route From Mexicali, San Luis and Los Algodones HWY 5

I just did this in May. As you approach the border, stay LEFT. You will see covered parking and a building on the LEFT. Park in the covered lot and enter the building through the door that is NOT marked immigration. There should be an officer in there, if not he will be there momentarily. I always get my FMM on-line and just get it stamped but easy to get it there, too. Make sure you have your passport.
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Mary
, what I tell my family and friends when they come to visit me here south of San Felipe: enter through the fence in the left lane, you will see a covered parking area. Park there, even with towing a trailer, go into the big white building next to the parking area. As you enter the building, turn left and you will see the Immigration agent at a desk. He will do your FMMs for you. Try to have exact change(depends on exchange rate, just don't expect change) It takes 5 minutes, never a line. (Sometimes before 8 am you have to look for an agent, per my adult grand daughter) Get your FMM stamped (pay attention here), leave the building, get in your vehicle and proceed to the Custom Agents! Safe travels!

If East crossing is what you choose, the immigration office for your FMM is to the right as you pass through customs. When you get to the guard shack/stop sign, tell the guard you need tourist visa (don't shoot the messenger, I know it's not a visa, but this was the only wording I could use to make him understand). He will move the cone so you can drive around to the right. Park in the lot & walk back to the big building. If you need to pay, the bank is in the small offices in that same parking lot.
Heading south at Calexico East - red asterisk is where INM building is, red circle is guard shack, blue line is route to take, yellow asterisk is where the bank is. Safe travels to all!

You can cross west with a trailer. Stay on the left. Don't pull in the parking lot with a big trailer because you can't turn around. Stay far left.

Went down on the west couple weeks ago. No problem pulling 27 trailer/boat. FMM stamp by short walk to building on left. Came back east. Stay to very right on east exit as next one over to left is too tight for trailering. I scrapped the yellow pylons going through with my boat trailer.

From Hwy 5 turn right at the Kenworth sign. Follow that all the way to border wall turn right follow the road towards the entrance bypass the cars waiting in line. Go towards the truck crossing and make a u-turn one block. Then you'll get in the general lane. Hope that helps.
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Michael Sku
Stay in the right hand lane after the underpass on hwy5 the Kenworth sign is at the next light. I travel by land marks

facebook wrote:

This link will take you to the Discover Baja directions to Mexicali East - very clear with pictures. I was even able to to to surface Google Maps, put the little man down on the streets and follow it. Pay attention to the very end where they explain that the approach to the actual lanes are as follows: The first sign is for general auto traffic, but there is a sign that says SENTRI that directs you just beyond the first turn-off. You will see two lanes on your right divided by concrete barriers. The first one is the "READY" lane and the one just to the left of it is "SENTRI". The following directions are VERY clear. Good luck.

One word of caution about the Discover Baja directions. These direct you from Hwy 5 so that you approach the crossing lanes from the East and make a right turn into them. If you're approaching from the West you will have to make a left turn against oncoming traffic which looks iffy and not sure how they are controlling this. I would follow the advice of Michael Skurka above and continue East to the left turn lane, make a U and come back to the lane entrances. CAUTION: Also be aware that making a left turn from the West will head you directly into the "SENTRI/READY" lanes only whereas the access to the general lane is a right-hand curve that you can only approach from the East.

facebook post wrote:I crossed over at San Luis and thought it much easier that Mexicali. No need to drive thru Yuma any longer. !95 south to San Luis is a piece of cake, very good road and the border is one block fm Hwy 2 to Mexicali. When you get off the 2 and on the 5, you have to make a right hand turn, go a block or two and make a U-Turn on 5 to head towards S.F...I think this is the easiest route and I was driving a 38ft Diesel pusher.

facebook post wrote:Raul Goodman Yes but you can go by the 98 freeway. Any way Is just and advice. I live in Mexicali if you need something

facebook wrote: if you decide to take the San Luis toll rds. be careful at the second toll booth as you are forced to make a right turn but then have to do a uturn .. you'll be able to see the trucks from the toll doing it with no problem, then proceed under the concreate under pass to San Felipe... safe travels.. also do not drive these roads at night... toll rds are the safest...

facenbook wrote: San Luis toll RD. there are 2 toll fees one at one end and the other as you take a weird turn to back track under an over pass... look for the sign to San Felipe

facebook wrote:Take road 8 out of Loa Algodones, west to ejido Lázaro Cárdenas, South to 6 west and it merges with 2 west. Funky turn around when you get to 5.

facebook wrote: Folks. We are heading south through Mexicali & hit 5 to San Felipe. Then on south to 1 and Mulege in mid Nov. what is a nice economical motel in San Felipe for a night. Thanks

Elizabeth blue sky before you get into town. just after 1st gas station on right.
s Drc El capitán downtown just one block from the malecon 500 pesos is like 29 dlls...not a great place but enough to spend one night




Sally On Highway 5 last motel on the left going out of town heading south. Clean and cheap. It is painted aqua green,think the name is San Francisco motel or similar. We've stayed there a few times. Nice views.

Ralph SGroup Moderator Sally, do yu mean hwy 5....and south or north of San Felipe.


Sally South of San Felipe, one of the last businesses on Hwy Five going out of San Felipe. Sorry I meant Hwy Five.

Since early 2014, the highway from San Felipe - Mexicali has been in great shape as all road construction has been completed. You can easily complete the drive in 2 hours maximum.

