Even the most seasoned Baja traveler will probably say "Where?" if you ask
them if they have be to Algodones in northern Baja. And for good reason...it's
not really a tourist town. As a matter of fact it's barely even located in Baja!
But if you take a peek at a map of Baja and look in the upper right hand corner
near Yuma Arizona and the California border you will find the warm and friendly
Baja town of Algodones, Baja California, Mexico.
Home to over 15,000 happy souls, what makes Algodones town somewhat important is that it
is one of only a few border crossings in the area where one can cross from the United States to
Baja, plus a customhouse is available for importing and exporting. The town is
somewhat 'famous' for its dental offices...15 at last count! Algodones hosts two
festivals each year, a Welcome Winter Visitors Festival in December and a
Thank You Visitors Festival in March!
Algodones can be reached by taking Baja Highway 8 east of Mexicali all the
way to the end, or by crossing the U.S. border off of U.S. Highway 8 a dozen
miles west of Yuma, Arizona.
Folks from Arizona headed to San Felipe and parts south can trip through Algodones
after heading west on U.S. Highway 8 and then taking Mexico Highway 186 south. It is
also possible to take Baja Highway 2 from the U.S. border south of Yuma. After traveling
through the farming communities south of Algodones tourists can look for the real Baja
beach fun in San Felipe, Puertecitos and Gonzaga Bay.
Algodones is one of the few towns in Mexico located adjacent to the Colorado River.
This is the exact location where the mighty Colorado leaves the borders of the United States,
and then meanders its way south through Mexico to the Sea of Cortez. The location where the Colorado River
meets the Sea of Cortez is where Carlos Fiesta finished his 2,200 mile solo circumnavigation
in a 19 foot panga after departing Los Angeles one month earlier. For more information drop
by CARLOS FIESTA.COM.
ALGODONES, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO