Ride Report: The Cabo Loop, BSC
John Rinker
A friend and I recently hung up our skis here in BC for a few weeks and headed south to Baja Sur to ride the Cape (Cabo) Loop that completes the popular Baja Divide route. The loop is roughly 450km and takes in the Pacific Ocean, the Sierra La Lagunas, and beautiful beaches along the Sea of Cortez. The landscape in both the mountains and along the coasts is a rich and diverse desert ecosystem. In addition to a variety of birds, we saw tons (literally) of humpback whales and mobula rays along the eastern coastline. The route is somewhat challenging with some stiff climbing, tire-sucking sand, and a few technical rock-dancing sections. Mostly, it’s a stunner ride that offers warm weather mid-Winter and wild camping in beautiful spots both in the mountains and on relatively empty beaches.
Shortly after landing in San Jose del Cabo, we put our bikes together and headed toward the Baja brewery in the Old Town to carbo load with Peyote IPAs and tacos de pescado for our departure the following morning. We chose to complete the loop in a clockwise manner as, after the busy-ness of San Jose, we were itching for the solitude of the mountains. Climbing into the Sierra La Lagunas, we were pleasantly surprised by the prevalence of running water in many of the arroyos (Feb 2023). At the height of land, we camped in a clearing under a mature Mexican white oak surrounded by organ pipe cactus and Torchwood trees.
Our ride down the other side the next morning was a fast descent through sandy curves as we headed towards Todos Santos and the Pacific Coast. Again, there was plenty of water flowing through this verdant, desert landscape. Todos Santos is a historical Mexican town fast on its way to becoming a gentrified destination for North Americans seeking…well, something other than America north of the Mexican border. North of town on the Playa Los Mangos, we camped in the deserted dunes as the Pacific Ocean was anything but. Thunderous waves battered the shoreline throughout the night. The morning light gave us our first glimpse of the migrating whales and the squadrons of pelicans gliding centimeters about the rolling, blue sea.
After a brief stop in a bustling Todos Santos we were headed back into the quiet of the mountains for some very challenging riding in and out of arroyos. Sections of deep sand had me pushing my Hunq with her ill-advised, less-than-3-inch tires (highly discouraged by the bike packing community, but just fine by me). The climbs out of the arroyos were as steep and rocky as the descents into them, and the surrounding desert pulsed with the life of such a variety of plants and cacti. The landscape here seemed as full as the thick forests back home in BC, albeit with more pokey things.
After camping at an abandoned rancho that night, we set our sights on arriving at the mountain hamlet of El Triunfo, an old silver-mining town, for a well-earned meal. Ochre ribbons of flow-y hard pack eventually dropped us onto the highway and a gentle climb to town. Carlota’s, a family restaurant just out the other side of town, delivered a delightful meal. After fresh orange juice and even fresher tortillas, we were ready and fuelled for a cruise along the highway before our turn back into the mountains at San Blas. That evening we pushed our bikes off the road, through the forest of cacti, mesquite, and torchwood, and camped among piles of granite boulders- wild camping at its finest.
Another morning of climbing in and out of arroyos on fine hard pack brought us to the mountain’s crest where we caught our first glimpse of the Sea of Cortez. A quick descent, a right turn and we were flying down the highway towards La Ventana. We rode through the town unable to see the sea past the dust, cars, and development until we reached the more remote beach of Agua Caliente where we soaked in natural hot pools on the rocky beach.
The next morning, we rode a beautiful and extensive single-track trail system through a forest of Cardon (Elephant) cacti on our way to the wide expanse of undeveloped beaches southeast of La Ventana. After a fine swim in the clear, jade waters in Bahia La Ventana, we found ourselves off track and wandering through a vast arroyo in search of the ‘shortcut’ to Los Planes. Eventually finding our way, Los Planes was perhaps the most authentic Mexican town we visited along the coast- not a gift shop nor a ‘#van life’ sticker to be found. Our ride that day ended with a planned detour off the route to Ensenada de Los Muertos, a deep-water port used by H. Cortez to quarantine (and bury at sea) sailors while his ships resupplied with fresh water in Los Barriles, another deep-water port to the south.
A fiery-red sunrise (sailor’s warning?) ushered in a day of cool rain. We rode away from the coast and back into the mountains. Some thigh-busting climbing and a serpentine descent through a truly magnificent canyon led us back to the coast just a few kilometers from our camp the night before. Soaked and chilled, we set up camp at an abandoned rancho by the sea. The next morning we were greeted by the promise of sunshine and a rainbow slicing through the dark grey rain clouds in the distance.
