El Rosario Badlands

Trail Overview

This is a four-wheel drive dirt road starting from the small town of El Rosario, Baja California, and ending at a view of the Pacific Ocean. The road starts off in a residential area of El Rosario where the pavement quickly ends, and it becomes a bumpy dirt road with several speed bumps and potholes. It continues past a couple of farms and heads west toward the ocean. After the road leaves the residential area, it is not maintained and has several sections of deep ruts and erosion, probably damaged from prior hurricanes. The ruts are several feet deep running right down the middle or sides of the road but are likely passable in a capable jeep or UTV. There are also a couple of deep ravine crossings perpendicular to the trail, and one specifically that is particularly deep that could be more difficult for long wheel-based vehicles. There is also one loose, extremely steep, off-camber section of the trail that looks like a wall that you have to get over that is the crux of being able to continue or not. The road goes through a very scenic landscape of rolling hills covered in grass and little flowers in spring, cactus plants, palm trees, and sections of colorful dirt badlands. Parts of the road are overgrown with grass and flowers, evidence that it doesn't get much use. It ends at a viewpoint over the Pacific Ocean that has wreckage of homes from the most recent hurricane. This road is fun because it is more of a technical challenge due to the extreme washouts, compared to some of the 2WD roads in the area, but the view is better at Punta Baja, and there isn't really a campsite anywhere along the way if you are looking for a spot to camp. There are some other unmapped dirt roads in the area that can also be explored.

Photos of El Rosario Badlands

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Difficulty

There are several sections of erosion and deep ruts making this an intermediate trail.

Technical Rating