Guadalajara Bypass

I think that's the best route. We took it through Guad from Patzcuaro in April last year for the first time and it was fairly easy. If you come in on the highway from Mexico City & Morelia get on the lateral when you see trucks doing it (this is the only part you will be required to be in the lateral). Not too far in, you'll see signs for Chapala for which you have to get back in the right of the 2 main lanes (merge to your left before the overpass), go under the overpass and exit right - you'll end up south-bound heading for Chapala. The south and north-bound lanes separate for a ways and come back together in time for the exit (right) for Periferico, Tepic & Colima. Carry on for several miles, ignore the Colima exit and the road gradually turns north. Follow the signs for Tepic and you'll do another right exit after the overpass which will have you west-bound and you're done. It helps if you look at the route on Google Earth and you can go to the ground-level view for details on the places to turn - make sure your navigator sees it too, I might add !- hope this helps - RYV

Just wanted to add - we haven't stayed at Villa Corona, so I think there's a possibility you MIGHT want the Colima exit ? -RYV

I think it very much depends on where you are coming from and what routes you are on while on your way to Guad? I can't tell you much about what Guia Roji says as we find it to be almost useless. We use Microsoft Streets & Trips and Garmin.

Here is a route if you are coming from the east on 15D. There is an exit by Zula that goes south to Ocotlan - shows as 6 on S&T - about 30 miles east of where 80D connects to 15D - and about 25 miles west of where 110 comes down from Irapuato/Penjamo. From Ocotlan we take 35 west toward Chapala. 35 then meets up with 23 which is the Chapala road near Santa Rosa (about 30 miles) - you would have to retorno on 23 a bit north of there to go south to Chapala. Or you can go north on 23 a bit (couple miles) to 113 which takes you on the north side of Lake Cajititlan and over to 54D a little north of the turn to Villa Corona. This avoids all Guad traffic.

If you come down on 80D you can get on 80 and then take the road that cuts over toward the Guad airport and 23 - I am not sure if you can go south from here so you may have to make a retorno. Then take 23 south to 113 and across the north side of Lake Cajititlan over to 54D as before.

There are a couple of other routes depending on how familiar you are with the area. You can go through Chapala/Ajijic over to Jocotepec and up to Corona from there.

Ask me if you need more detail - or I can email you a map if you PM me.

We would probably be coming down 80 from the Leon area. We haven't been over that way in about 5 years and either taken the back roads from Patzcuaro or come in from the west so not very familiar with the area at all.

We don't have great sucess with the Garmin, but then we often spend a lot of time on the less travel roads. They don't even have the cuota road from Rio Verde to Cd. Valles and it has been there for 2 years. We just came over the mountains from Cd. Valles to Pachuca and spent a couple of days at a water park at Ixmiquilpan.

Now at Real del Monte outside Pachuca.

If we were in the Leon area we would probably back-track a bit to Irapuato to pick up 90 and then 110 down through Penjamo, La Piedad, Yurecuaro to 15D. We have taken this route several times from the Guanajuato area and the roads are all newly paved and widened with rings around the towns - another where maps are probably not up to date yet as the rings are very new. I do think the rings are on our Garmin now with recent updates. Anyway, this route and the other I tried to explain will completely avoid Guad and has very few tolls. Very little traffic holdups could mean faster times.

The latest maps are the SCT maps which are the gov't maps that Guia Roji gets their maps from. They only show major roads and minimal detail - but they are better and more detailed than Guia Roji. They are free to download online from SCT. . . . http://www.sct.gob.mx/informacion-general/planeacion/cartografia/productos-cartograficos/atlas-por-entidad-federativa/listado-de-atlas . . . but none of these maps will give you the kind of detail you get with Garmin or S&T - I like details. I checked my SCT map to see the road between Rio Verde and Cd. Valles and it shows 70 - no new road. The SCT maps were last updated in 2012 so I am not sure other maps will show newer roads. Depends on where they get their maps from. Unfortunately, Microsoft has discontinued S&T with 2013 being the last update so no more new roads will be on S&T. The latest Garmin updates do show roads no on either SCT or S&T. Unfortunately, Garmin updates can take many hours to download.

Some of my maps showing parts of routes I mention can be found on our blog at these web addresses . . .

http://www.briansue2.blogspot.com/2013_01_01_archive.html

http://www.briansue2.blogspot.com/2014/01/day-trips-from-roca-azul.html

When I read the subject line I thought this was a new medical procedure......

Thanks for a late evening laugh!

When driving around Guad, we stick to the periferico, follow the signs, and have had no problems from Tepic to San Jose del Tajo, or if we skip that, all the way from Tepic to Patzcuaro. (No more, too far)

The periferico from south to north, (or north to south) is now down to just two stop lights, and is very well signed. We have decided not to try to find the "feeder" roads that might help us miss the perifico.

On our first trip to Mexico, now many ears ago, we tried the Octlan route. We got so lost we had to hire a taxi to lead us out of town.

PS these days we just go around in circles - yesterday 2 laps trying to get out of Pachuca, and one when missing the turn into SJ Teotihuacan.

The roads all over have been greatly improved in recent years - Ocotlan is no exception - and 35 over to Chapala is almost all new. I can email you a detailed route map through Ocotlan if you would like.