Date: 2/26/22
Current Status: open
Additional Details:
fun entry to Baja for us. We ran this almost in its entirety starting from Ensenada side to rumarosa (backwards). Plus some Diversion south to Bahia de Los Angeles.
a couple points: this is mostly decent roads and highway with nice trips into the backcountry here and there and might be more functional as an introduction to a huge varied swath of Baja than a rugged overlanding adventure.
there were a few spots where the trail as marked was no longer there ( I suspect some large farms have popped up in the years since this was last run) but with a little routefinding and any atlas or app with downloaded maps it should be fine. We never had to make any significant diversions that would tap out your gas supply etc.
There was one locked ranch gate entering the technical trail that connected Rancho de Meling to the road to mikes sky Rancho. The rancher asked for 200 pesos and I bargained him down to 80. No idea what others pay for this “toll” or if it’s consistent. Don’t try to get around this taking the Baja dark skies dirt road to the east. It is marked prominently as dead end and one way, not the through road as marked on our atlas.
Mikes sky Rancho is closed currently. No services that I can tell. But we filled our water.
The road to mikes from the south is burly for a stock pickup. We have a new generation stock ford ranger on 32” wheels and we have done a fair amount of technical rock crawling and off-roading - punching above the weight of this truck. However it is sustained technical, with our rig needs a handful of spots of mild trail building. I still got High centered once sliding off a ramp I built in loose rock. I was using my 4L and locker regularly climbing this. Definitely Stimulating. And almost no turnaround spots. Going downhill instead (remember we were doing trail backwards) would be much easier but prepare to take some underbody hits unless you have the lift and tires recommended in the description. The road north of sky Rancho was much easier, no technical terrain.
The other spots that was listed as technical Along one of the dry lakes “deep sand and boulders, may need winch” seems odd. We drove across the dry playa on the labeled trail and didn’t see boulders for miles in any direction. Sand was a little soft to feel like a sprinter would be fine but it might. It certainly wasn’t deep. Dunno what that trail warning referred to. There are a couple Large farms in those hills. Maybe the roads Have been upgraded in the last years?
The parque 1857 was very snowy and had sustained mud/puddle wading from snowmelt, mud, and ruts. Definitely 4x4 terrain. Several Stranded Mexican cars noted. One sedan made it to top but I am sure they came from south which is much easier and might be ok. From the north it is a water park road to get there and has miles of sustained mud and wading. This may be unseasonably wet from the cold front that blew through last week which might have dumped all that snow. Would not do the north side without 4wd. Or go when it dries out. For all I know that might be next week though. In general the road looks like they probably grade it regularly so again I suspect this is unseasonably wet.