Driving to San Felipe, Mexico from the U.S.

Every Wayro route we publish from U.S. cities to San Felipe, Baja California, with the border crossing each one uses and what you need to bring a U.S. car across.

About San Felipe

Where the Baja desert runs straight into the warm Gulf of California, San Felipe is a fishing town about two hours south of Mexicali. It is known for sport fishing, dramatic low tides that pull the water far from shore, and seafood, especially the shrimp it celebrates with an annual festival.

• Valle de los Gigantes: South of town on the road to Puertecitos, this cactus reserve on Punta Estrella Ranch protects towering cardón cacti up to about 17 meters tall. source
• Sport fishing: Charters head into the Gulf of California from San Felipe, a town long known for sport fishing thanks to the abundance of marine species offshore. source
• Gulf beaches: The town's beaches are made for kayaking, paddleboarding and walking the wide flats exposed at low tide. source
• Seafood: Fresh clams and shrimp anchor the local table, and shrimp gets its own festival each year. source

Crossing into Mexico: what you need to drive to San Felipe

Sources: U.S. State Department, Mexico travel information (updated August 11, 2026); permits are issued by Banjercito.

Where drivers cross the border

Calexico West

Calexico West sits in downtown Calexico, directly across from Mexicali, and GSA describes it as the main border crossing linking the Imperial Valley to Baja California. It handles passenger vehicles and pedestrians and is in the middle of a multi-phase federal modernization. Used by 82 of the routes below.

San Luis

The San Luis port connects San Luis, Arizona, south of Yuma, with San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora. It handles passenger vehicles and heavy pedestrian traffic, and GSA calls it the second busiest non-commercial vehicle port in Arizona; trucks use the separate San Luis II crossing east of town. Used by 33 of the routes below.

San Ysidro

San Ysidro links San Diego with Tijuana where Interstate 5 ends at the border, just south of its junction with Interstate 805, and a federal fact sheet calls it the busiest land border crossing in the Western Hemisphere. It handles passenger vehicles, pedestrians and buses, with dedicated SENTRI lanes for pre-screened travelers. Used by 1 of the routes below.

Calexico East

Calexico East lies a few miles east of downtown Calexico, about a mile south of State Route 7, and connects with the eastern side of Mexicali. It carries passenger vehicles, commercial trucks and pedestrians, so it is the usual alternative to the downtown Calexico West crossing. Used by 1 of the routes below.

Drives to San Felipe from the U.S.

How we put this guide together

Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway mile markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route (roughly 2 to 7 miles depending on the type, farther for World Heritage sites): at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, with no more than five of one type, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place and city descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on September 29, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.