TURNED BACK TO THE U.S. AT THE NOGALES BORDER CROSSING❗❗ 🤷🏽‍♂️ Here's What We Did

 We've Taken This Route Numerous Times in A Motorhome

But This Was Our First Time in a Mexican-Plated RV

The Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, MX

Was NOT Welcoming to Us This Time!

What a frustrating and embarrassing experience trying to cross into Mexico at the Nogales Mariposa truck route! We’ve crossed in Nogales countless times without a problem, but not this time.

Day 1, October 24, 2024: First Attempt to Cross the Border into Mexico

We paid a toll to enter Mexico, and I thought all was well until a uniformed man soon waved us to the curb to wait. I was driving, so when the first Mexican border agent asked for my ID, I presented my Mexican driver’s license. He asked for the Tarjeta de Circulation card that shows my name and CURP number, Minnie Winnie’s VIN, and that the Casa Rodante (motorhome) had been legalized in Mexico. He studied them and walked away with both cards.

My Tarjeta de Circulación

ID Showing the RV Legally Licensed in Mexico

Over the next thirty or forty minutes, four Mexican border agents came to the window separately, waving the cards and firmly stating that this kind of vehicle was not legal to license in Mexico. We stood our ground, repeating that we are Mexican permanent residents and that the motorhome had been legalized with Mexican license plates for over a year before we drove it out of Mexico. We had followed all the rules and had all the required legal documents. I repeated to each agent that it was legal for us to return to Mexico with it.

There was much head-shaking and refusal to let us continue. The main guy used multiple excuses, including that the new Mexican president’s administration had changed the rules. He insisted that we had to return to the United States! The agents did not ask for or hint at wanting money, either as a fine or a bribe. However, the principal agent still held my identification cards as he told us decisively that we must return to the United States.

Crossing at Nogales, AZ (Mariposa)

I shook my head and asked for my cards back. He held them in the air and said he would give them to me after I turned the motorhome around and was on my way to the U.S. To add insult to injury, we had to pay a second, more expensive toll to enter the U.S. after we’d just paid the first toll to enter Mexico. 

Our goal was to get to our home in La Penita de Jaltemba, Nayarit, MX, before the U.S. election and any chaos that might arise. Now, we had to scramble to figure out how and where to cross into Mexico. How far east were we willing to drive to try another border crossing?

This was a blessing in disguise. This forced us to avoid Highway 15D through Sonora and into the state of Sinaloa. Our new route would bypass Culiacan, the city plagued with violence.

We drove 87 miles east to Bisbee, Arizona, a town we had always enjoyed. The Queen Mine RV Park had one site available when we called on our way there, so we reserved it. We planned to cross at Naco, AZ, after a nice dinner in town and a good night’s sleep. But by morning, memories of a previous crossing in Naco with a long, frustrating inspection caused us to change our plan again.

Queen Mine RV Park is Next to the Copper Mine Tours

Many people recommended crossing at Santa Teresa, NM. But we didn’t want to drive another 235 miles in the United States and then have to cross into Ciudad Juarez. We have never been to Ciudad Juarez and don’t intend to—that city has violence problems, too.

Day 2, October 25: Second Attempt to Cross into Mexico

We wanted to get to Mexico as soon as possible. So, on October 25, we drove twenty-five miles to Douglas, AZ, and crossed into Agua Prieta, Sonora. The agents were very polite at the Agua Prieta crossing. One agent checked my Permanent Residency Visa and Tarjeta de Circulation card, then waved us forward for an inspection.

The border dog checked our rig inside and out (for money, guns, and ammunition, not drugs, as Sally Schnurr kindly pointed out to me). An X-ray truck scanned all sides of the motorhome. One agent checked our passports. We offered her a Coke, but she said she was not allowed to accept anything. She politely sent us on our way. We happily headed for Highway 2 east in Mexico.

The Wall, Seen From Highway 2 in Sonora, MX

Mexican Highway 2 follows the United States border parallel to the wall. Ever wonder what the wall between countries looks like from the Mexican side? It’s that ugly brown scar crawling through and over the hills. It is such a sad symbol of the division between people.

We weren't stopped at any checkpoints as we drove Highway 2 east to Highway 10. But most of Hwy 2 is in terrible shape with countless potholes and steep, curvy, narrow sections where the asphalt falls away to the valley below. We had to share the road with many semis and saw no RVs for a good reason—that dangerous road requires good driving skills and a rig with excellent tires and brakes! We wouldn’t take that road again. Of course, we don’t plan to drive back to the U.S. again. Ever.

Entering the State of Chihuahua, Heading East on Hwy 2

We only made it 165 miles from Bisbee, AZ, to Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, on Hwy. 10 that day. Exhausted yet relieved to be in Mexico, we found a nice hotel, Hotel Trébol Inn, with a walled back parking area, well before sunset. Jon rented a room, explaining to the young, puzzled desk clerk that we wanted to park in the back lot for the night but sleep in our motorhome. We paid 950 pesos ($47US) and did not get a room key—the security and quiet, away from highway noise, was worth it.

