The Wayro route from Thousand Oaks to Puerto Peñasco is 460 miles (740 km), about 9 h 6 min of driving without stops. The U.S.–Mexico border is at about mile 264 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 | 460 mi (740 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 9 h 6 min |
| Main roads, in order | US-101 → US-99 Hist → I-10 → I-10 EXPR → CA-86 → CA-78 → CA-111 → MEX-5 → MEX-2 → SON D → SON 3 |
| Border crossing | about mile 264 of this route, California → Baja California (near the Calexico West, CA port of entry) |
| Mexican states on the route | Baja California (Level 3), Sonora (Level 3) |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 18.4 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 8 |
Crossing into Mexico: what you need for Puerto Peñasco
| Passport | Passport book or passport card to enter Mexico by land |
|---|---|
| FMM entry permit | Required for this trip: Puerto Peñasco is well beyond the 12-mile (20 km) border zone where the permit is not needed |
| Temporary vehicle import permit (TIP) | Not needed: Puerto Peñasco is inside Sonora's free zone (west of Highway 15 as far south as Empalme, plus a strip along the border that includes Cananea). Going farther south or east of Highway 15 requires a permit |
| 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. Sonora free zone: Explore Sonora.
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 Thousand Oaks to Puerto Peñasco is like
SON 3 (109 mi) and I-10 (108 mi) carry about 47% of the 460 miles. The U.S. part of the drive runs through California for about 264 miles; after the border at Calexico West you have about 196 miles left in Mexico. Of the 8 stops listed below, 5 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Thousand Oaks to Puerto Peñasco, road by road
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–1 | 1 | California |
| US-101 | 1–40 | 39 | California |
| US-99 Hist | 40–50 | 10 | California |
| I-10 | 50–71 | 21 | California |
| I-10 EXPR | 71–80 | 9 | California |
| I-10 | 80–167 | 87 | California |
| CA-86 | 167–200 | 33 | California |
| US-99 Hist | 200–234 | 34 | California |
| CA-78 | 234–240 | 6 | California |
| CA-111 | 240–260 | 20 | California |
| connecting roads | 260–263 | 3 | California |
| MEX-5 | 263–267 | 4 | California, Baja California |
| MEX-2 | 267–308 | 41 | Baja California, Sonora |
| connecting roads | 308–311 | 3 | Sonora |
| local roads | 311–318 | 7 | Sonora |
| SON D | 318–345 | 27 | Sonora |
| SON 3 | 345–454 | 109 | Sonora |
| local roads | 454–460 | 6 | Sonora |
- Mile 264 of this route: California → Baja California (international border)
- Mile 306 of this route: Baja California → Sonora (state line)
Stops between Thousand Oaks and Puerto Peñasco
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Hollywood Walk of Fame (mile 32), Hollyhock House (mile 35), Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (mile 39), The Broad (mile 39), Alto Golfo de California Biosphere Reserve (mile 367)
- Nature and outdoors: Malibu Creek State Park (mile 8), Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (mile 13), Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument (mile 133), Alto Golfo de California Biosphere Reserve (mile 367)
- Museums and history: Hollywood Walk of Fame (mile 32), Hollyhock House (mile 35), Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (mile 39), The Broad (mile 39), Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument (mile 133)
Malibu Creek State Park
This park spans more than 8,000 acres of canyons and meadows in the Santa Monica Mountains, where M*A*S*H and Planet of the Apes were filmed. Trails lead to the Rock Pool, Century Lake and the M*A*S*H site.
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.
Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument
Rising from the Coachella Valley toward alpine peaks, this monument holds fan palm oases, bighorn sheep habitat, wilderness areas, and part of the Pacific Crest Trail. Its visitor center sits on Highway 74 in Palm Desert.
Alto Golfo de California Biosphere Reserve
Covering the Colorado River Delta at the top of the Gulf of California, this reserve is part of UNESCO's Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California World Heritage Site and home to the critically endangered vaquita porpoise.
When you get to Puerto Peñasco
Puerto Peñasco, known to many Americans as Rocky Point, sits on the Sea of Cortez in northwestern Sonora. Inland lies El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013, with black and red lava flows, giant maar craters and North America's largest field of active sand dunes.
- Malecón Fundadores: The town's waterfront promenade is lined with shops, restaurants and seafood stalls and ranks among Puerto Peñasco's best-known spots. source
- Galería de Arte Municipal: On the upper esplanade of the Malecón, the municipal art gallery runs rotating exhibitions and cultural events. source
- CEDO Intercultural: This research center offers natural history talks, a botanical garden, a fin whale skeleton and guided tours of nearby coastal and desert ecosystems. source
More drives to Puerto Peñasco
- Poway, CA to Puerto Peñasco
- Mesquite, NV to Puerto Peñasco
- Coronado, CA to Puerto Peñasco
- Palm Springs, CA to Puerto Peñasco
- Ojai, CA to Puerto Peñasco
- Encinitas, CA to Puerto Peñasco
From Thousand Oaks to other places in Mexico
- Thousand Oaks, CA to Rosarito
- Thousand Oaks, CA to San Luis Río Colorado
- Thousand Oaks, CA to Ensenada
- Thousand Oaks, CA to Mexicali
- Thousand Oaks, CA to San Quintín
- Thousand Oaks, CA to Tijuana
All routes to Puerto Peñasco, border crossings and permits in one place: Driving to Puerto Peñasco, Mexico from the U.S.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Thousand Oaks to Puerto Peñasco?
About 9 h 6 min of driving without stops, over 460 miles.
How far is Puerto Peñasco from Thousand Oaks by car?
About 460 miles (740 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 Thousand Oaks to Puerto Peñasco drive cross into Mexico?
At about mile 264 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 Thousand Oaks to Puerto Peñasco?
No vehicle permit is needed. Puerto Peñasco is inside Sonora's free zone (west of Highway 15 as far south as Empalme, plus a strip along the border that includes Cananea). Going farther south or east of Highway 15 requires a permit. 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 Thousand Oaks to Puerto Peñasco?
The U.S. State Department rates Baja California Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Sonora Level 3: Reconsider Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Thousand Oaks to Puerto Peñasco use?
In order: US-101, US-99 Hist, I-10, I-10 EXPR, CA-86, CA-78, CA-111, MEX-5, MEX-2, SON D and SON 3. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.
What are good stops between Thousand Oaks and Puerto Peñasco?
Closest to the road: Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (catholic cathedral, mile 39, 0.2 mi from the route); The Broad (art museum, mile 39, 0.5 mi from the route); Alto Golfo de California Biosphere Reserve (territory, mile 367, 0.3 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.