The Wayro route from Santa Maria to San Felipe is 506 miles (814 km), about 10 h 9 min of driving without stops. The U.S.–Mexico border is at about mile 383 on this route, near the Calexico West 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 | 506 mi (814 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 10 h 9 min |
| Main roads, in order | US-101 → CA-154 → US-99 Hist → I-10 → I-10 EXPR → CA-86 → CA-78 → CA-111 → MEX-5 |
| Border crossing | about mile 383 of this route, California → Baja California (near the Calexico West, CA port of entry) |
| Mexican states on the route | Baja California (Level 3) |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 20.2 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 8 |
Crossing into Mexico: what you need for San Felipe
| Passport | Passport book or passport card to enter Mexico by land |
|---|---|
| FMM entry permit | Required for this trip: San Felipe 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 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.
Sources: [1]
What the drive from Santa Maria to San Felipe is like
US-101 (125 mi) and MEX-5 (123 mi) carry about 49% of the 506 miles. The U.S. part of the drive runs through California for about 383 miles; after the border at Calexico West you have about 123 miles left in Mexico. Of the 8 stops listed below, 5 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Santa Maria to San Felipe, road by road
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–1 | 1 | California |
| US-101 | 1–26 | 25 | California |
| connecting roads | 26–27 | 1 | California |
| CA-154 | 27–59 | 32 | California |
| US-101 | 59–159 | 100 | California |
| US-99 Hist | 159–168 | 9 | California |
| I-10 | 168–190 | 22 | California |
| I-10 EXPR | 190–199 | 9 | California |
| I-10 | 199–286 | 87 | California |
| CA-86 | 286–319 | 33 | California |
| US-99 Hist | 319–352 | 33 | California |
| CA-78 | 352–359 | 7 | California |
| CA-111 | 359–378 | 19 | California |
| connecting roads | 378–382 | 4 | California |
| MEX-5 | 382–505 | 123 | California, Baja California |
| local roads | 505–506 | 1 | Baja California |
- Mile 383 of this route: California → Baja California (international border)
Stops between Santa Maria and San Felipe
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park (mile 53), Hollywood Walk of Fame (mile 151), Hollyhock House (mile 153), Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (mile 157), The Broad (mile 157)
- Nature and outdoors: Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park (mile 53), Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (mile 132)
- Museums and history: Hollywood Walk of Fame (mile 151), Hollyhock House (mile 153), Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (mile 157), The Broad (mile 157), Sand to Snow National Monument (mile 253)
Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park
Up a steep, narrow road off Highway 154 near Santa Barbara, a small sandstone cave holds Chumash rock art, viewed through a protective metal gate. The access road isn't recommended for trailers or RVs.
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Spanning the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California, this national recreation area offers more than 500 miles of trails, including the 67-mile Backbone Trail, along with Malibu beaches, old movie ranches like Paramount Ranch, and Native American cultural sites.
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Stars honoring names from film, television, music, radio and live performance line both sides of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce holds new star ceremonies here throughout the year.
Hollyhock House
Frank Lloyd Wright designed this house for the heiress Aline Barnsdall. Now a house museum in Barnsdall Art Park in East Hollywood, it's a National Historic Landmark and one of eight Wright buildings in the UNESCO World Heritage listing The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.
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.
Sand to Snow National Monument
Established in 2016, this monument climbs from the Sonoran Desert floor to San Gorgonio Mountain, the highest peak in California south of the Sierra Nevada, and carries 30 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail.
Cerro Prieto
About 22 miles (35 km) south of Mexicali, this small rhyodacite lava dome rises above the desert floor and marks the surface of the Cerro Prieto Geothermal Field, one of Mexico's major geothermal resources.
When you get to 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
More drives to San Felipe
- Safford, AZ to San Felipe
- Rancho Mirage, CA to San Felipe
- Coronado, CA to San Felipe
- Mesa, AZ to San Felipe
- Bisbee, AZ to San Felipe
- Casa Grande, AZ to San Felipe
From Santa Maria to other places in Mexico
- Santa Maria, CA to San Quintín
- Santa Maria, CA to Rosarito
- Santa Maria, CA to Ensenada
- Santa Maria, CA to Tecate
- Santa Maria, CA to Sonoyta
- Santa Maria, CA to Tijuana
All routes to San Felipe, border crossings and permits in one place: Driving to San Felipe, Mexico from the U.S.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Santa Maria to San Felipe?
About 10 h 9 min of driving without stops, over 506 miles.
How far is San Felipe from Santa Maria by car?
About 506 miles (814 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 Santa Maria to San Felipe drive cross into Mexico?
At about mile 383 of this route, from California into Baja California, near the Calexico West port of entry.
Do I need a permit to drive my car from Santa Maria to San Felipe?
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 Santa Maria to San Felipe?
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 Santa Maria to San Felipe use?
In order: US-101, CA-154, US-99 Hist, I-10, I-10 EXPR, CA-86, CA-78, CA-111 and MEX-5. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.
What are good stops between Santa Maria and San Felipe?
Closest to the road: Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park (show cave, mile 53, 0.9 mi from the route); Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (catholic cathedral, mile 157, 0.3 mi from the route); The Broad (art museum, mile 157, 0.6 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.