overnighting options - Mazatlan - Durango/Torreon/Saltillo

Safe boondocking locations we have used.

Your overnight would be on the new Bypass on the north edge of Torreon on the median between the east and west toll gates/ plazas. Spacious, clean, well lit and safe. It is so new that it does not appear on Goggle maps or any of the road maps. But the Bypass is very well marked by road signs.

Or....just before that about fifteen miles west of Torreon, at the intersection of Libre 49 and 40 D, (GPS coordinates: 25.52 N., 103.64W.) there is a restaurant and military post and large parking lot that we have stayed in a couple of times....a bit dirty for the dogs but Safe. Now northbound as you are approaching, you would have to stay a few hundred feet back from the booth and ask the toll people (Motion to them ) to lift a couple of the barriers so that you can go over to the restaurant. They do this if you are polite.
There are minimal Pemex's between Torreon and Saltillo.

Safe travels

Bob

Hola from La Fuente in Saltillo.
Yes, it's open, however, the good restaurant is closed. GPS got us here easily, even with all the rain and rush hour traffic, it was easy. We feel La Fuente is an important stop when there are so few options in Saltillo. We opted for a room right across from our trailer. Tomorrow we cross at Columbia bridge. We'll miss Mexico, but happy to be back in the USA.
Please post your experiences so it's easier for those who follow.
Thank you all for your help!

thanks Briansue.
We found the hotel, mostly by some luck, because our updated Garmin had us exit to the right as soon as we left the last casita cobro. Not the correct way! Should have gone straight and found 45. Once we finally found a place to turn around, and went back, we found 45, and our garmin started working correctly. The room we took was $320 pesos. Certainly not the best room we've had in Mexico, but it's just for tonight, and our trailer is parked right outside. There was no heat in the room, but we had our little brown heater. We heated up our meal in the trailer and ate.
Tomorrow Saltillo and we've been there before, so don't expect any surprises or adventures. But, it is Mexico, and we love it.

I can't say it was easy, or say it's a good room, but we are here now and will be gone in the morning. The point i want to make now is the "Devil route" ( Maz to Durango ) is incredible and beautiful! And when overnighting is made easier with folks posting their experiences, it will be easier for us all.

Thanks!

Thanks all for your replies and good luck to you!

How many stay at the Hotel Imperial del Norte in Saltillo with you RV?

navegator

I put in the numbers by Copy & Paste exactly as entered above . . . 24.029845 -104.614573 . . . on the Search line of Google Earth and come up with the proper location. You should see a sort of triangular shaped building with a courtyard in the middle. The entrance gate is on the north side on Nombre de Dios. To the upper right of the GE screen is a little man shaped icon if you drag your cursor to that are (does not show until you put your cursor in that area). Click on the little man and hold the click as you drag your cursor to the road in front of the location. Look from above to see a sort of umbrella thing - that is by the gate. Drag the man to road in front and release the click. This will take you to Street View of that point on the road. You can then Click and hold and move your cursor to turn your view in the street to see the entrance. I do not know what GPS you have but you may have to find a place to enter Coordinates to make the GPS work. I think the previous post says you have to drive past and then U-turn (retorno) to get to the entrance. Keep moving your cursor in Street View on GE to get a feel for what the neighborhood looks like so you will be familiar with it when you get there. Usually works for us.

hello
when i put in the GPS coordinates for Villas de Aragon you gave me, my GPS did not recognise it. the Google Earth did not either, and i copied and pasted to search the numbers correctly. i'm new to Google Earth, did i do this wrong. we are leaving shortly. i will check my mail with my stick before we get to Durango.
thanks

You can stay behind the Holiday Inn in Saltillo. Next to the Inn is the best steak house in Saltillo.

La Casa del Caballo

mm49

I took a caravan in there in November. No problem, lots of clearance, you just have to know how to go around the block to get access

Most of the no tell motels have an arch and a very tight entrance designed so wifes or others driving by can't see into the parking area of the motel. I can't think of one that I've seen that could accommodate even a small RV within its confines.

At least some of the purpose of "no tell motels" in Mexico is so married couples who live in small houses with lots of kids can get away for a little fun in private.

Here's the link.........
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/27603439.cfm

The referenced thread gives GPS 24.029845 -104.614573 which you can Copy & Paste to Google Earth and then use street view to look at the entrance and you can get an idea of the courtyard. You can almost always use Google Earth to look at places

Years ago we also stayed in a motel courtyard listed in the Church book in Bermejillo north of Torreon but that may be off route - MX49 to Chihuahua. It was safe but they had a party which started after we got there. World's worst band playing in the courtyard all night.

Where you spend the night depends on what time you get up and going in the morning and how often you stop along the way to enjoy your surroundings. We are never in a hurry to get anywhere. When you hurry you pass by all kinds of interesting stuff you would never know about if you did not stop to smell the roses - or whatever.

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/27603439.cfm Does not open for me. Most of the no tell motels have an arch and a very tight entrance designed so wifes or others driving by can't see into the parking area of the motel. I can't think of one that I've seen that could accommodate even a small RV within its confines.
Trying to sleep near the toll booths is really loud - between the jake brakes and rumble strips.
There's a large Pemex north of Durango we've slept at before - it's mostly all trucks but very quiet.
The new road has changed what used to take 8 hours into much less, so Durango might not be the logical resting place it once was - whether one is headed east or west.