The Wayro route from Glendale to San Quintín is 321 miles (516 km), about 5 h 57 min of driving without stops. The U.S.–Mexico border is at about mile 143 on this route, near the San Ysidro port of entry.
What the State Department tells travelers on this route:
- Baja California: “Travelers should remain on main highways and avoid remote locations.”
| Distance | 321 mi (516 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 5 h 57 min |
| Main roads, in order | I-5 → I-805 → MEX-1 → MEX-1D |
| Border crossing | about mile 143 of this route, California → Baja California (near the San Ysidro, CA port of entry) |
| Mexican states on the route | Baja California (Level 3) |
| Toll roads | MEX-1D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 12.8 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 7 |
Crossing into Mexico: what you need for San Quintín
| Passport | Passport book or passport card to enter Mexico by land |
|---|---|
| FMM entry permit | Required for this trip: San Quintín is well beyond the 12-mile (20 km) border zone where the permit is not needed |
| Temporary vehicle import permit (TIP) | Not needed: Baja California is in Mexico's hassle-free zone for U.S. vehicles |
| Mexican auto insurance | Required for all vehicles: buy a Mexican policy before you cross |
Sources: U.S. State Department, Mexico travel information (updated August 11, 2026); permits are issued by Banjercito.
Crossing at 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.
Sources: [1]
What the drive from Glendale to San Quintín is like
MEX-1 (129 mi) and I-5 (111 mi) carry about 75% of the 321 miles. The U.S. part of the drive runs through California for about 143 miles; after the border at San Ysidro you have about 178 miles left in Mexico. The Mexican leg uses MEX-1D, a toll highway (cuota). Of the 7 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Glendale to San Quintín, road by road
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–2 | 2 | California |
| I-5 | 2–113 | 111 | California |
| connecting roads | 113–114 | 1 | California |
| I-805 | 114–142 | 28 | California |
| connecting roads | 142–144 | 2 | California, Baja California |
| MEX-1 | 144–156 | 12 | Baja California |
| MEX-1D | 156–199 | 43 | Baja California |
| MEX-1 | 199–209 | 10 | Baja California |
| local roads | 209–214 | 5 | Baja California |
| MEX-1 | 214–321 | 107 | Baja California |
- Mile 143 of this route: California → Baja California (international border)
Stops between Glendale and San Quintín
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Disneyland (mile 35), San Elijo Lagoon (mile 106), Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve (mile 112)
- Nature and outdoors: San Elijo Lagoon (mile 106), Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve (mile 112)
- Museums and history: Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (mile 8), The Broad (mile 10), Cabrillo National Monument (mile 127)
- With kids: Disneyland (mile 35), San Diego Zoo (mile 126)
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
Designed by Rafael Moneo, the mother church of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles glows through alabaster windows and displays John Nava's tapestries. Guided tours cover the cathedral, its plaza gardens, and the mausoleum.
The Broad
Founded by Eli and Edythe Broad and opened in 2015, this Grand Avenue museum shows postwar and contemporary art by artists such as Basquiat, Warhol, Koons, and Kusama inside a veil-and-vault building by Diller Scofidio + Renfro with Gensler.
Disneyland
Nine themed lands fill this Anaheim park, from the small-town storefronts of Main Street, U.S.A. and Fantasyland's fairy-tale rides to the Creole-inspired New Orleans Square and Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, set on the planet Batuu. Visitors can also walk through Sleeping Beauty Castle.
San Elijo Lagoon
This 721-acre ecological reserve protects coastal wetland, riparian and coastal sage scrub habitat, with hiking trails that are popular for birdwatching.
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
Trails like the Guy Fleming Trail and the Razor Point and Yucca Point overlooks wind through sculpted canyons and rare Torrey pines with wide Pacific views, and paths drop to North and South Beach, best walked at low tide below unstable cliffs.
San Diego Zoo
More than 12,000 animals from over 680 species and subspecies live on 100 acres in Balboa Park, where a guided bus tour and the Skyfari Aerial Tram help visitors cover the grounds. Giant pandas live in the Denny Sanford Panda Ridge habitat, opened in 2024.
Cabrillo National Monument
The monument tells the story of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, who in 1542 became the first European to set foot on what is now the U.S. West Coast. It sits at the southern tip of the Point Loma peninsula.
When you get to San Quintín
On Baja California's Pacific coast, roughly three hours south of Ensenada on Highway 1, San Quintín spreads across a farming valley beside a sheltered bay ringed by extinct volcanic cones. The area is known for sport fishing, oyster and abalone farms, and coastal wetlands where thousands of brant geese from Alaska and Canada spend the winter.
- Oyster farms: Shellfish farms in the bay raise several species, and you can visit the oyster growers and taste the catch right where it comes out of the water. source
- Volcanic cones: Extinct basaltic volcanoes such as Monte Ceniza, Punta Mazo and Riverol rise above the coastline and frame the bay. source
- San Quintín wetlands: The bay's wetlands shelter migratory birds and marine life, and in winter they host thousands of brant geese that fly down from Alaska and Canada. source
More drives to San Quintín
- Carlsbad, CA to San Quintín
- Nogales, AZ to San Quintín
- La Quinta, CA to San Quintín
- Yucca Valley, CA to San Quintín
- Santa Maria, CA to San Quintín
- Chandler, AZ to San Quintín
From Glendale to other places in Mexico
- Glendale, CA to Tijuana
- Glendale, CA to Rosarito
- Glendale, CA to Ensenada
- Glendale, CA to Mexicali
- Glendale, CA to San Luis Río Colorado
- Glendale, CA to Puerto Peñasco
All routes to San Quintín, border crossings and permits in one place: Driving to San Quintín, Mexico from the U.S.
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Glendale to San Quintín?
About 5 h 57 min of driving without stops, over 321 miles.
How far is San Quintín from Glendale by car?
About 321 miles (516 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.
Where does the Glendale to San Quintín drive cross into Mexico?
At about mile 143 of this route, from California into Baja California, near the San Ysidro port of entry.
Do I need a permit to drive my car from Glendale to San Quintín?
No vehicle permit is needed. Baja California is in Mexico's hassle-free zone for U.S. vehicles. You also need Mexican auto insurance and a passport book or card. An FMM entry permit is required too.
Is it safe to drive from Glendale to San Quintín?
The U.S. State Department rates Baja California Level 3: Reconsider Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Glendale to San Quintín use?
In order: I-5, I-805, MEX-1 and MEX-1D. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.
What are good stops between Glendale and San Quintín?
Closest to the road: Disneyland (theme park, mile 35, 0.5 mi from the route); San Elijo Lagoon (nature area, mile 106, 0.1 mi from the route); Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve (state park, mile 112, 0.8 mi from the route). All stops are described above.
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.
Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.