Globe to Bahía de los Ángeles, Mexico Road Trip: Route & Stops

By admin, 30 September, 2026

The Wayro route from Globe to Bahía de los Ángeles is 625 miles (1006 km), about 14 h 2 min of driving without stops. The U.S.–Mexico border is at about mile 283 on this route, near the San Luis port of entry.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Sonora — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Baja California — Level 3, Reconsider TravelAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Baja California is the Mexican state that contains Bahía de los Ángeles. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.

What the State Department tells travelers on this route:

  • Baja California: “Travelers should remain on main highways and avoid remote locations.”
Boyce Thompson ArboretumMcFarland State Historic ParkCasa Grande Ruins National MonumentSonoran Desert National MonumentYuma DesertU.S.–Mexico borderGlobeBahía de los Ángeles
Route from Globe to Bahía de los Ángeles with the 5 stops listed below (blue dots) and the approximate U.S.–Mexico border crossing (red square).
Distance625 mi (1006 km)
Driving time, no stops14 h 2 min
Main roads, in orderUS-60 → AZ 79 → AZ 287 → AZ 87 → I-10 → I-8 → AZ 195 → SON 3 → BC 4 → BC 41 → MEX-5 → MEX-1
Border crossingabout mile 283 of this route, Arizona → Sonora (near the San Luis, AZ port of entry)
Mexican states on the routeSonora (Level 3), Baja California (Level 3)
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 25.0 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below5

Crossing into Mexico: what you need for Bahía de los Ángeles

PassportPassport book or passport card to enter Mexico by land
FMM entry permitRequired for this trip: Bahía de los Ángeles 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 insuranceRequired 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 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.

Sources: [1] [2] [3]

What the drive from Globe to Bahía de los Ángeles is like

MEX-5 (221 mi) and I-8 (169 mi) carry about 62% of the 625 miles. The U.S. part of the drive runs through Arizona for about 283 miles; after the border at San Luis you have about 342 miles left in Mexico. Of the 5 stops listed below, 4 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Globe to Bahía de los Ángeles, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–11Arizona
US-601–3837Arizona
AZ 7938–5416Arizona
connecting roads54–551Arizona
AZ 28755–638Arizona
AZ 8763–685Arizona
local roads68–779Arizona
AZ 28777–814Arizona
I-1081–854Arizona
connecting roads85–861Arizona
I-886–255169Arizona
connecting roads255–2561Arizona
AZ 195256–28226Arizona
connecting roads282–2842Arizona, Sonora
SON 3284–30824Sonora
connecting roads308–3091Baja California
BC 4309–32819Baja California
BC 41328–3324Baja California
MEX-5332–553221Baja California
MEX-1553–62572Baja California
  • Mile 283 of this route: Arizona → Sonora (international border)
  • Mile 308 of this route: Sonora → Baja California (state line)

Stops between Globe and Bahía de los Ángeles

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Boyce Thompson Arboretum (mile 27), McFarland State Historic Park (mile 55), Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (mile 64), Yuma Desert (mile 267)
  • Nature and outdoors: Boyce Thompson Arboretum (mile 27), McFarland State Historic Park (mile 55), Sonoran Desert National Monument (mile 134), Yuma Desert (mile 267)
  • Museums and history: Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (mile 64), Sonoran Desert National Monument (mile 134)

Boyce Thompson Arboretum

Mile 27 · State park · 0.4 mi from the route

Arizona's oldest and largest botanical garden sits near Superior, with trails through desert plantings from around the world, including the 13-acre Wallace Desert Garden, and an Audubon-designated Important Bird Area for birders.

McFarland State Historic Park

Mile 55 · State park · 0.5 mi from the route

In downtown Florence, this state historic park preserves the old courthouse from Arizona's territorial era, now a visitor center and museum where you can step into the historic courtroom. Picnic areas and shelters are on site.

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Mile 64 · National monument · 0.4 mi from the route

Standing for more than 600 years, the Great House is the centerpiece of this preserved Ancestral Sonoran Desert People's farming community near Coolidge. Visitors can also see the adobe walls of Compound A and a visitor center museum.

Sonoran Desert National Monument

Mile 134 · National monument · 8 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Created in 2001, this BLM monument protects saguaro forests across the Maricopa, Sand Tank, and Table Top mountains. Traces of the Juan Bautista de Anza and Butterfield Overland trails cross it, and hikers, campers, and stargazers find three wilderness areas.

Yuma Desert

Mile 267 · Desert · 0.6 mi from the route

South of Yuma along the Mexican border, this low Sonoran Desert plain is a sweep of sand dunes and sandy soils, including the Yuma Dunes, where rare plants such as sandfood grow and flat-tailed horned lizards and fringe-toed lizards live.

When you get to Bahía de los Ángeles

Bahía de los Ángeles is a small fishing and outdoor town on the Gulf of California side of the Baja peninsula, where the paved spur road off Federal Highway 1 ends at the water. Since 2007 the bay and the nearby Ballenas and Salsipuedes channels have been a federal biosphere reserve that protects whale sharks, several whale species, sea lions and sea turtles.

  • Bahía de los Ángeles Biosphere Reserve: Covering almost 388,000 hectares of sea, the reserve shelters blue, humpback and sperm whales, California sea lions and endangered sea turtles. source
  • Whale shark encounters: Whale shark watching in the bay runs under a sustainable-use program managed by Mexico's protected-areas agency, CONANP. source
  • Isla Rasa and the Gulf islands: Isla Rasa and Isla Salsipuedes are recognized bird conservation areas, part of the UNESCO-listed islands and protected areas of the Gulf of California. source

More drives to Bahía de los Ángeles

From Globe to other places in Mexico

All routes to Bahía de los Ángeles, border crossings and permits in one place: Driving to Bahía de los Ángeles, Mexico from the U.S.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Globe to Bahía de los Ángeles?

About 14 h 2 min of driving without stops, over 625 miles.

How far is Bahía de los Ángeles from Globe by car?

About 625 miles (1006 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 Globe to Bahía de los Ángeles drive cross into Mexico?

At about mile 283 of this route, from Arizona into Sonora, near the San Luis port of entry.

Do I need a permit to drive my car from Globe to Bahía de los Ángeles?

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 Globe to Bahía de los Ángeles?

The U.S. State Department rates Sonora Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Baja California Level 3: Reconsider Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Globe to Bahía de los Ángeles use?

In order: US-60, AZ 79, AZ 287, AZ 87, I-10, I-8, AZ 195, SON 3, BC 4, BC 41, MEX-5 and MEX-1. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Globe and Bahía de los Ángeles?

Closest to the road: Boyce Thompson Arboretum (state park, mile 27, 0.4 mi from the route); McFarland State Historic Park (state park, mile 55, 0.5 mi from the route); Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (National monument, mile 64, 0.4 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.