Mexico Road Trip 101
Mexico is large and planning a road trip seems daunting. The good news is that it’s actually pretty simple.
Despite the million possible route options, it turns out that there’s one or two well-worn paths. We took the plunge and went on a 3-month road trip, winding our way through mainland Mexico in a 19′ travel trailer.
We wrote this guide to help you plan your own Mexico road trip. We’re going to break it down and share a sample route and itinerary.
** Quick note: if this will be your first drive through Mexico, we suggest starting with our Baja Road Trip to ease into it. **
Mexico Driving Route Basics
Excluding the Yucatan peninsula, most well- and lesser-known beach towns in Mexico are on the Pacific [West] Coast. Most road trips through Mexico follow the dramatic Pacific coastline.
If it’s your first time touring mainland Mexico, the Pacific Coast route is easy and well-trod by tens of thousands of RVers and road trippers each year. For reference, 50,000 Canadians overwinter along this route annually.
To drive the Pacific Coast, you need only two roads:
From Nogales to Puerto Vallarta is Highway 15, aka 15D, or the cuota (toll road)
From Puerto Vallarta all the way to Guatemalan border is Highway 200
You can also cross at Ajo/Lukesville. This much smaller and quicker border entry that puts you on Highway 2 for the first few hours, meeting up with Highway 15 at Santa Ana. Some people include Puerto Peñasco on this trip which is directly south of Ajo.
If an out and back drive on Pacific Coast is all you do, you’ll love it. In this itinerary, we include the inland part of our road trip as well which we found equally fun.
Highway 15
Almost everyone drives down Highway 15/15D, referred to as the cuota meaning “toll road.” Your first stop will likely be in San Carlos. Your second stop might be in Huatabampo or Los Mochis because the trek to Mazatlan can be long. Keep an eye out for the smaller beach towns along the way.
Why 15 and 15D? The “D” signifies “directo” or that the road bypasses a town. It also likely means that you’re going to pay a toll or “cuota.” Highway 15 and 15D are usually the same and they split from one another through towns and cities with 15D usually being fastest.
Mazatlan is the first major resort town on this route as well as the first mainland stop on the Mexican Riviera and a major ferry port shuttling cars and people from La Paz, Baja. It’s also the first major branching point as some road trippers choose to head inland towards the city of Durango.
Most people continue south on 15 to the Puerto Vallarta area. From the Arizona border to PV there is good RV camping infrastructure; full hookups, plenty of campgrounds both large and small, and thousands of expats and retirees.
At Puerto Vallarta (actually, a bit north in Tepic) Highway 15 leaves the coast and heads inland towards the big cities bringing with it the good roads and most of the tourists. You can follow it inland or continue the coastal route on Highway 200.
There is a definite and clear split in Mexico between the relaxed, coastal, beach towns and the larger, industrial and cultural hubs in the central mountainous region.
Everyone you meet on your route will have done the Highway 200 coastal road at some point, but if you’re really trying to get somewhere it’s the slowest possible option. Following 15 will lead you to Mexico City eventually intersecting with the Pan-American Highway which attracts hundreds of (mostly European) overlanders.
Highway 200
If you continue south on Highway 200 past Puerto Vallarta, the last major RV stop is San Patricio/Melaque and from that point the RV infrastructure varies. Worth noting though that our favorite beach camping site in Mexico is past Melaque (Rancho B in La Placita on the list below).
Following Highway 200 will take you through dozens of small coastal town (and thousands of topes) and is a slow but beautiful drive. There’s some free camping, some cheap and minimalist campgrounds and rarely full hookups. It’s also just going to be harder for big rigs.
As you get down toward Guatemala, it gets hotter and more humid and you’ll be lucky if your campground has enough juice for AC. Often road trippers decide when to turn inland based purely on “when it got too hot.” Interestingly, many campground owners along this route are US and CAN expats.
It’s important to know that there are many connectors between Highway 200 and the inland routes. You can easily skip sections of Highway 200 by taking one of these ladder highways. For example, many who turned inland with Highway 15 just take a faster route to San Patricio/Melaque.
Pan-American Highway – Route 190
If you follow our itinerary you’ll turn inland around Salina Cruz. We took a side trip to San Cristobal and then came back through Salina Cruz to get on the Pan-American Highway north towards Oaxaca.
We spent about 13 weeks in Mexico on this trip which broke down to:
2 weeks on Highway 15 going south
3 weeks on Highway 200
6 weeks in the inland cities
2 weeks on Highway 15 heading north
Mexico Road Trip Itinerary
This itinerary is primarily for RVing and overlanding. If you’re not camping, there are hotels available at almost every stop mentioned along the way, but we focus in this itinerary on the camping stops.
We intend this as a starting point for those who have never done a Mexico road trip and want a helpful guide. It would take years to explore all that mainland Mexico has to offer.
Our Route
Below is a sample Mexico road trip itinerary indicating each overnight stop. We found almost all of our campgrounds and accommodations using the iOverlander app.
We crossed into Mexico in Nogales and took the Lukesville/Ajo border crossing out. Both were fine though Ajo is much quieter and easier in our opinion.
Highway 15/15D
It’s helpful to stay near the border the night before crossing so you can get an early start on your passport/visa process.
Night before: Walmart parking lot in Nogales, AZ (Free)
Border crossing: Nogales, AZ
- San Carlos/Guaymas, Sonora
- Los Mochis, Sinaloa
- Celestino, Sinaloa
- San Blas/Aticama, Nayarit
Highway 200
We split from Highway 15 before Tepic to visit San Blas. From San Blas take the google maps route that connects you back to Highway 200. Taking Highway 200 through Puerto Vallarta requires a little guidance. Ask your fellow overlanders for advice.
- Lo de Marcos, Nayarit
- San Patricio/Melaque, Jalisco
- La Placita, Michoacan
- Nexpa, Michoacan
- Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, Guerrero
- Copala, Guerrero
- Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca
- Zipolite, Oaxaca
- Huatulco, Oaxaca
- Puerto Arista, Chiapas
Inland
From here many people head towards the Yucatan Peninsula. We didn’t have enough time on this trip but plan to explore further next time. Below are a handful of stops but there are dozens of incredible cities and towns in the mountains of Mexico. Do not attempt to drive into or through Mexico City with an RV or without reading about tourist vehicle permits.
- San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas
- Tlacotepec, Oaxaca
- Oaxaca City/Tule, Oaxaca
- Cholula, Puebla
- San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato
- Lake Chapala, Jalisco
Highway 15/15D
We retraced our steps on the way back north stopping at a few places that we missed on our route south.
- Lo De Marcos, Nayarit
- Mazatlan, Sinaloa
- Huatabampo, Sonora
- San Carlos/Guaymas, Sonora
Border crossing: Sonoyta, Sonora
Night after border crossing: Ajo, AZ