roads

Anyone been on the road from rp. to Santo Tomas or Lobos. Just wondering on the conditions .Thanks Leigh

I'm not sure about what it's like past the Mayan Palace, but it's in much better shape now than before the summer. It's been resurfaced at least to the Mayan. It was pretty bad when we went to Lobos in May up to the point where the newer coastal highway started (around the Caborca turnoff area) but I haven't been past the Mayan since it's been resurfaced.

thanks

About 3 weeks ago there was still a detour of about 4 mi just past the inspection station. The dirt detour was washboard but drive able. After that, it was smooth sailing all the way to the curve.

There is a short detour before La Pinta. Building some bridges in the low washes.

are the marines doing the inspection again or are you talking about the second checkpoint 23 miles or so from Penasco

Lee, I came via Nogales and cannot imagine going Lukeville again.The Home Depot is pretty good in Nogales Sonora,Leo's el pastor in Imiris is great,toll road is well a toll road then you hit Caborca for groceries and gas.Even from Phoenix it might not take that much longer and they never look through your shit...

How far is it from Nogales to Penasco?

Ladyjeeper said:

How far is it from Nogales to Penasco?

152 miles.

JimMcG said:

152 miles.

152 miles??
Nogales to RP is closer to 250 miles, 400km and 4.5 hrs according to Google maps.
Unless there a short cut I'm not seeing?

Going through Nogales would be fun, but I'll stick to going through Lukeville.

Via Nogales it would be almost 8hrs and 440 miles door to door from NE Phx.
Through Lukeville for me, it's a little over 4hrs and 230 miles door to door.

Ladyjeeper said:

How far is it from Nogales to Penasco?

If ever plan on going through or near Nogy look at a map and see if you can take the "Mariposa" exit (aprox. 4 exits from the Nogales border), it takes you around the city like a small shortcut as opposed to driving through Nogy (unless you needed or wanted to stop there for something) but time wise it may save about half an hour but still Lukeville is closer even for us and we are very close to Nogales. Yes, usually less of a hassle and less busy going through to Mexico as our experience but much more of hassle we have experienced coming back to U.S. by our Border Patrol and is much more busy through Nogales , Mariposa coming back to U.S. is much less busy and not usually too much hassle from BP.

brokenwave said:

152 miles??
Nogales to RP is closer to 250 miles, 400km and 4.5 hrs according to Google maps.
Unless there a short cut I'm not seeing?

Going through Nogales would be fun, but I'll stick to going through Lukeville.

Via Nogales it would be almost 8hrs and 440 miles door to door from NE Phx.
Through Lukeville for me, it's a little over 4hrs and 230 miles door to door.

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/distance-nogales-arizona-puerto-penasco-mexico-35653.html

JimMcG said:

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/distance-nogales-arizona-puerto-penasco-mexico-35653.html

Bummer that there is not a straight shot through! we would be there in 2 hours. Who do I talk to about getting a freeway made for that? Haha, maybe someday! Stinks that it is really so much closer than the actual drive we have to make

From downtown Tucson to Santo Tomas via Nogales is 4 hours with no stops.....but the stops are the fun....Caborca restaurants are great. Note this route is a mistake if you are going to RP but if you are going south to Lobos etc. it has its advantages...

jerry said:

From downtown Tucson to Santo Tomas via Nogales is 4 hours with no stops.....but the stops are the fun....Caborca restaurants are great. Note this route is a mistake if you are going to RP but if you are going south to Lobos etc. it has its advantages...

Is Santo Tomas anything like Bahia Kino? That would be a smidgen closer than Kino too

JimMcG said:

JimMcG said:

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/distance-nogales-arizona-puerto-penasco-mexico-35653.html

Interesting article, IDK where they came up with 152 miles, typo? They got the other distances correct.
Here is a screen shot of what Google showed, 244 miles. It's still 225 miles via route 43 through Saric.
No clue how that route would be? Jerry might know.

Thanks for the map screenshot, maybe next time our church goes to Imuris it wouldn't be so long after that. Looks like a fun and good sight seeing route to go but I also love getting to Peñasco as soon as I can! :- D Don't know much about Santo Tomas but the camping "resort" looks cool for a better option than a tent (for me heehee)

brokenwave said:

Interesting article, IDK where they came up with 152 miles, typo? They got the other distances correct.
Here is a screen shot of what Google showed, 244 miles. It's still 225 miles via route 43 through Saric.
No clue how that route would be? Jerry might know.

I took it to mean 152 miles, straight shot, as the crow flies, not by available roads.

JimMcG said:

I took it to mean 152 miles, straight shot, as the crow flies, not by available roads.

Yes, that's what I figured.
I wouldn't be thrilled, if on my first trip that way, I suddenly found it was another 100 miles and didn't have the fuel to make it.
From some of the posts here, fuel options seem limited down that way.

When I do distance from Tucson to Santo Tomas it says 5 hours 15 minutes, which is about right since we drove that way a year ago and it took about 6 hours to get to Miramar. Obviously we go the highway 86 to 85 route at under 4 hours.

brokenwave said:

Yes, that's what I figured.
I wouldn't be thrilled, if on my first trip that way, I suddenly found it was another 100 miles and didn't have the fuel to make it.
From some of the posts here, fuel options seem limited down that way.

Yes, good point.

Reworked my math and it was between 4:30 and 4:45.... Sorry. Now sasabe that will change everything

BeachyKeen said:

Is Santo Tomas anything like Bahia Kino? That would be a smidgen closer than Kino too

not at all, Bahia Kino is a town of around 7k people while St Tomas is an american enclave with no more than, possibly 40 houses, no town on the area unless you drive back into the highway and into town a few miles away and no Tiburon island either!!

InkaRoads said:

not at all, Bahia Kino is a town of around 7k people while St Tomas is an american enclave with no more than, possibly 40 houses, no town on the area unless you drive back into the highway and into town a few miles away and no Tiburon island either!!

Good to know the differences so people can know what to expect and to chose based upon what they want in their idea of somewhere to escape to

I wouldn't go through Sasabe- 7 people were murdered last month there- that's reason to create a new thread called Sasabe/Caborca safety warning!

440 miles? Nope, 215 thru Lukeville is worth the hassle....

InkaRoads said:

not at all, Bahia Kino is a town of around 7k people while St Tomas is an american enclave with no more than, possibly 40 houses, no town on the area unless you drive back into the highway and into town a few miles away and no Tiburon island either!!

Maybe 20 Houses and a small 8 unit condo but we do have a dark night sky

Lee came back via Lukeville from Desemboque today and the road is shockingly great.14 miles North of Santo Tomas there is a 3 mile detour where the tortoise slow Coastal highway construction is progressing at a rate that will get it to the halfassed airport by 2525.still if no rain hits all will be smooth sailing.The Alduna appears to be waving cars past,no pot holes by San Jorge and a small detour by the Mayan that looks like a bad idea.The new interchange is great by RP and the Sonoyta shortcut by the pemex on ave. Sept. 16 is finished and nice....

Still Caborca and the free road into Magdalena are more fun and there is this..
Asadero la Carreta
Obregon 204
83600 Caborca, Sonora
Mexico
+52 63 737 24538
http://www.yelp.com/biz/asadero-la-carreta-caborca?utm_source=ashare&ref=yelp-android narcos were buying everyone drinks last time I was there and had to walk to the mission to clear my head before driving again.The mission is amazing

good to know thanks,Leigh