I found an old email which references the drive to Kino and Hermosillo/San Carlos via the new road.
A new section of Coastal Highway now makes driving South from Puerto Peñasco more direct and more scenic, with much less traffic, and it bypasses a couple of toll booths, as well as the Aduana stop at Pitiquitos. It is accessed by taking the highway South past Mayan Palace toward the little town of Y Griega. However, prior to getting that far, at one of the speed bumps, there’s a place on the left with a beautiful flower garden, where they sell oranges, grapefruit, olives, etc. On the right is a paved turnoff toward Santo Tomas. Take that turn, then again turn right, where it tees into another paved road. You will then tee into the new section of Coastal Highway, turning left and heading South past Desemboque, Puerto de Lobos, and finally arriving in Puerto Libertad. That section of the drive takes approximately two hours. From there, an older highway (with some potholes, but not too bad) ultimately tees into the highway that connects Hermosillo with Bahia Kino. There’s an earlier left turn with a sign pointing toward Hermosillo, but don’t take that ... wait until you get to the stop sign where it shows Kino to the right and Hermosillo to the left. That section of the drive from Libertad will take approximately an hour (If you want to visit Kino, it’s less than 30 minutes from there, making the trip from Peñasco to Kino around three and a half hours).
Heading toward Hermosillo, you will then pass through a town called Miguel Aleman, where there are gas stations, if you’re running low, and shortly after, there is a relatively sharp bend to the left, with a large dispensary on the right hand corner. Make a right turn there ... you’ll know you got it right, when you see a sign shortly after that says “Guaymas”. This road is not in as good condition as the section from Libertad to the Hermosillo-Kino connection, but isn’t much worse than the section between Peñasco & Y Griega, and it will bypass Hermosillo, where there is a considerable amount of road renovation going on.
Finally, the road from Miguel Aleman, bypassing Hermosillo, will intersect with Highway 15, about 30 miles North of San Carlos. If you’re moving along at a good pace, and don’t make more than one short stop to refuel, the whole trip can be done in as little as five hours. But, even if you take your time, and stop for a snack, it’s still a much more interesting way to go, and won’t take any longer than if you took the old route, passing through Caborca, Altar, Santa Ana & Hermosillo.
