Which route to San Carlos

[insask]

Which highway or border crossing is the best one to use, Nogales or Douglas to San Carlos?

[Tequila]

Depends on your rig. If you ar etowing and have over a 1/2 ton truck, the new rules may prevent you from entering. The advantage of nogales is its too far for them to go out and look at your door sticker.

[Talleyho69]

We come from the west, and swear by Sonoyta/Lukeville both directions. It's toll road now, nice and wide, and the new facility near Caborca for paperwork is great. We do our vehicle permit on line to make it even easier. Because we are so close to Tijuana, we usually get our FMM's a week or two in advance, hit an ATM for pesos, and don't have to stop along the way.

[daveB110]

Going north out of Mexico we have always used Sonoyta or the old stop at Km 26 south of that town, but that was been before the change and the relocation of the Aduana to near Caborca. There was long-standing criticism of using Nogales when going north, and the extra miles to go west from Nogales were no longer warented when Hwy 2 had received major upgrading roadwork. I remember our first trip into Mexico in 2003 when driving the unfamiliar motor home on Hyw 2 southeast, as it was quite a bit narrower then, than roads to the north. Of course, this merely heightened the sense of Adventure as we progressed alone across the landscape! and into our first of seven incredible winters we had in Mexico.

[briansue]

Going through Nogales be sure to take the Mariposa route - truck route - west of the actually city so you completely bypass the city - it is a turnoff to the west from the interstate in the US. There is a toll in Mexico a little bit down from this crossing - and there is a customs check. After 10 or 15 miles is the place you go to do all your paperwork. Have all your vehicle paperwork in order. You will have to get copies of some stuff and there is a place there where you can get copies for 25 cents each. Read the sticky at the top of this forum to learn about paperwork and insurance. You can buy insurance ahead of time online - many here suggest Lewis & Lewis easily found online. Here is a map of the route.

[rocmoc]

IMHO,

Coming from the East cross at Nogales when going South to San Carlos. Return thu Douglas.

Coming from North of Nogales use Nogales for both going & return.

Coming from the West cross at Nogales or Lukeville but return thu Lukeville.

rocmoc n AZ/Fld/Baja

[daveB110]

Depends on where you are approaching Mexico 15 hwy from. If from the east it might be quicker from Douglas, but the roadway may not be as good for you, as the one out of Nogales.

For a time folk from the west often went across at the Lukeville/Sonoyta crossing. But in time we found out that the paperwork that needed to get done always seemed to have hangups, causing some major delays. Many that we knew, and that included ourselves, would thereafter enter Mexico from Nogales. Things have changed at the Sonoyta crossing, with the place to stop and get paperwork done moving closer to Coborca, pretty well eliminating the back-tracking to the border crossing which meant a 50 km trip (the copier had run out of ink at km 26!) out of eight of us, four had to return to the border for copies, and two had to return to obtain US dollars to pay, when the only card the man had would not swipe and he could not use his wife's Visa card because he did not have their marriage license!

Nogales never had surprises for us, maybe a short lineup, but that was it. What Douglas is like I don't know, never crossed there, but if you are coming from Tucson, or Phoenix, you might as well cross at Nogales. The road from Douglas is a bit longer, and unless you want to check out Tombstone and Boothill,and Bisbee, Nogales could be your best bet. In fact, there is a good road the runs from near Tombstone through the bird watching country of Patagonia to Nogales, AZ, USA. Also, if you overnight on the US side, you could meet up with fellow travelers who want to get an early start and so they will stop overnight at, say, the Nogales Walmart on the US side, or at the Desert Diamond Casino just south of Tucson. Good luck and safe travels!