For the next few days, we slogged through the sand, jolted over washboard road, and cruised the undulating ribbons of hard pack as we toured the more remote beaches of the eastern cape, and all along the way were treated to breathtaking views of humpback mothers and their calves breaching the crystal waters of the Gulf of California. Each night a waxing moon tried its best to hide the stars but there were too many of them in the dark skies above isolated beaches. We passed through Los Barriles which harbored a curious coalescence of South Dakotans with a penchant for pickleball and Cabo Pulmo which is the jumping-off point for snorkeling and diving in the spectacular C.P. National Marine Park. We pointed our bikes back into the mountains after a night on the beach in Los Frailes where each evening local fishermen push their heavy boats through the sand and into the surf with pickup trucks and prepare for a long night of casting their lines.
Our final night in the mountains brought us within about 20km of San Jose and to one of our finest camping spots of the trip. Tucked at the confluence of two wide and sandy arroyos far from the road, we pitched our tents in the white sand among the burro bush and mesquite trees. Here we watched the full moon both rise and set over the steep canyon walls with sacred fig trees clinging to them. Another kilometer up the secondary canyon led to a narrow boulder ravine that flowed with fresh water. It was here we caught a glimpse of a Mexican grey fox, presumably there for the same reason as us- in need of a long, cool drink in these dry mountains.
As we had an extra night out, we decided to head back to the beach at La Fortuna before our final push to San Jose. Here we splashed out on a fine dinner in a restaurant overlooking the beach, and after dinner, we sipped delicious tequila in front of their campfire as we watched a blood-red moon rise over the rolling waves. It was at this beach as well where we saw the greatest concentration of whales enjoying the warm waters of the Baja. Simply spectacular!
Pedaling the Cabo Loop offers much as a brief recess during winter. The Baja is a warm, friendly place that promises excellent riding through rich and varied landscapes. It offers gorgeous camping in wild and remote places and delicious seafood all along the way. There are opportunities to view incredible wildlife and to swim in calm, clear seas. And if this isn’t enough for you, there’s always pickleball in Los Barriles.
GaiaGPS tracks and photos along the way can be found here
Sky Coulter
On Feb 19, 2023, at 4:42 PM, John Rinker <jwri...@gmail.com> wrote:
A friend and I recently hung up our skis here in BC for a few weeks and headed south to Baja Sur to ride the Cape (Cabo) Loop that completes the popular Baja Divide route. The loop is roughly 450km and takes in the Pacific Ocean, the Sierra La Lagunas, and beautiful beaches along the Sea of Cortez. The landscape in both the mountains and along the coasts is a rich and diverse desert ecosystem. In addition to a variety of birds, we saw tons (literally) of humpback whales and mobula rays along the eastern coastline. The route is somewhat challenging with some stiff climbing, tire-sucking sand, and a few technical rock-dancing sections. Mostly, it’s a stunner ride that offers warm weather mid-Winter and wild camping in beautiful spots both in the mountains and on relatively empty beaches.
<IMG_0243.jpeg>
Shortly after landing in San Jose del Cabo, we put our bikes together and headed toward the Baja brewery in the Old Town to carbo load with Peyote IPAs and tacos de pescado for our departure the following morning. We chose to complete the loop in a clockwise manner as, after the busy-ness of San Jose, we were itching for the solitude of the mountains. Climbing into the Sierra La Lagunas, we were pleasantly surprised by the prevalence of running water in many of the arroyos (Feb 2023). At the height of land, we camped in a clearing under a mature Mexican white oak surrounded by organ pipe cactus and Torchwood trees.
<IMG_0250.jpeg>
Our ride down the other side the next morning was a fast descent through sandy curves as we headed towards Todos Santos and the Pacific Coast. Again, there was plenty of water flowing through this verdant, desert landscape. Todos Santos is a historical Mexican town fast on its way to becoming a gentrified destination for North Americans seeking…well, something other than America north of the Mexican border. North of town on the Playa Los Mangos, we camped in the deserted dunes as the Pacific Ocean was anything but. Thunderous waves battered the shoreline throughout the night. The morning light gave us our first glimpse of the migrating whales and the squadrons of pelicans gliding centimeters about the rolling, blue sea.
<IMG_0217.jpeg>
After a brief stop in a bustling Todos Santos we were headed back into the quiet of the mountains for some very challenging riding in and out of arroyos. Sections of deep sand had me pushing my Hunq with her ill-advised, less-than-3-inch tires (highly discouraged by the bike packing community, but just fine by me). The climbs out of the arroyos were as steep and rocky as the descents into them, and the surrounding desert pulsed with the life of such a variety of plants and cacti. The landscape here seemed as full as the thick forests back home in BC, albeit with more pokey things.
