HW1 cut to san filipe then to mexicali

I just drove the unpaved section of Hwy 5 south of Gonzaga to the intersection of Hwy 5 and Hwy 1 both directions. I drove a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee and did not deflate my tires as they are filled with Nitrogen (a CostCo thing). I went down 04/15/15 and came back 04/21/15. The section I am talking about is 23 miles.

From the end of the pavement to Coco's is 9.3 miles of pretty good dirt road. There are sections that are washboard and others that are not. From Coco's to Hwy 1 is 14 miles. A mile or so out of Coco's is pretty good and they it gets a little rocky through the first set of mountains. Most of this was doable at 10 miles a hour. There are some sections one must slow down on, mostly the peaks of the road, and other sections are pretty good. Once out of the mountains towards Hwy 1 it is pretty good sailing. I made the whole trip in 1 hour and 5 minutes. No flats, nothing broke and I still have all my teeth. I met about 4 empty big rigs on this road when I was headed down and two when I was headed back, all were easy to get by when I just stopped and let let roll past.

You do not need 4x4


Washboard, some parts have rocks on the road, so simply slow down the first 23 miles and enjoy the pretty drive and a nice change of scenery.

13 miles of dirt to Coco's Corner (stop & introduce yourself) -

10 miles of dirt road to pavement after Coco's

Hour and a half should to the dirt portion.

Once on pavement it's about 90 easy miles to San Felipe. As you leave Puertecitos (spell checker gonna get me I think) and you see a sign for a dip "Vado" you better slow down.

a. Drove the route (with our truck and camper) on our return home and thoroughly enjoyed it, although the 51 miles of rough unpaved road (and I mean rough!) can be a bit tedious. It took us just over 4 hours to drive the section between Hwy 1 and where the new pavement begins south of Puertecitos. Clearance is not an issue, it is just potholes and rocks that make the going slow. Roughly 1.5 hrs to Coco's Corner, another 1.45 hrs to Rancho Grande (Diesel and Gas available) and then about another 45 mins. or so to the new pavement south of Puertecitos. The new pavement to Puertecitos is probably the best in Baja! From Puertecitos to San Felipe the pavement is OK but there are dips you have to watch for that accommodate water during run-off periods. San Felipe to Mexicali is good and quick. Crossing at Mexicali took us about an hour.
We would definitely do this again, you just have to be patient through the 51 miles of rough, slow going road. We lowered our tire pressure to 45lbs. and that made it easier. Overall, a good experience and beat going through all that traffic and congestion on Mex 1 north of San Quentin. Just remember the 51 miles of unpaved road is remote with little or no services so be prepared.
Please feel free to ask any questions and we will do our best to answer. ghwm@shaw.ca
cheers, Gord and Catie