Video filmed starting in San Felipe by the arches in downtown and cruising along the San Felipe - Mexicali Highway 5 all the way to the US - Mexico border (Calexico-Easter border crossing).
http://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports/cale...

The Video includes important tips that will get you to the new border crossing in Mexicali, popularly called "Calexico East."

We recommend you take the Calexico East border crossing because it generally has less wait times than "Calexico West".  Of course, if you want to shorten wait times to the barest minimum, then best to get the border by 8AM, or after 8PM.  

From San Felipe to Mexicali, you will be travelling on Highway 5.  It's difficult to get lost here, however, when you get to Mexicali, there are a few turns you want to be aware of.  Especially if you plan to use Calexico East crossing.

First important turn is to make sure you make a right turn right after the Kenworth dealership in Mexicali.  There is no good road sign alerting you to make a right for the border, but watch the video and make a mental note.

TIP: Once you get on to "Calzada Abelardo L Rodriguez" avenue, you will be driving along the border fence.  Stay within the traffic limits here as Mexican cops are known to frequent this road and catch speeding motorist.  tendency

favebook wrote: So most people are going to cross during the day and get to at least San Filipe depending on how long they've been driving before they hit the border. If you go early AM, you can easily do Border to Guerrero Negro in about 8 hours. From San Filipe, it's 6 hours.

facebook post wrote:
San Filipe - Hotel de Los Angeles South end of town before the marina BIG 3 story building GREEN with yellow accents. Have kitchenettes, decent wifi, ocean views about $600 p a night

Guerrerro Negro : TerraSAL (not sol) edge of town off the Hwy. Has a nice restaurant on site. $650 p per night

Mulege: Hotel Serenidad - South edge of town off the hwy (not downtown) Funky cool place from the 50's Has pool, restaurant, etc about $1200 p per night

Constitutcion - Mumbi - South edge of town just on the outskirts (right side you will pass some industrial bldgs like one of the beer companies) has parking garages for your vehicle. about $900 p per night

La Paz - Hacienda del Sol - Inner Bay, just down the road from the PeMex at the 3 points. Studios - 2 bedroom casitas, pool, walk to the Bay not sure on the nightly rate (info@hacienda-sol.com )

I go south on Rio nuevo, (just south of the POE, and then take Teran Teran. And bypass all the traffic. U will come out right by the mexicali Costco.

facebook wrote:Mexicali east. far left lane is Sentri. middle lanes for "ready lanes" (passport card), and far right 2 lanes for normal crossing.

Aerial Views of Baja California Norte Mex 5 Construction. Video captured in mid March 2016. Also shown are some clips of Gonzaga Bay and the mountains and Sea of Cortez, north of San Filipe.

This video was primarily done for the purpose of showing the status of the Mex 5 construction zone. As you can see, it seems that most bridges and culverts are nearly done but there are still hills to knock through and flat sections of the new road that still needs to be blazed. The video has been sped up in some sections which accounts for some jerkiness.

They will be saved 4 hours from the capital you can travel to South Peninsula

This year SCT connect with Mexicali- Transpeninsular Highway Laguna Chapala

SCT press release
MEXICALI.-With the construction of five bridges and placing asphalt in 30.9 kilometers. This year will be achieved interconnect the Transpeninsular Highway with the road Mexicali- Laguna Chapala, stretch Puertecitos - Laguna Chapala.

During a tour of work by the southern state, headed by the Director General of the Center SCT Baja California Padrés Alfonso Pesqueira, could see the progress of the work.

He explained that investment in 2016 will be about 290 million pesos, with resources hundred percent of the Government of the Republic.


Transpeninsular1The length of the bridges to build varies according to the characteristics of the basin.

The first structure is designed to 32 meters in length, The You drag VI is 80 meters, Turquoise I and II will have a length of 65 meters and 108 meters Laguna Chapala bridge.

the asphalt will also place since 2015 works were carried out earthworks, as a strategy to move forward and seize the equipment required to breach as inhospitable as it is the desert of Baja California land.

Pesqueira said Padrés have confidence in the tourism and economic growth corridor Sea of ​​Cortez, this new road also be a new option to reach the northern border, savings of up to 4 hours generated.

Transpeninsular3"At the beginning of the administration was the indication Move to Mexico, achieving the objective esteremos build roads that generate greater security and contribute to the free movement of people," said the Head of the Center SCT, BC

We drove the route From Mexicali to the East Cape in November.           It was lovely to avoid all the freight trucks and congestion between Ensenada and El Rosario. 
The road south of San Felipe is old, but paved; be cautious of speed, as some of the dips are pretty exciting.
From Puertecitos to Bahia San Luis Gonzaga (and Alfonsina’s) it’s new pavement and quite good.  There’s a short, few kM, section still unpaved from the end of pavement to Gonzaga.  Alfonsina’s a historic stop on this route and has good clean rooms and good food.
From Gonzaga to Mex 1 is 30(?) miles of rough rocky road, with the last 8 miles being the worst.  Our traveling friend got two flats at the same time on his F150.  Good news is that there’s a llantera where this road intersect Mex 1.  Plan on 2 hours.  You should stop at Coco’s Corner on the way out and have a beer with the legendary Coco.  You might be wise to disconnect the dune buggy and drive it thru this section.  We drove a 2006 Subaru Outback with no problem.  When we return north in a couple weeks, we’ll take the same route.  Buena suerte.  Ron