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To celebrate our four year anniversary, we decided to head down to the Baja Pennisula in Los Cabos, Mexico. We stayed at the Solmar Resort right on the Pacific side of the ocean. While the rip tides were too strong to go swimming in the Pacific, this didn’t hinder us.  Our location turned out to be absolutely perfect. It enabled us to go on a great hike along the beach and take a class 3 rock scramble to where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez. Seen below is a map of our trek.

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We began our hike right in front of our hotel overlooking the Pacific Ocean. For most of our stay the tide was quite high, and the waves came powerfully crashing into the beach. At one point, someone from the hotel on a four-wheeler warned us we were walking too close. Sneaker waves have been known to get people and suck them out to sea. We continued our hike heading south toward Land’s End, which refers to the rocky formations that comprise the southern most tip of Baja. After about a quarter mile, we reached the magnificent rock structures and our climbing entry point. Seen below are photos leading up to the climb and the Pacific side of Land’s End.

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Upon reaching the rocky outcrop, we began our climb up the slick taffy-colored rock. This part is of the hike/climb was, for the most part, not too bad. The only issue was the abundance of sand layered on the rocks from high tide which made traction difficult. Once we reached the top, we began a descent toward our secondary climbing point of entry. Hopping down from boulder to boulder led us to a small beach inlet and Pacific water rushing wildly toward us. In times of low tide, it is actually possible to forgo a secondary climb and simply walk in the sand over to the famous Divorce Beach. When we were there, the safer route was to climb rather than risking the dangerous rushing water. Seen below are photos of this inlet and the beginning of our next ascent.

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After climbing and bouldering on the descent, we were rewarded with our first views of Divorce Beach. Though spectacular, this beach is still on the Pacific side and off limits to swimming. This is actually why the beach is named Divorce. The locals say, “if you are unhappy with your partner, encourage them to take a swim…problem solved”….Seen below is Divorce Beach.

Los Cabos_image269On our second hike here, we made a detour and took a hiking trail that leads up a steep hill that overlooks the marina and town. It was 97 degrees outside with no shade when we made this attempt, so it was a bit challenging due to the extreme UV as well as loose scree. Once we reached the top, we were rewarded with sweeping views of the marina and Sea of Cortez. Seen below are photos leading up the trail and from the top.

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When the heat became too much, we quickly descended and headed toward a shady region in the form of a partial cave. This cool little inlet of granite allowed us another opportunity to play on some rocks while we cooled off a bit in the shadows. The formations are so unique, it is difficult from the photos and angles of the sky to determine which way is up or down. Seen below are photos of our rest break.

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We then proceeded to the famous Lover’s Beach on the Sea of Cortez to finally get to jump in the cool water. There were more people on this side of the beach, as water taxis frequent the area to drop sun bathers and swimmers off for an hour or two. This is, in fact, the more common method to reach Lover’s Beach. Some of the locals seemed shocked that we climbed our way over to bliss. The water was cool and refreshing and crystal clear. We swam toward a large rock that was covered in pelicans. The water was deep here and snorkeling gear would have been perfect. Seen below is a “selfie” of us floating in the sea and Lover’s Beach.

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DSCN0072On our first day on this route, we made a loop back toward the hotel by following Lover’s beach and then the rocky coast to Pelican Rock and eventually a local beach which took us to the marina. This route is shown in the map and was about 2 miles long. The second time we did this hike, we made the climb back the way we came to save time. Overall, this was a truly unique beach experience enabling us to explore a desert meets sea landscape unique to the California Baja Peninsula. The abundance of rock randomly situated in areas of long flat beach was intriguing to the eye. Los Cabos was a wonderful trip and allowed us to do our favorite things all in the same day: hike and relax on the beach.

 

 

 

 

8 thoughts on “Land’s End at Los Cabos: Lover’s and Divorce Beach Hike

  1. I’ve never seen landscapes quite like these! What a wonderful adventure! Can’t wait to see the rest of your photos and trip mementos in person!

  2. Hey guys, it’s Amber from the plane ride into Cabo! Looks like an amazing adventure you guys had! Glad I had the opportunity to cross your paths – love meeting people that LOVE LIVING LIFE! Happy trails to you both!

  3. Allyson…… I wanted to let you know that I read
    your story several months ago and it inspired me
    to book a trip for the first time to Cabo San
    Lucas and stay at Grand Solmar Lands’ End. First
    on my agenda was to do the hike over to lovers
    beach. All the locals said it was a bad idea. My
    husband and I are not experience hikers like you
    guys and I’m actually afraid of heights but there
    was something about your experience that called
    me in. I actually did it on my birthday. My
    horoscope that day sad to know challenges to
    know yourself! I have to say once you’re there
    next to the treacherous water and the
    overwhelming height of the beautiful stones it’s
    quite intimidating. However, there was a local
    man who helped us with the safest route and
    technique all the way over to the other side. (I’m
    pretty sure he was homeless and living in the
    rocks which was another layer of strange
    feelings) this experience did something to me…
    Just like I knew it would. It was the most
    terrifying yet fulfilling experiences I think that
    I’ve ever had!! I just wanted to say thank you for
    your inspiration I kept your article and your
    pictures open on my phone and mapped
    everything out. Tremendous experience! The
    delicious feeling of making our way over to the
    cool water on lovers beach and having a shot of
    tequila was just awesome! Thank you thank you!

    1. Hi Courtney, I’m sorry we haven’t been checking this as often over the past few years, but we saw your comment and that is truly amazing. I’m
      thrilled to hear that our post helped you have what sounds like a life changing experience. I hope you have been well 🙂 Allyson and Thomas

  4. Allyson…… I wanted to let you know that I read
    your story several months ago and it inspired me
    to book a trip for the first time to Cabo San
    Lucas and stay at Grand Solmar Lands’ End. First
    on my agenda was to do the hike over to lovers
    beach. All the locals said it was a bad idea. My
    husband and I are not experience hikers like you
    guys and I’m actually afraid of heights but there
    was something about your experience that called
    me in. I actually did it on my birthday. My
    horoscope that day said to know challenge is to
    know yourself! I have to say once you’re there
    next to the treacherous water and the
    overwhelming height of the beautiful stones it’s
    quite intimidating. However, there was a local
    man who helped us with the safest route and
    technique all the way over to the other side. (I’m
    pretty sure he was homeless and living in the
    rocks which was another layer of strange
    feelings). this experience did something to me…
    Just like I knew it would. It was the most
    terrifying yet fulfilling experiences I think that
    I’ve ever had!! I just wanted to say thank you for
    your inspiration I kept your article and your
    pictures open on my phone and mapped
    everything out. Tremendous experience! The
    delicious feeling of making our way over to the
    cool water on lovers beach and having a shot of
    tequila was just awesome! Thank you thank you!
    I apologize if this gets printed twice. I was using
    voice text and I noticed an error and wanted to
    correct in this one.

  5. Great article! we are leaving next week for Cabo and plan do your hike the first day. There is an extra low tide comin up on the following Sunday so we
    will see if it is possible to get over to the Arch too. Will let you know if we succeed. Just curious, did you take the hike with the dogs up to Mt Solmar
    too?

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