Southern California - Naiive Question : Biking in Baja?

I've seen some old websites display anecdotes of cycling in Baja. From what it seems, it appears that the highway is too narrow to go safely down south.

My question is, how far down south can you get into Baja California? Is it even possible to make it to Cabo San Lucas?

I have a road bike.

In my experiences traveling in Baja, I would say this is not a good idea anymore. Especially solo. The main highway is, as you guessed, very dangerous to travel on a bicycle. I would say that it may be doable on an expedition type touring bike if you go down the gulf side and speak good Spanish. You'll be on some poorly paved and dirt/gravel roads, but the remote areas are very lovely and most of the residents of the various fishing villages and towns are good people. Still, it's not the safest. We always feared the police & gov rather than locals or drug runners.

If you have to ask, that probably means that you're not familiar enough with Mexico for this to be a good idea.

I'd have to add my support for both the above. Robertkat sounds more familiar with some of the back roads than I, as most of my experience is with Hwy 1. Some beautiful country which I'd like to bike myself sometime, but there's no way in hell I'd ride Hwy 1. Road hardly has enough width to allow trucks to pass going opposite directions, let alone vehicles and a cyclist. But then, I read about people riding it in touring forums from time to time.

Might look into what the roads are like down the west coast of the mainland to Mazatlan and take the ferry across to LaPaz.

Dude, the answer is unequivocably NO! We live an hour from the border and wouldn't even think about driving down there, much less biking! Tijuana is the Wild Wild West. They are taking cars, trailers, boats, etc. We used to drive down to Ensenada all the time but no more! There is absolutely no safety there anymore. You won't find a single person to tell you otherwise. My surfer friends that were always heading down South stopped going too.

Never do it.

Cops are corrupt. If you go to jail on some BS charge, the Consulate won't even be able to help you. You get hurt, you'll have to pay a bribe to get out of a Mexican hospital.

[QUOTE=Accordion;10633873 Tijuana is the Wild Wild West. They are taking cars, trailers, boats, etc.[/QUOTE]

I read in a newspaper not long ago about armed robbers robbing some people in an airport in Baja and stealing even their plane. Unbelievable, some of the stuff going on there right now.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3432/3185807565_268df9e443.jpg
Agree that bicycles on hwy1 are not a good idea.

But, I do know of some crazies who actually live and bicycle around the Ensenada area. One guy I know has had dozens of USA visitors to Ensenada since 2008 and none of them has ever had a problem with criminals or cops. :D

Dude, the answer is unequivocably NO! We live an hour from the border and wouldn't even think about driving down there, much less biking! Tijuana is the Wild Wild West. They are taking cars, trailers, boats, etc. We used to drive down to Ensenada all the time but no more! There is absolutely no safety there anymore. You won't find a single person to tell you otherwise. My surfer friends that were always heading down South stopped going too.

Never do it.
Thanks for the tip! I had no idea that I've been in such danger.

I would imagine if you called the U.S. Counsulate in Mexico, you would get an earful.

Thanks for the tip! I had no idea that I've been in such danger.

No problem. Being unaware of what's going on around them is usually what gets people in trouble.

No problem. Being unaware of what's going on around them is usually what gets people in trouble.
No, it's usually drinking or thinking that you're in a strange place and can get away with things you wouldn't do at home.

No, it's usually drinking or thinking that you're in a strange place and can get away with things you wouldn't do at home.

You could try to tell that to my friend from Chapman University. 4 years ago he was sober, riding his motorcycle in Baja when he was rammed from behind by some guys that wanted his bike. He was thrown from the bike and severely damaged his ankle. They stole the bike and left him there. He was transported to the local hospital where they amputated his leg below the knee. No joke. Baja is just a WONDERFUL place.

You could try to tell that to my friend from Chapman University. 4 years ago he was sober, riding his motorcycle in Baja when he was rammed from behind by some guys that wanted his bike. He was thrown from the bike and severely damaged his ankle. They stole the bike and left him there. He was transported to the local hospital where they amputated his leg below the knee. No joke. Baja is just a WONDERFUL place.

C'mon, are you serious?

No offense, but while I'm not necessarily an advocate of Baja travel, this story sounds a bit over the top. Sorta like the false rumors about the guy who gets drunk with a girl in Las Vegas and wakes up in a icy bath tub with stitches where his kidney use to be.


I have no doubt that any event this sensational would have been reported in the media. How about giving us a link to the story about your "friend" as reported in a newspaper for confirmation.

[still no link ... yeah, thought so!!]

C'mon, are you serious?

No offense, but while I'm not necessarily an advocate of Baja travel, this story sounds a bit over the top. Sorta like the false rumors about the guy who gets drunk with a girl in Las Vegas and wakes up in a icy bath tub with stitches where his kidney use to be.

I have no doubt that any event this sensational would have been reported in the media. How about giving us a link to the story about your "friend" as reported in a newspaper for confirmation.

I saw a story on television recently about a family of four from San Diego who went thru hell in Baja while returning from some auto race. I mean, their story was pure hell!