After camping at an abandoned rancho that night, we set our sights on arriving at the mountain hamlet of El Triunfo, an old silver-mining town, for a well-earned meal. Ochre ribbons of flow-y hard pack eventually dropped us onto the highway and a gentle climb to town. Carlota’s, a family restaurant just out the other side of town, delivered a delightful meal. After fresh orange juice and even fresher tortillas, we were ready and fuelled for a cruise along the highway before our turn back into the mountains at San Blas. That evening we pushed our bikes off the road, through the forest of cacti, mesquite, and torchwood, and camped among piles of granite boulders- wild camping at its finest.
<IMG_0354.jpeg>
Another morning of climbing in and out of arroyos on fine hard pack brought us to the mountain’s crest where we caught our first glimpse of the Sea of Cortez. A quick descent, a right turn and we were flying down the highway towards La Ventana. We rode through the town unable to see the sea past the dust, cars, and development until we reached the more remote beach of Agua Caliente where we soaked in natural hot pools on the rocky beach.
<IMG_0250 2.jpeg>
The next morning, we rode a beautiful and extensive single-track trail system through a forest of Cardon (Elephant) cacti on our way to the wide expanse of undeveloped beaches southeast of La Ventana. After a fine swim in the clear, jade waters in Bahia La Ventana, we found ourselves off track and wandering through a vast arroyo in search of the ‘shortcut’ to Los Planes. Eventually finding our way, Los Planes was perhaps the most authentic Mexican town we visited along the coast- not a gift shop nor a ‘#van life’ sticker to be found. Our ride that day ended with a planned detour off the route to Ensenada de Los Muertos, a deep-water port used by H. Cortez to quarantine (and bury at sea) sailors while his ships resupplied with fresh water in Los Barriles, another deep-water port to the south.
<IMG_0383.jpeg>
A fiery-red sunrise (sailor’s warning?) ushered in a day of cool rain. We rode away from the coast and back into the mountains. Some thigh-busting climbing and a serpentine descent through a truly magnificent canyon led us back to the coast just a few kilometers from our camp the night before. Soaked and chilled, we set up camp at an abandoned rancho by the sea. The next morning we were greeted by the promise of sunshine and a rainbow slicing through the dark grey rain clouds in the distance.
<IMG_0420.jpeg>
For the next few days, we slogged through the sand, jolted over washboard road, and cruised the undulating ribbons of hard pack as we toured the more remote beaches of the eastern cape, and all along the way were treated to breathtaking views of humpback mothers and their calves breaching the crystal waters of the Gulf of California. Each night a waxing moon tried its best to hide the stars but there were too many of them in the dark skies above isolated beaches. We passed through Los Barriles which harbored a curious coalescence of South Dakotans with a penchant for pickleball and Cabo Pulmo which is the jumping-off point for snorkeling and diving in the spectacular C.P. National Marine Park. We pointed our bikes back into the mountains after a night on the beach in Los Frailes where each evening local fishermen push their heavy boats through the sand and into the surf with pickup trucks and prepare for a long night of casting their lines.
<IMG_0266.jpeg>
Our final night in the mountains brought us within about 20km of San Jose and to one of our finest camping spots of the trip. Tucked at the confluence of two wide and sandy arroyos far from the road, we pitched our tents in the white sand among the burro bush and mesquite trees. Here we watched the full moon both rise and set over the steep canyon walls with sacred fig trees clinging to them. Another kilometer up the secondary canyon led to a narrow boulder ravine that flowed with fresh water. It was here we caught a glimpse of a Mexican grey fox, presumably there for the same reason as us- in need of a long, cool drink in these dry mountains.
<IMG_0473.jpeg>
As we had an extra night out, we decided to head back to the beach at La Fortuna before our final push to San Jose. Here we splashed out on a fine dinner in a restaurant overlooking the beach, and after dinner, we sipped delicious tequila in front of their campfire as we watched a blood-red moon rise over the rolling waves. It was at this beach as well where we saw the greatest concentration of whales enjoying the warm waters of the Baja. Simply spectacular!
<IMG_0496.jpeg>
Pedaling the Cabo Loop offers much as a brief recess during winter. The Baja is a warm, friendly place that promises excellent riding through rich and varied landscapes. It offers gorgeous camping in wild and remote places and delicious seafood all along the way. There are opportunities to view incredible wildlife and to swim in calm, clear seas. And if this isn’t enough for you, there’s always pickleball in Los Barriles.
GaiaGPS tracks and photos along the way can be found here
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Kim Hetzel
John Rinker
Steven Sweedler
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Plymouth, New Hampshire
Eric Marth
Kim Hetzel
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John Rinker
Steven Sweedler
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John Rinker
Steven Sweedler
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