Driving road to Parque Nacional Sierra De San Pedro Martir...

Contrary to most articles that you'll read on the internet, the road from Baja California Federal Highway 1 to Parque Nacional Sierra De San Pedro Martir is a well maintained, well-engineered, paved road. Because it's a mountain road, its curvy, narrow and steep, yet its not a problem for all but the largest vehicles, and could be negotiated easily by all but the largest of motorhomes. From the turn off at Highway 1 to the end of the road, at the observatory high in the Sierra de San Pedro Martir, it's exactly a distance of 100 km, and probably could be driven safely in about 2-1/2 hours.

Photo: Unless you're asleep at the wheel, you can't miss the turn-off from Highway 1, as its plainly marked.

This is the road that you will travel, if you're planning on visiting picturesque Meling Ranch, or Parque Nacional Sierra De San Pedro Martir, as roads are few and far between in this part of Baja California. The turnoff is about 85 miles south of Ensenada, and a little over 30 miles south of the small town of San Vicente, and is marked by a rustic sign that reads "Parque Nacional Sierra De San Pedro Martir," and is also marked from the highway by one of the big, green highway signs, which are very common in Mexico. The actual place on the highway where the road takes off is known as San Miguelito, but there are no signs to mark the location, and the actual first town that you'll encounter is EJ San Telmo, which is just a few miles east of the junction. If this description sounds complicated, that's just the way it sounds, as the turn off and the national park are really easy to find.

Photo: The small, very forgettable village of EJ San Telmo.

Photo: Workers harvest onions the hard way, in an onion field between EJ San Telmo and Sinaloa. Note the '70's vintage Peterbilt tractor and the large sacks of onions, which are loaded into the trailer by hand.

The road winds east through a canyon, and makes several crossings over a seasonal creek, before reaching EJ San Telmo. There's nothing remarkable about San Telmo, and no reason to stop, as its just a small, dusty collection of houses, a few stores, a church, and a long-abandoned motel. EJ San Telmo is a farming town, and many of the workers work in the fields, specifically onion fields, located between San Telmo and Sinaloa, a few miles to the east.

Photo: The small village of Sinaloa, looking east toward Sierra San Pedro De Martir, in the background.

East of Sinaloa, the road enters the foothills and begins to twist, turn and climb, as it makes its way toward its eventual destination of the observatory, located within the national park. Near km 52, the signed dirt road that leads to Ranch El Coyote is reached, and after that, another sign points you to Ranch Meling. Rancho El Coyote offers primitive guest services, such as a camping ground, and there is a rough, four wheel drive trail that leads to Mike's Sky Ranch, to the north. I took the turnoff to Meling Ranch, as that was where I planned to spend a few nights, and I resumed my journey to the park a couple of days later.

Photo: I stop to take a breather an a photo, a few km east of Sinaloa, to admire the view and the native vegetation.

Resuming the journey to the park, the road crests a small hill, and then drops down into a creek bed, where a arroyo overgrown with willows is crossed, via a concrete bridge. This creek is the outflow of the spring that supplies Meling Ranch with their water, and it flows all year. After crossing the creek, the road climbs, climbs and climbs some more, until a saddle is reached where there is a small space where you can pull over, park, and admire the vista to your west.

Photo: The dirt road in the foreground leads to Ranch El Coyote, 10 km distant, with outlying ranch buildings pictured in the photo.

At this point in time, if you happen to be driving a 35-foot motorhome, or towing a huge trailer, you're probably out of your comfort zone as the road gets very curvy and climbs, climbs, and climbs some more. The countryside is still typical Baja California scrub and cactus, but if you look closely you'll notice subtitle changes, such as manzanita appearing among the brush. You're heading almost due east, and the grade approaches 8% in places.

Photo: After leaving the Meling Ranch turnoff, the main road really starts to climb, and dirt roads take off in all directions, much to the delight of four wheelers.

Things change suddenly, and at about km marker 70, you notice that oak trees and Coulter pines appear. About km 75, which is probably around the 7000 foot level, ponderosa and sugar pines begin to appear, and at this point in time, I was wondering if I really was in Mexico! Ponderosa pines in Mexico? All the while the road twists, turns, and climbs some more. At km 80, you enter the park, and shortly you'll pass employee housing, for park employees, which is located below the snow zone. Since Parque Nacional Sierra De San Pedro Martir is located high in the mountains, most years it is closed to visitors due to snow from November to May. There is no skiing, except, perhaps, for the cross country variety, and there are no winter lodging facilities for visitors, who attempt to visit the park.

Photo: This photo taken at about km 62 illustrates the steep grades and the sharp curves this spectacular section of road offers motorists. You can't see the 1000 foot dropoff to the left of the photo.

Photo: Just a few km west of the entrance of the park there's a turnoff, that affords a spectacular view of the distant Sierra San Pedro De Martir. Note the ponderosa pine tree to the right of the photo.

The paved road ends abruptly at km 84, right at the ranger station, where the on-duty ranger will collect admission fees into the park and answer any questions. The faint-of-heart may want to park at the parking lot and venture no further, but the main road to the observatory is a suitable for a passenger sedan, as its made of compacted, decomposed granite. You do not need a four wheel drive vehicle to enjoy Parque Nacional Sierra De San Pedro Martir.

Photo: Km 80, the entrance to the park. The ranger station is 4 km distant.

When you drive to the park, allow yourself extra time, so you can take the time to enjoy the wonderful, mountain scenery that you'll encounter on the way. I love the park, and I love the drive!

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