Forums > Areas > Jalisco's Lake Chapala Region

robt65

Jul 15, 2011, 5:35 AM

Post #1 of 13 (1599 views)

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Driving to Queretaro

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For those of you actually living in either Lake Chapala or Ajijic, how long does it usually take you to drive from there to the City Historic Center (for example) of Queretaro? What is the easiest route to take?

Thanks,

robt65

(This post was edited by robt65 on Jul 15, 2011, 5:35 AM)

chinagringo

Jul 15, 2011, 6:10 AM

Post #2 of 13 (1586 views)

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Re: [robt65] Driving to Queretaro

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You should have first asked how many even know where Queretaro is. From there, I would guess you could count on two hands the number who have actually been there.
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

esperanza

Jul 15, 2011, 7:58 AM

Post #3 of 13 (1567 views)

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Re: [robt65] Driving to Queretaro

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Robt65, it used to take us 2.5 hours from Morelia to Querétaro (where we have friends and have been many times, chinagringo). It's about 3 hours from Ajijic to Morelia, so probably 5+ hours from Ajijic to Querétaro.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

playaboy

Jul 16, 2011, 3:20 PM

Post #4 of 13 (1477 views)

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Re: [robt65] Driving to Queretaro

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In Sept 2010 I drove from Lake Chapala to your house in about 6 hours with my RV. It was a beautiful drive thru the country side.

robt65

Jul 16, 2011, 3:24 PM

Post #5 of 13 (1472 views)

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Re: [playaboy] Driving to Queretaro

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I remember it well, but I think that route takes longer . . . . . . maybe not. Maybe someone from Lake Chapala has a car and can tell me for certain . . . . . if they still drive there in Lake Chapala! (smiling) Someone said to me they are all so old there, that they don't have drivers licenses anymore! . . . . . I find that a little hard to chew.

robt65

tashby

Jul 16, 2011, 3:44 PM

Post #6 of 13 (1469 views)

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Re: [robt65] Driving to Queretaro

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My best guess would be about 4 1/2 hours. I've never driven from Lake Chapala to Querétaro, but I have driven to Guanajuato City and I would think they'd be about the same, time-wise.

Here's a great tool when you need answers to questions like this one. It's the "Punto a Punto" website. You just plug in the origen city and the destination, and it gives you a route and approximate drive time. I'm not convinced the routes they give are always necessarily "the best", and the drive times seem a little bit optomistic to me, but it gives you a good ballpark idea, anyway.

Punto a Punto: http://aplicaciones4.sct.gob.mx/...action=cmdEscogeRuta

And for the record, I spent time in Querétaro years before ever setting foot on the shores of Lake Chapala. In fact, we considered living there.

robt65

Jul 16, 2011, 3:50 PM

Post #7 of 13 (1460 views)

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Re: [tashby] Driving to Queretaro

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Thanks Tashby,

I appricate the link.

robt65

cookj5

Jul 16, 2011, 9:24 PM

Post #8 of 13 (1439 views)

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Re: [robt65] Driving to Queretaro

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Robt65- I've been to visit a couple of times, so I guess that means I take up 2 fingers on your hand (if you can "count on 2 hands the number of people from Lake Chapala that have been there"). Should take about 5.5 hours, depending on how fast you drive.

Best route, IMHO, is to get on the #15 cuota at Ocotlan and get off at the exit for Morelia, but head north for Salamanca instead of south to Morelia. This is a relatively new cuota which will tie into the #45 cuota just west of Salamanca. Head west on the #45 to Querétaro. After you get on at Ocotlan, you are on good, high speed, limited access cuota virtually all the way.

By the way, you might be interested in the series of postings I did on my photo-journal blog about our visit to Querétaro and some of the interesting areas around it. Also info about a great little B&B we stayed in. Wonderful city!

Here is the link: http://cookjmex.blogspot.com/search/label/Queretaro

Sorry it's not a hot link. I'm not smart enough to figure out how to do it on this forum. Just copy and paste to your browser's url box.

robt65

Jul 17, 2011, 1:59 AM

Post #9 of 13 (1424 views)

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Re: [cookj5] Driving to Queretaro

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Good Morning cookj5,

Thanks for the feedback, especially about the new route. That should cut the time for sure.

robt65

RickS

Jul 17, 2011, 10:06 AM

Post #10 of 13 (1397 views)

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Re: [cookj5] Driving to Queretaro

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Speaking of making that drive.....

Has anyone ever gone out the 15 Cuota but cut NE up towards La Piedad de Cabadas, then on towards Irapuato, then over to Queretaro on 45? That route would also be all cuota except for about 40 miles going through La Piedad AND would probably be shorter (miles) than staying on the 15 cuota until the Morelia cutoff (going north).

chinagringo

Jul 17, 2011, 10:48 AM

Post #11 of 13 (1389 views)

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Re: [RickS] Driving to Queretaro

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Interesting question Rick! I just plotted the route using three different options.
1) MS Street & Trips
They route you using 80 and 45D - towards Lagos de Moreno and then down through Leon and Guanajuato to Queretaro. Estimated mileage 296 miles and 5 hours & 28 Minutes.
2) GOOGLE Maps
They provide two routes:
a) Same as MS S & T with an estimated mileage of 268.5 and 4 hours & 46 minutes
b) The same route that you suggest with an estimated mileage of 221 and 4 hours & 29 minutes
3) Government Site
Again the same route as you suggest.
Estimated mileage of 223 and 3 hours & 51 minutes
4) Garmin GPS
Again similar to your route
Estimated mileage 257 and 5 hours & 17 minutes

As an aside to this conversation, one should be aware that a large shootout occurred in La Piedad recently:

http://www.borderlandbeat.com/...deral-police-in.html

And if one was to head all the way to Morelia, the intersection where the highway takes off for Salamanca was also the scene of a fairly large confrontation.
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

cookj5

Jul 17, 2011, 5:54 PM

Post #12 of 13 (1360 views)

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Re: [robt65] Driving to Queretaro

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Robt65- In my directions, I mistakenly said the cuota up to the #45 cuota comes in west of Salamanca. Actually it comes in east of it. Likewise, you go east on #45, not west. Sorry! Sometimes I am directionally challenged.

cookj5

Jul 17, 2011, 6:01 PM

Post #13 of 13 (1356 views)

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Re: [RickS] Driving to Queretaro

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In Reply To

Yes, we did this the first time we went to San Miguel de Allende. What a nightmare! There was heavy construction and we were detoured and got lost in La Piedad (and it's not actually that big). Once we were detoured, there were no further signs to guide us. Then, coming back, we again got lost and ended up on the wrong road which finally took us back to the cuota at La Barca. Maybe things have improved in La Piedad since then, but if I can do an all-cuota route, like I outlined earlier in this thread, I'd take it over the insanity one encounters on Mexico's back roads.