Wine-Thirty in the Hotel Trébol Inn's Back Parking Lot

Hotel Trébol Inn's Pool that We Were Too Tired To Use

It Took Us About 6 Hours, With Border Crossing

From Bisbee, AZ, to Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua

Day 3, October 26: Nuevo Casas Grande to Ciudad Camargo, Chihuahua

We started driving early, which was easy since we were dry camping. We had a long drive ahead through the state of Chihuahua, a route we had never driven before, and we did not know what to expect. Hwy 10 had many potholes, so it was slow going for a short time. But the roads were excellent once we hit the Autopistas, Hwy 7D and Hwy 45D, and we drove 55 mph most of the time. Frequent toll booths slowed us down and cost us 949 pesos ($47US), but it was worth the price. There was little traffic and some mountain driving. We were not stopped at any checkpoints that day.

Autopista (Toll Road) and Mountain in Chihuahua

After 284 miles and over eight hours of driving, we stopped in Ciudad Camargo, Chihuahua, and splurged on one night at the Santa Fe Hotel on Hwy 45D, a nice place that charged us 1380 pesos ($69US). We again had wine and snacks for dinner, with our chairs set next to the motorhome in the fenced back parking lot and a view of the courtyard pool. We spent a peaceful night in our rig but were refreshed with a shower in our hotel room the following morning. The price was worth it for our peace of mind.

Staying on the Toll Roads Saves Time and is Safer

There's Minnie Winnie in the Back Parking Lot!

One of Many Darling Bronze Sculptures in the Hotel Courtyard

Day 4, 10-27-24: Ciudad Camargo, Chihuahua to Palacio Gomez, Durango (Near Torreón, Coahuila)

We allowed ourselves a late start after showers, so we only drove 190 miles on Toll Highway 45D on Day 4. Once, in the state of Chihuahua, some unidentified black-shirted men motioned us to a stop. They had a white pickup with flashing red and blue lights and generic markings on the doors. I only slowed the rig while Jon raised his phone to video. The man covered his face with one hand and waved us on with the other.

190 Miles from Ciudad Camargo, Chihuahua to 

Palacio Gomez, Durango (Near Torreón, Coahuila)

There was one official stop by police just before we crossed from Chihuahua State into Durango State. As the officer approached the window, I stopped the RV and rolled my window down a few inches. The officer asked for my driver’s license. Jon questioned the kind of official he was, and the officer showed us his ID badge. I presented my Mexican driver’s license, which he studied thoroughly. Then he returned it to me and waved us on.

Parking with the Trucks at Hotel La Hacienda

Not everything is glamorous while RV traveling in Mexico. That evening, we had trouble finding a hotel that didn't have a low archway over the driveway. We were grateful to pull into the Hotel La Hacienda parking lot in Palacio Gomez, Durango (near Torreón, Coahuila). We paid the hotel manager 200 pesos ($10US) to park with the trucks in their parking lot. It was walled, easy on and off to Hwy 40D in Durango, and quiet at night after the road noise settled. There was even a shade tree to set up our chairs and Sophie’s blanket for a glass of wine before eating leftovers for dinner.

Day 5, 10-28-24: The Durango Highway to Mazatlán

What a drive on the Durango highway to Mazatlán! So challenging! It has been about ten years since we last drove it, soon after it was completed. We’d forgotten how beautiful those mountains are. And what a masterpiece the highway it is, with so many tunnels and bridges!

We are thankful for Minnie Winnie—for an onboard potty, a fridge/freezer that stocks enough leftovers for four to five days of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, and because she made that tough drive without a problem! Her new tires and brakes worked flawlessly.

We were tired after that difficult drive, stuck behind a truck for many miles and unable to safely pass. It was wonderful to arrive in Mazatlán before sunset. I’m grateful that Trailer Park Las Jaibas is still open and has a refreshing pool. We stayed for four nights to rest before driving home. It was a long but safe bypass around Culiacán, Sinoloa.

A Long, But Safe Bypass Around Culiacán, Sinoloa 

Trailer Park Las Jaibas was a Welcome Resting Place

Day 6, 11-1-24: Mazatlán, Sinaloa to La Peñita de Jaltemba, Nayarit

It’s worth noting that we take a longer but safer route from Mazatlán to La Peñita. We prefer to bypass the small town of Xalisco, Nayarit (near Tepic) and the old Highway 200. So we force Google Maps to go toward Jala to stay on the toll highways, 15D and the new 70D. The tolls seem expensive, but the cuota roads are much safer and faster, in our opinions. We drive slower than most people, taking it easy with our motorhome, but we made the 285-mile drive in about eight hours and arrived well before sunset. Happy and healthy.

Our 285-mile Route from Mazatlán to La Peñita

Thank you for reading my blog article. I look forward to your comments below. In my Healthy Living in Mexico books, I share our other travel experiences and life as expats here. View my Amazon Author Page to see all eight of my books. I hope you enjoy them. 

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Terry L Turrell, Author and Jonathan Turrell