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RosanaHart

May 4, 2007, 2:01 PM

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Driving tips Lake Chapala to Mazatlan?

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Hi -- My husband and I will be driving back to the US later this month, and I'd appreciate any comments about getting there along the Pacific coast. We aren't sure yet if we will be taking our small, slow Toyota Dolphin motorhome or our VW Jetta.

From Lake Chapala, where we live, we'd go past Jocotepec and in towards Guadalajara, then take the periferico to the highway to Tepic, right? (We avoid city traffic when we can, especially in the motorhome.) Then about how many hours would it be to Mazatlan, not driving particularly fast?

Any advice welcomed! We came south that way a couple of years ago but I don't really remember much about this stretch.

Rosana
www.mexico-with-heart.com/blog/

Bloviator

May 5, 2007, 9:58 AM

Post #2 of 10 (3173 views)

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Re: [hartworks] Driving tips Lake Chapala to Mazatlan?

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This has been discussed over and over again numerous times. Try a search string - Nogales to Guadalajara, Hiway 15, Pacific Coast Hiway or any of a bunch of others. Use six months as your time frame. You will get much more information than you can possible assimilate. Some of it is even correct.

Also, it depends a lot on where you're going NoB. To SoCal, Nogales or Lukeville are good crossings. If you are very brave and like desolate drives over poor roads, Algadones, San Luis Rio Colorado, or Mexicali are possibilities. Fewer miles, but much worse roads than going to US and driving on I-8.

If you are going to the Northwest, there seem to be lots of different opinions as to where to cross. NoCal, probably Nogales is the best.

We go from Ajijic to Maz one day (new toll road may make it too short of a day). Then to Navajoa, Sonoyta or Gila Bend, AZ on a second day and then on to SD the third day.

Unfortunately, between Maz and Navajoa there are few decent places to spend the night for several hundred miles, so the trip to Maz is a short day and the second day a long day. That's OK though, because we like to play tourist in Maz for a few hours.

RosanaHart

May 5, 2007, 2:05 PM

Post #3 of 10 (3156 views)

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Re: [dlyman6500] Driving tips Lake Chapala to Mazatlan?

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Thanks! I had done several search strings (used to be a reference librarian), but hadn't thought of some of the phrases you suggested. But actually your "new toll road" is key information! Didn't know what the status was and remembered a lot of construction in 2005.

We'll be crossing into the US at Nogales this time, heading to Idaho not far north of Salt Lake City.

You go further in a day than we typically have but if we take the car, we can push harder!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rosana Hart
http://www.mexico-with-heart.com

Bloviator

May 5, 2007, 3:06 PM

Post #4 of 10 (3145 views)

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Re: [hartworks] Driving tips Lake Chapala to Mazatlan?

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If you want to break up the trip into three fairly easy days consider this.

Mazatlan is only seven hours (521 km/315 mi) from here (probably less with the new road). Lots of good hotels. This time of year no problem as the high season is about over. We usually stay at the Playa Mazatlan a nice hotel in the heart of the tourist area on the beach - about $100 US.

Our second day is long - we usually go as far as Gila Bend. However, Navajoa is only seven more hours (600 km/360 mi). There are at least two good hotels - El Mayo on the south side and Best Western del Rio on the north end. Prices seem to change at those hotels from time to time. Should be about $80 US, but I'm not sure.

If you make Navajoa your second day, then Nogales is another seven or eight hours (610 km/3650 mi) the next day. If you go a little further the second day to Ciudad Obregon, then it is 50 miles difference - less than an hour more the second day and the same less the third day. Don't have recommendations for hotels in Ciudad Obregon as we have never stayed there. I think, however, that there are several right on the hiway that would be acceptable.

