Puerto Peñasco, or Rocky
Point, is only 60 miles south of the Arizona
border, and is a mere four-hour drive from either
Phoenix or Tucson.It's the closest beach getaway
for most folks in the state and while it's been
a popular vacation spot for decades, it has only
recently come into its own as a resort town. Not
to worry - Rocky Point still caters to budget-minded
campers and RV'ers, but now it's also got new resorts
and, like the more upscale Mexican seaside resorts
of Cabo San Lucas and Puerta Vallarta, Rocky Point
has become a magnet for the college spring-break
crowd. Nestled in the desert, tourists on all budgets
enjoy Rocky Point's sandy beaches, water sports,
fishing and the unique atmosphere and expansive
sunsets of the Sea of Cortez.
History
Puerto Peñasco could have been an Arizona
seaport.The United States Congress paid $10 million
for the territory that now makes up the southern
portions of New Mexico and Arizona, in a deal known
as the Gadsden Purchase. one of the original plans
of the Purchase included the northern Baja seaport
as part of Arizona, but negotiations between the
two countries eventually pared it down to the state's
present-day borders. Rocky Point was long a sleepy
fishing village, not discovered in a big way by
tourists until the '50s as a quick beach getaway
by car. Fishing and tourism remain Rocky Point's
most important industries.
Geography
An interesting and unusual feature of the Puerto
Peñasco area is the extreme tides produced
in the area. In Cholla Bay, 5 miles from the heart
of Rocky Point, the difference between low and high
tides can be as much as 24 feet.Also nearby is Mount
Pinacate, home of nine major volcanic craters and
more than 400 volcanic vents. In the early '70s,
Apollo astronauts trained for their moon-walks on
this mountain.
Facts
- Population: 40,000
A large tourist and RV population fluctuates all
year.
- Climate/Rainfall:
Rocky Point's dry, desert climate is sunny almost
year-round with an average of 2 inches per year
of rainfall.
- Average high/low temperatures:
December to February - 67/41
March to May - 80/62
June to August - 98/71
September to November - 85/64
- Language: Spanish
- Currency: Pesos
though everyone will take American dollars. Not
all restaurants or shopkeepers take credit cards.
- Time Zone: Mountain Standard Time
the same as Arizona.
Driving tips
- U.S. driver's licenses are valid in Mexico.
- Mexican auto insurance is required, and can be
purchased in the border town of Lukeville, or prior
to your trip in Phoenix or Tucson.
- Passports/Visas: Bring them if you have them,
but they aren't required in the "free zone,"
as far south as Cholla Bay. Photo identification
is required. Children's birth certificates, though
not required, should be in the car just in case
citizenship comes into question at the border.
Telephone codes
- From outside the country, dial 011-52-638, then
the 7-digit number
- Inside Rocky Point, dial only the 7-digit number,
like in the United States.
Geographic location:
- 29.59 North, 111.11 West
