I'm in San Felipe now. I'm with a rider that's not good on dirt. Is the road paved from San Feilipe South to highway 1?

Mex 5 is paved for 170km south of SAN FELIPE and then there is a 48km section of still unpaved gravel and crushed rock forming a fairly wide hard packed road. I rode it three months ago on my KLR and found it to be an easy pleasurable ride . There are a number of hills and dales to cross,several winding sections, a few big rocks poking out and here and there some small ridges eroded diagonally across the travel lanes . The mountain crossing segment is being re-engineered and rebuilt prior to paving so there are several active construction zones with changing conditions.
Traffic is very light but will include some semi- trucks hauling construction material to worksites..If you see one of these trucks coming- they move very slowly- you can easily stop to let it pass until dust settles .
If your companion rider is intimidated by deep loose dirt, sand and mud as on a motocross or enduro test track that fear is misplaced here -- unless there was a heavy rainstorm within hours before your passage. There is no deep sand, no river to ford.
I am assuming that he/she does have a motorcycle riders license and has at some point traveled a gravel road or laneway or a highway construction zone in the home range? Then this unpaved gravel section should not be an obstacle. Take it slow and easy and treat it as a good learning experience.
Fill up the fuel tanks at San Felipe , then again at the Pemex on the highway at the exit to Bahia Gonzaga and you should have enough to get you to Pemex at GUERRERO NEGRO Stop for a cola a Coco's . If you think to get gas on Mex 1 at the Mex 5 junction because the map shows a name of Chapala you will come up dry-- there is nothing . You can get barrel gas sometimes at the cross road to B.de Los Angeles and for sure if you ask in the town Punta Prieta 12 km south of that junction.

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+1 what Sjoerd said. I traveled that bit bit more than a month ago.

What is there for hotels or camping spots on hwy 5 and does one need to book in advance? As a solo rider I am thinking of camping mostly

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Gonzaga has a Hotel out past the Airport at Rancho Grande (Alphonsina). Do not ride down air strip, ride off to side. Its expensive. No Hotel at Rancho Grande or any where unless you go to Bahia de Los Angeles or Guerrero Negro. Barrel gas on highway at Bahia de Los Angeles turn off. (questionable cleanliness )

But camping is GOOD and EASY out on the beach at Gonzaga bay. I would camp there, then get up EARLY, go to Aphonsina Hotel for breakfast ... then HEAD OUT.
Buy GAS, WATER and supplies at Rancho Grande store.

Take your time, Sjoerd's description is just as I remember it last November.
Watch out for BIG Semi trucks. If you see them, either pass or find a WIDE spot to let them by.

Along the way you will pass Coco's Corner. Coco sells Beer and other stuff. Stop and support this wacky Baja legend who has lost his legs to Diabetes.

Reservations are for the excessively rich/ timid /clueless
No , really you do not need reservations. Anywhere. At least I never have made any during 36 years of visits in Mexico.
. If you stay overnight in San Felipe you will have no problem finding a room , plenty of hotels, or camp at one of the seaside RV parks on a wooden platform with your sleeping bag. Next day you can ride down the coast and Guerrero Negro is easily done in one day. But you can camp at various camps along the coast. Gasoline is sold in Puertecitos and at Gonzaga Bay at a PEMEX convenience store on the highway . Dowtown Gonzaga has a street that gets flooded at high tide - I curtailed my visit there quickly when I found my exit was about to be cut off by salt water .
You are welcome to camp for the night at Coco's , he even has several guest trailers. I think any food would have to be brought by yourself and other visitors .

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Actually, the Pemex and store are called Rancho Grande, Gonzaga is THE BAY.
Don't think there is a sign. I stayed with a local there who gave me the heads up.

Good idea to stop over at Coco's (about 15 miles from Rancho Grande Pemex) if you are tired and losing daylight when you get there. After Coco's you go into some foothills (mountains for Canadians and those from Mid West), roads gets rougher, bit more rocky, technical.

You guys are spot on! We decided to try it. We hit dirt about 10 miles past the Pemex in Gonzaga. My female mate dropped her BMW 650 GS several times and we decided it was was too much for her. She was having a very bad day. To make a long story short she had her bike trucked to highway 1 (5.5 hours) I got to ride it on the KTM and had a blast. I met Coco, signed his book, left a sticker and shot the breeze for a while.

My take on this road: definitely doable with a big GS and a heck of a lot of fun too. But, for a timid rider, you might want to pass. The construction will be completed in 5 years. My advice is to ride it now before the new road is in.

Glad to have been of help. It reads as if your friend is having a lot of trouble with a bike that may be too big and heavy for her.How many years riding does she have ? She would definitely benefit from a bunch of practice in gravel road situations on a smaller bike suited to her size and strength . Being totally freaked out by gravel and unpaved roads is not any way to tackle a long trip because those sort of things are going to come up as unavoidable in any kind of trip , unless you make detailed plans to totally stick to proven asphalt or constantly turn tail and retreat to a long detour.

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The 5 is fairly easy....just look out for the odd rock. Angie, who had no off road experience until our trip took in the TAT complete and then Baja on a tall heavy XT660R.....no falls.

Even Coco couldn't find any skid marks !!!!!!

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You may have seen photos of Baja HWY 5 that make it look impassible, with chunks of asphalt heaved up from the recent Hurricane Rosa. But the good news is that it's passable now, though difficult for 4-wheelers and all but impossible for RVs. The road could never be called busy but motorcyclists will enjoy the peace. I'm not sure of the status of the Puertocitos or Gonzaga Bay fuel stations but there are almost always people selling gas from the back of their trucks and they seem to appear just when you need them. Road condition updates here: Baja Road Conditions

More Baja moto info in my column at Posts by Carla King | Discover Baja Travel Club

Enjoy!

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