I think Baja of today is totally different from the Baja of maybe, fifteen twenty years ago.

I saw a story on television recently about a family of four from San Diego who went thru hell in Baja while returning from some auto race. I mean, their story was pure hell!

I think Baja of today is totally different from the Baja of maybe, fifteen twenty years ago.

Luc, I agree with you that Baja has changed a bit over the years, but so has LA. I did post-grad work in downtown LA over 20 years ago, and would take a bus from classes in the evening. I wouldn't dream of doing that now.

Admittedly the narco corruption has worked its way into some of the border towns that have the lucrative drug routes. Although I've been into Baja over 50 times over the last 20+ years, I would now avoid places like Tijuana while the country tries to clean it up.

I just returned yesterday from the Rosarito-Ensenada bike ride (50 miles) and it was a fantastic experience. I stayed 2 nights in Ensenada with my son and a couple of his 20-something friends. We felt very safe, and experienced tremendous hospitality. The weekend before I rode a motorcycle to the town of Rosarito Beach for a charity run with a couple hundred bikers. Again a teriffic time, with a community that really laid out the red carpet.

Ultimately, visiting Mexico is always about understanding its culture, showing respect and decency, and exhibiting good judgment. Are there places to avoid in Mexico? Unquestionably, just like there are places to avoid in the U.S....

I saw a story on television recently about a family of four from San Diego who went thru hell in Baja while returning from some auto race. I mean, their story was pure hell!

I think Baja of today is totally different from the Baja of maybe, fifteen twenty years ago.

I remember reading about this a couple of years ago - they had at least $125,000 worth of camper and dune buggies with them.

Driving through Mexico with that much stuff has never been a good idea - it's just become much worse in the last several years.

I had a great time in Ensanada, but I got there by boat. I've been in seemingly sketchier areas in the states. That highway seems like it would be one of the worst to ride on, however.

One of the things that bothered me bout the San Diego family's experience was that it looked like a set-up, in that the hotel/motel where they were supposed to spend the night before making the last leg of their trip back home to San Diego suddenly told them no rooms, despite calling in and confirming their reservation earlier.

Of course, they had to continue their drive on to San Diego. Then it happened. They said the robbers almost appeared to be in police vehicles. Complete with siren and strobes. Now, that is scary!

Methinks tha motel people were working with the robbers/cops.

By the way, I agree that there are places in LA I would not dare go in broad daylight.

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/851/img0607fn4.jpg

Way cool, Nacho.

For those who don't know, that very large statue of Jesus is just outside Rosarito Beach overlooking the highway that is used for the Rosarito-Ensenada ride....

I rode 250 miles from San Diego to El Rosario back in March 2009. One of our crew rode all the way to La Paz solo. Yes, the road is narrow, but we never encountered any close calls with autos or buses. Everyone was very respectful. There were four of us from SD -> El Rosario. There is a ton of traffic between SD and Enseneda, but once on the other side of Enseneda it really thins out.

Never any issues from police or Federales. We were waved through all checkpoints and our tourist cards were never asked for or examined. Many people cheered us on as we passed by shouting "La Paz! La Paz!"... they were excited when we nodded 'Yes' (even though only one of us was going the full distance). Most of the local men we spoke with appreciated the machismo of the adventure.

Most people spoke enough English for us to get by. There were a few small towns where we did more finger pointing and gesturing than actual speaking. Our collective knowledge of Spanish was primitive but we managed.

The single greatest danger was road debris and sewers that were missing grates. It was necessary to keep a good eye on the road. 2 of us had mountain bikes and 2 had road bikes. Over 5 days only one road bike got a flat. I would suggest kevlar threaded tires as there are cactus thorns.

http://www.bicycletourmexico.com

172593 172594172595172596

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_970.html

Who would want to ride a bike in Mexico. I think Afghanistan or Iraq would be a better choice of places to ride. If you want to get the Mexico feeling when riding, just ride through Santa Ana or Orange.

I rode 250 miles from San Diego to El Rosario back in March 2009. One of our crew rode all the way to La Paz solo. Yes, the road is narrow, but we never encountered any close calls with autos or buses. Everyone was very respectful. There were four of us from SD -> El Rosario. There is a ton of traffic between SD and Enseneda, but once on the other side of Enseneda it really thins out.

Never any issues from police or Federales. We were waved through all checkpoints and our tourist cards were never asked for or examined. Many people cheered us on as we passed by shouting "La Paz! La Paz!"... they were excited when we nodded 'Yes' (even though only one of us was going the full distance). Most of the local men we spoke with appreciated the machismo of the adventure.

Most people spoke enough English for us to get by. There were a few small towns where we did more finger pointing and gesturing than actual speaking. Our collective knowledge of Spanish was primitive but we managed.

The single greatest danger was road debris and sewers that were missing grates. It was necessary to keep a good eye on the road. 2 of us had mountain bikes and 2 had road bikes. Over 5 days only one road bike got a flat. I would suggest kevlar threaded tires as there are cactus thorns.

http://www.bicycletourmexico.com

172593 172594172595172596

Fun!