Baja California Discovery Route
This is a 2 week ride to explore Baja Mexico
Dual Sport or Tough Guy Adventure Bike Ride down the length of Baja Mexico
San Diego to Cabo San Lucas and back!
The Baja California Peninsula stretches southward from the US border for nearly 800 miles. The deep blue Pacific Ocean surrounds it on the west and the emerald green waters of the Gulf of California wrap it on the east. Along Baja's 2,000+ miles of coast are deserted coves with pristine beaches and picturesque fishing villages. At the southern tip of Baja, at Cabo San Lucas, the Pacific and the Gulf of California meet. Rugged mountains go down the spine of the peninsula, creating some of the most spectacular riding spots in the world. The Baja climate varies from the cool climate similar to Southern California in the northwest, semi-arid mountainous regions in the interior, and semi-tropical areas along the southeastern coast. Baja is geographically isolated from the rest of Mexico which graces the area with unique varieties of plants found no place else on earth. The giant cordón cacti, cirio, and date palms that the Jesuits planted in the 17th century, and the mangrove thickets are just a few of the varieties found in Baja. The temperature can vary from summer highs topping 100°F to balmy winter temperatures in the seventies and eighties. The ideal time to travel in Baja is from late September to mid-June.
The Baja ride tram parked at Jardines
The ride starts near San Diego USA at the Tecate border and for 12 days takes backcountry routes to the tip of Baja at Cabo San Lucas. Then we take 3 days and return on the 2 lane paved Mexican HWY-1
This ride includes evening Hotels at: Mike’s Sky Rancho, San Quintín, Catavina, Ejido Bahía de Los Ángeles, Punta San Francisquito, San Ignacio, Laguna San Ignacio, Mulegé, Loreto, Ciudad Constitución, La Paz, and Cabo San Lucas.
This is a supported ride. Included with this ride is a support truck that will carry our overnight gear and will supply us with fuel at strategic checkpoints.
The pace for this ride is a little more relaxed with a focus on riding, discovery and experiencing the local Mexican culture. This is NOT a fast "Rip to the Tip" 7 day ride. Riders will group together with other comparable riders and navigate with the use of custom GPS.
About this ride
This ride is a collaboration from all the greatest Baja riders and minds. I myself have been collecting the best routes and adventures in Baja for years, but in addition, I have some Mexican friends that are fantastic riders and adventurers that have helped design this trip. Thanks Roberto CZ and yes, in addition to that, living here in southern California I have received much help and advice from American Baja experts too. Thanks Mike J.
So why am I so excited about this trip? It's because I will get to ride some of the best riding in the world and share it with several foreign friends. Riders joining us are from Mexico, Canada, and the USA. Anyone else?
How fun is that!
About the Routes
Riding for 2 weeks can be hard and long for even the best riders. I have worked hard to create daily options so that if a rider is fatigued or simply needs a break there are route options. Each day there are Easy, Main, and Hard options. There is also the possibility of following the Support Truck. In this way I am able to design routes that work well for riders on a range of bikes, from small dual sport bikes to adventure bikes. All riders do not take the same routes. Riders will group with others wanting similar experiences.
Self Guided Trail
This ride is designed to be a self guided adventure. Riders install a custom GPS microSD Card into their Garmin GPS unit. The routes are then displayed as the rider travels along. Navigation is made easy. Riders can choose to follow along at times or can choose among hard and easy options. Or riders can simply choose to ride off the routes and return to them later. For many, this allows them to just experience the trail without the burden of getting lost.
Note this is a 2 week dual sport or tough adventure bike ride.
If you are looking for a one week scenic Adventure style ride see:
Do this ride yourself: Purchase Rider Packet and GPS microSD Card for this ride
Note: A Full Rider Packet consists of printed ride descriptions and paper ride maps and a custom GPS microSD card for your Garmin or BMW GPS unit.
Baja California Discovery Route Choice (Scroll Down Menu)
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Notes: I suggest you plan and order early. Normally I ship within a week. But sometimes I run out and it can take me several weeks to get new cards and maps. And sometimes I am out riding and building new adventures so that can be hard too. I list the Option for 2 SD cards because many riders like to carry a backup card or a cheap backup GPS in the event of unforeseen circumstances.
Ride Details
I know many of you also enjoy dreaming about the ride and making plans, so here is the detail
View the ride maps
OK since many of you like to study more detail about the ride, below are the ride maps.
I put these ride maps on the web page because I know a few of you love looking at the ride detail and dreaming about the ride. At first glance these maps do not look so impressive, but they are way cool. If you start zooming in, you can see the ride in incredible detail. I have spent a ton of hours sorting through the details of the ride for each day, so for those of you that enjoy this sort of thing, well enjoy!
Legend:
The Blue lines are MAIN routes
The Red lines are Harder routes
The Green lines are Easy options
The Black lines are the out and back viewpoints
FAQ's
Q: What bikes are good for this ride?
A: Dual Sport and Adventure bikes can work well. The routes have options suited for both types of bikes.
Not recommended are big heavy adventure bikes unless you are an excellent rider and good in sand.
Q: What gas distance range should my bike have?
A: I would suggest that on some days you carry enough fuel to make 200 miles due to the fact that sometimes the route can have issues and it is good to have a little margin.
Q: What is the total distance of this ride?
A: The main back road 12 day section to Cabo is 1,569 miles and the 3 day return route is 1,022 miles. (2,591 miles total)
Q: Do I need a Passport?
A: Yes, we will be crossing the US and Mexican borders; both countries require passports.
Q: What are motel room arrangements?
A: Rooms are double occupancy, meaning each rider shares a two queen bed room with another rider.
Q: How does the ride navigation work?
This is a self-led GPS ride; all riding is on your own. You are responsible for your own riding. You will be given a GPS map file and instructions on how to use your Garmin GPS unit. People will hook up in small groups of less than 6 riders and tend to ride together. You are not encouraged to ride alone. You are responsible for your own riding and yourself.
(see my ride Navigation Video)
Q: How do I make the GPS stuff so easy?
I develop very high quality ride maps custom for our ride. They come from much of what I and others have ridden. I take the best from all my rides and make new ones.
(See my Custom Ride Maps Video)
Q; What do I do if I don't have a Garmin GPS?
A: Buy one, you need it. We will show you how to use it. You can get a great one for under $200 bucks.
(See gpsKevin's gps recommendations)
Q: Is the riding really on my own?
A: Yes, but everyone hooks up and rides with a friend, or a new friend or me.
Q: Will I do this ride again next year?
A: No, sorry, I hardly ever repeat rides as I love to develop and discover new places and rides each season. And I have a long dream list of rides now. So this is likely the only time for this ride. Remember: Every time we say no to a ride that is one less ride in life
Q: Do I need insurance?
A: Yes, you must carry proof of medical insurance and liability insurance for yourself/motorcycle.
Q: Would this be a good ride for new riders?
A: No, this ride is for intermediate and experienced riders only. The riding has easy route choices and tough route options. Each evening we will study the following day's choices. You will find lots of supportive people at the ride.
Are you right for this ride?
When something goes wrong on a ride, would your riding friends say that you are more likely to need help or more likely to give help? You should be in the more likely to offer help camp. This ride is filled with riders that are more likely to give help, so most of the time the riders never need help. Additionally there is all the normal stuff: come prepared to maintain your bike, fix your bike on the trail, repair flat tires, deal with bad weather and rain and make a joke or two.