If you want a nice experience and are in no hurry, go 30 miles into the hills from Navajoa to Alamos. It is a lovely little colonial town and has a bunch of really nice places to stay. We can recommend a couple if you think that is interesting. I'd have to research a little - but use the search string Alamos and you will get good information. The road from Navajoa to Alamos is a wonderful, brand new one. When we got there we asked if that was the retirement town of Vicente Fox. It wasn't, but the Governor of the state is from there.

thriftqueen

May 5, 2007, 4:50 PM

Post #5 of 10 (3136 views)

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Re: [dlyman6500] Driving tips Lake Chapala to Mazatlan?

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Dick, one other thing you failed to mention - it's the home of Thriftqueen (Ginger y Juan Nash), avid Mexico Connector and Alamos booster. Seriously one can find the Alamos website at www.alamosmexico.com with lots of good information about our town. Navojoa has several really nice hotels, two being the ones you mentioned and two new ones that look beautiful from the main road you travel through town on. Guess one day soon I'll have to go over and explore, meaning ask to view the rooms and get prices.

We recently made a trip to Tucson and decided to stay the night in Santa Ana and do the busy Nogales crossing in the AM when we were fresh. We stayed at the Hotel San Francisco. It is fairly new, sparkling clean and best of all $38.00 for the two of us (queen size bed). Sure made the 55 minute wait at the border more tolerable for us.

Bloviator

May 6, 2007, 5:37 AM

Post #6 of 10 (3111 views)

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Re: [thriftqueen] Driving tips Lake Chapala to Mazatlan?

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Your absolutely right. One of the really enjoyable experiences in Alamos is meeting Thriftqueen and her husband. They are wonderful people providing a lot of service to the poor of Alamos. I know Thriftqueen wasn't fishing for a compliment with her posting, but she and husband deserve all the praise they can possibly get.

We have stayed a couple of times at the San Francisco. It is a great place to stay if one is looking for nothing more than clean, secure, and inexpensive accommodations. Since there is nothing much else in Santa Ana to see when you are there, a good bed and decent food is about all one needs. There are a couple of restaurants near the SF. They are nothing to write home about, but have good basic food.

RosanaHart

May 6, 2007, 9:05 AM

Post #7 of 10 (3094 views)

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Re: [dlyman6500] Driving tips Lake Chapala to Mazatlan?

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Thanks for all posts! We decided to go in the Jetta, as the driving experience is so much smoother (not to mention more ecological), and we've got family and friends with guest rooms everywhere we're staying in the US so we don't really need the RV. This will give us more flexibility in exploring Mexico too. I've always wanted to go to Alamos, will see if we can.

I'll print out this thread!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rosana Hart
http://www.mexico-with-heart.com

(This post was edited by hartworks on May 6, 2007, 9:05 AM)

Bloviator

May 6, 2007, 10:35 AM

Post #8 of 10 (3081 views)

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Re: [hartworks] Driving tips Lake Chapala to Mazatlan?

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You have a serious problem. I have been passed by thousands of Mexican drivers in Jettas - even when I'm driving 130 km or more. In three years driving all over Mexico I have only passed one Jetta and it was driven by an old lady trying to turn off the hiway.

How it will be for a non Mexican to drive a Jetta on the Mexican hiways is very problematic. I can just see you passing someone and having six Mexican Jetta drivers run you off the road to pass at the same time.

The above is only partly in jest. Mexican drivers and Jettas are a lethal combination.

RosanaHart

May 6, 2007, 1:01 PM

Post #9 of 10 (3066 views)

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Re: [dlyman6500] Driving tips Lake Chapala to Mazatlan?

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Hmmm.. well... forewarned is forearmed!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rosana Hart
http://www.mexico-with-heart.com

thriftqueen

May 6, 2007, 9:31 PM

Post #10 of 10 (3040 views)

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Re: [dlyman6500] Driving tips Lake Chapala to Mazatlan?

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That reminds me of a cartoon I saw long ago when the VW Bug was a popular car in the states. The punch line said, "If all the cars in the world were lined up bumper to bumper some damn fool in a VW would try to pass" :)