us just in case, and typically buy bottled water when available. There is graft in Mexico among some law enforcement, so we always carry some $50 bills hidden away in case we get the Mexican shake down. Conversely, we met a Mexican Federale at one of the commonly found highway checkpoints, and ended up having dinner with him an his family that evening and made a long-term friend. Cabo is beautiful, but quite touristy. We prefer La Paz as it has similar coastal beauty, but a more down-home vibe. Most locals are friendly and there are innumerable places to get great food, your favorite tropical beverage, and take endless photos.

[Rango]

Originally Posted by Carlotta14

Heya thinking of taking a month down Cabo, any thoughts, experiences, suggestions ? Tia. M

WRT doing homework: have you looked into the advisories from the US State Department? Baja California has the second highest warning on its scale ("Reconsider Travel"). Baja Sur is considered incrementally safer, but you have to cover half the peninsula to reach that zone (450 miles) and another 600 miles to reach Cabo.

Here's guidance from the Canadian Government: https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/mexico

Here is an article in the LA Times on the subject published in 2023: https://www.latimes.com/travel/story...on”%20category.

Personally speaking, if Cabo were my objective, I'd fly. Airfare is relatively inexpensive and there are often great deals on hotels.

[Ginophiles]

Originally Posted by Rango

WRT doing homework: have you looked into the advisories from the US State Department? Baja California has the second highest warning on its scale ("Reconsider Travel"). Baja Sur is considered incrementally safer, but you have to cover half the peninsula to reach that zone (450 miles) and another 600 miles to reach Cabo.

Here's guidance from the Canadian Government: https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/mexico

Here is an article in the LA Times on the subject published in 2023: https://www.latimes.com/travel/story...on”%20category.

Personally speaking, if Cabo were my objective, I'd fly. Airfare is relatively inexpensive and there are often great deals on hotels.

Just anecdotally, it seems a lot of the warnings for Baja concern Tiajuana, which has always been a bit sketch. We have friends that live in San Felipe on the gulf side ~2 hours south of Mexicali and we make at least an annual trip down for the San Felipe 250 race in springtime. Don't tow the AS, but a cargo trailer with our RZR.

Driving through Mexicali is a shitshow, but once 10 miles or so south, it's a good highway without a lot of traffic. One military check point just north of San Felipe, that usually stops the locals more than us gringos.

Last spring we then drove down to Loreto from San Felipe, about 10-12 hours. The highway goes from OK to WTF and back again. On the steep climbs, there are no passing lanes, so everyone goes as fast as the slowest truck hauling concrete blocks.

We've never felt "unsafe" making the drive, but I'd say we never felt the same way we would driving down I5 on the US west coast. At home there is never the thought that cartel people or the local law enforcement might stop you for nefarious reasons. It does seem to be more of a possibility down there, though maybe not as common as stories would suggest.

Again, just our own anecdotal experiences.

[Squirrel44]

Originally Posted by Carlotta14

Heya thinking of taking a month down Cabo, any thoughts, experiences, suggestions ? Tia. M

I would not recommend doing this at the present time unless I went with a group and had very thoughtful plans for situational awareness. You can read them on the state.gov alerts. It is a very difficult time right now on the border and along the vertical (e.g. North-South corridors).

[Squirrel44]

Originally Posted by Rango

WRT doing homework: have you looked into the advisories from the US State Department? Baja California has the second highest warning on its scale ("Reconsider Travel"). Baja Sur is considered incrementally safer, but you have to cover half the peninsula to reach that zone (450 miles) and another 600 miles to reach Cabo.

Here's guidance from the Canadian Government: https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/mexico

Here is an article in the LA Times on the subject published in 2023: https://www.latimes.com/travel/story...on”%20category.

Personally speaking, if Cabo were my objective, I'd fly. Airfare is relatively inexpensive and there are often great deals on hotels.

I CANNOT AGREE MORE. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS especially this winter.

[Carlotta14]

Why especially this year ?

[JCRC]

Originally Posted by Carlotta14

Why especially this year ?

I'm curious too. Apparently I should have been mugged, bribed, kidnapped and killed by now. As a disabled veteran, I feel safer here in Baja Sur than I have for several years in the US. The people are wonderful, the food is amazing, the scenery is spectacular, etc, etc, etc. My only question to myself has been "why didn't I come sooner?". Because I watched the news too much. Everything to the south is scary and awful! Nope. In Canada, the US is crazy and dangerous. In the US, Mexico is crazy and dangerous. In Mexico, Guatemala is crazy and dangerous, etc, etc. Pay attention to your surroundings. If you are in the wrong place in the US, you could be a victim of violence. But people forget that, because they never go there. Like they never go to Mexico. Their loss. Be safe, have fun, life is for living.

[Andariego]

Originally Posted by Carlotta14

Heya thinking of taking a month down Cabo, any thoughts, experiences, suggestions ? Tia. M

If stopping in La Paz, at El Andariego RV Park be welcome.

[Peter417]

Originally Posted by JCRC

I'm curious too. Apparently I should have been mugged, bribed, kidnapped and killed by now. As a disabled veteran, I feel safer here in Baja Sur than I have for several years in the US. The people are wonderful, the food is amazing, the scenery is spectacular, etc, etc, etc. My only question to myself has been "why didn't I come sooner?". Because I watched the news too much. Everything to the south is scary and awful! Nope. In Canada, the US is crazy and dangerous. In the US, Mexico is crazy and dangerous. In Mexico, Guatemala is crazy and dangerous, etc, etc. Pay attention to your surroundings. If you are in the wrong place in the US, you could be a victim of violence. But people forget that, because they never go there. Like they never go to Mexico. Their loss. Be safe, have fun, life is for living.

Hey man, I talked you at the rally. I was just west of you. Very nice rig. My wife and I lived down in Ensenada for a summer building houses. That was almost 20 years ago. I can't wait to get back down there. I miss those tacos bad. Thanks for the inspiration.

[JCRC]

Originally Posted by Peter417

Hey man, I talked you at the rally. I was just west of you. Very nice rig. My wife and I lived down in Ensenada for a summer building houses. That was almost 20 years ago. I can't wait to get back down there. I miss those tacos bad. Thanks for the inspiration.

If you get here before March, tacos are on me!

[Peter417]

Originally Posted by JCRC

If you get here before March, tacos are on me!

2025 is going to be more of a build things year than a big travel year for us. I have been thinking about this trip everyday though. I am driving my wife crazy. Is this an annual event for you?
Our little Caravel is impractically small after about 4- 7 days. Additional accommodations are in the works though...

[JCRC]

Originally Posted by Peter417

2025 is going to be more of a build things year than a big travel year for us. I have been thinking about this trip everyday though. I am driving my wife crazy. Is this an annual event for you?
Our little Caravel is impractically small after about 4- 7 days. Additional accommodations are in the works though...

After 3 plus weeks here, we're already talking about making reservations for next year. It has been a great time so far. Our favorite fish taco place has even invited us to the company Christmas party. The mountain biking is incredible, and the water is warm. Our only downside is we have to leave.