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Current temperatures in Baja?

Old 12-24-09, 01:38 PM
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Current temperatures in Baja?

Hi,
I want to know what temperatures (max. min. average) to expect in January in Baja California.
I am planning to cycle Baja from Tijuana to Los Cabos, starting on early January. I have read different blogs and stories about the trip and some people say it gets "cold" in the desert at night, but I have never found a clear statement about how cold it gets... how many degrees?
Cheers.
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Old 12-24-09, 03:55 PM
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I can't tell you exactly what temperature to expect, but it won't be freezing as in pull-out-all-the-winter-woolies temps. It will be pleasant during the day and you'll need a semi-decent sleeping bag at night. We enjoyed siting around a campfire in the evening if we could find firewood.
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Old 12-24-09, 06:11 PM
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google "tijuana weather averages" & "cabo san lucas weather averages" and you'll get links to actual data. Obviously there's a difference between northern Baja and southern Baja.
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Old 12-24-09, 06:30 PM
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The current temperature in La Paz is 68 degrees F.
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Old 12-24-09, 06:40 PM
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Thanks for the quick replies!
I am more worried about the desert temps. than the cities': and it's hard to find an estimate of those.
Nancy sv: did you travel there on Jan? What's a semi-decent sleeping bag? Would you say a 32F/0C rated would make it? Or something warmer?
Regards,
a.
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Old 12-24-09, 06:49 PM
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Touring In Northern Baja in December and January I have had frozen water bottles in the Sierra Juarez Mountains at 5000 feet on the way to Laguna Hanson [Parque Nacional Constitucion de 1857]. This is between Tecate at the border and San Felipe on the Sea of Cortez. Away from the mountains and closer to sea level night temps were in the 40F with day temps upwards of 70F.

Moving over to the Pacific coast South of Ensenada climbing from San Telmo up to the observatory at Parque Nacional de Sierra De Pedro Martir [Picacho Del Diablo] there was snow at higher elevations near road end at over 9000 feet. The sign on the road to the observatory warned of snow drifts closing the road and trapping visitors. At lower levels daytime temps of 70 degrees was common but can change rapidly downward if a storm front passes through.

Farther South along the Sea of Cortez between Puertocitos to Bahia de Los Angeles and on to Santa Rosalia/Mulege and Loreto temps can be pleasantly warm except cooler in the mountain crossing from Guerrero Negro to Santa Rosalia.

I have always taken a sleeping bag with a lower temp rating than average temperature charts might suggest. Camping near the ocean or the Sea of Cortez requires at least a tarp for the heavy dew at times in my experience on a bike or in a kayak.
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Old 12-25-09, 08:44 AM
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Originally Posted by glicerico
Thanks for the quick replies!
I am more worried about the desert temps. than the cities': and it's hard to find an estimate of those.
Nancy sv: did you travel there on Jan? What's a semi-decent sleeping bag? Would you say a 32F/0C rated would make it? Or something warmer?
Regards,
a.
Unless you are planning to stay up in the mountains, a 32F/0C bag should be fine. We crossed the border the day after Thanksgiving and took the ferry to Mazatlan about January 5 or 6.
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Old 02-04-10, 12:58 AM
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my own experience

Well, I just came back from this Baja trip, so I can give temperatures from my own experiences.
It was generally warm and sunny in the daytime, sometimes above 30° Celsius. The nights were cooler the more north we were, but we never went below freezing point, even when we slept at 2800 meters above sea level in the Observatorio Nacional (where there was actually some snow, but the days we were there were around 3°Celsius). So the minimum we got along the "Highway 1" was 2° Celsius at night, according to my thermometer, and it happened around 150 kilometers south of Ensenada.
We started in Tijuana on Jan 4th and finished in San José del Cabo on Jan 31st.
Regards,
a.
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Old 02-05-10, 05:57 PM
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Glicerico,
Good to hear about your trip. I'm doing a similar trip in 3 weeks - Tecate to Cabo.
Any thing you'd like to pass on surprised you or was unexpected?
Thanks, W
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Old 02-17-10, 08:34 AM
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a couple tips

Originally Posted by Btflmutant
Glicerico,
Good to hear about your trip. I'm doing a similar trip in 3 weeks - Tecate to Cabo.
Any thing you'd like to pass on surprised you or was unexpected?
Thanks, W
We rode the "carretera 1" from Tijuana to La Paz and the road is kind of bad, with some parts in bad shape and almost the whole peninsula without a shoulder. I don't know about Tecate - Ensenada but from Ensenada to San Quintín the traffic is heavy and there are some ******* drivers who will aggresively hunk at you. Carrying a mirror is a great help for this kind of road, so you can see how many vehicles are passing you in line and how near they are.
Contrary to what we thought, we were able to find drinking water and food almost every day, even in the Desierto Central. The longest stretch without these was 60 kms.
Stealth camping is not only easy but also beautiful, just beware the many thorns you will find off the highway: carry some spare tubes.
Decent bike shops are non-existent inbetween Ensenada and La Paz, something like 1200 kms, so bring spares for those uncommon and important parts of your bike.
People is in general very friendly, so don't feel afraid to ask to sleep in someone's land.
You will find a loooooot of RV's full with gringos.

Have a nice trip
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Old 02-19-10, 06:09 PM
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wunderground.com

Wunderground.com is a great tool for planning a trip in an unknown area. It can provide weather, precipitation, highs, lows, etc.

use the trip planner and put in your expected dates of travel.

Just used it for my trip down the PCH.
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Old 02-22-10, 04:46 PM
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Glicerico, Thanks for the tips - that's exactly the kind of insider info I was looking for.
Cheers,
Will
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