How far is it driving from Monterrey to Lagos de Moreno (pesos, dangerous)

[chicagomama]

We are driving from Houston to Lagos de Moreno and then to Mexico City. (we have done Houston to DF before).

This is what I am thinking:
Houston-San Antonio: 3 hours
San Antonio to Laredo: 2 hours
(time at the border)
Nuevo Laredo to Monterrey: 2 hours


Then we've never driven to Lagos de Moreno...

From Lagos de Moreno, how far is it to Mexico City?

[oceangaia]

If you are estimating drive time, I think Houston to Laredo in 5 hours is optimistic. You pick up 35 at mile marker 154 in SA so unless you are hammering non stop it will be closer to 6 hours. Maybe 5.5 but I prefer round up and be happy I'm "making good time" than round down and feel stressed over being "behind".

From Monterrey you'll take the periferico to MX40 through the Saltillo canyon. Actually there is a new cuota that replaces MX40 but roughly parallels it.

Now you have a choice. You can pick up MX57 just short of Saltillo (Ramos Arizpe) and take it down past Matehuala to San Luis Potosi. From there you take MX80 west to Ojuelos then southwest to Lagos. That would be my preference.

Or you can continue MX40/cuota to Saltillo, take MX54 to Zacatecas, then MX45 to Aquas Caliente and on to Lagos. I haven't been this route but hear the roads are good now.

Pick up a Guia Roji to take with you, in the meantime use this online map.

My time estimate would be:
Houston - Laredo, 6 hours
Border delays, 15 min. to 2 hours, I usually budget an hour
Monterrey MX85 - Ramos Arizpe (Saltillo) MX57, 1 hour
Saltillo MX57 - Matehuala MX57, 3 hours
Matehuala MX57 - San Luis MX57, 2 hours
San Luis MX57 - Lagos de Morena MX80, 2 hours

Total time: 17 hours (should cover petro stops and quick eats)

[el_inombrable]

Check this good link: Rutas Punto a Punto

Ruta de Monterrey , Nuevo León a Lagos de Moreno , Jalisco
680.960 KM. (Kilometers)
06:59 HRS. (Time)
$286 Pesos (Toll Roads)

Ruta de Lagos de Moreno , Jalisco a Cd. De México (Zócalo) , Distrito Federal
414.760 KM.
04:24 HRS.
$325 Pesos

[oceangaia]

Excellent reference!

The route Monterrey to Lagos is what I suggested. But you will need to adjust for the fact that you aren't (or shouldn't be) starting from Monterrey centro if coming from the border. MX85D (the "D" usually denotes a toll road, or "cuota") from Nuevo Laredo will end around km24 and become an urban road where you have to adjust from cruising 100kph on interstate-like conditions to driving 40kph with local traffic and driveway entrances and people walking. Then after a short ways you will pick up the periferico cuota at km19 and resume cruising.

And something looks screwy in the section from SLP to Ojuelos. It calls for 57D around SLP, then 70D (70 is not a cuota, what road is that?) then 70 to Ojuelos. All my maps show the road from SLP to Ojuelos as 80 (with 70 only running eastward of SLP). My first route had you going directly through SLP because the highway through that town is grade separated without lights but traffic is heavy. If tolls are not a concern, you might consider taking 57D cuota around SLP and picking up the new 80 south of town to avoid traffic.

Another thing to be aware of with that reference is that it refers to cuota bypasses around a city as "libramiento de", which may be perfectly correct in Spanish, but understand the highway signs that you see will say "cuota" (usually black letters on gold sign) for the bypass and "libre" (usually white on green) for the older "free" road directly through town.

[chicagomama]

Thank you so much, both of you. Yes, you're right DiverTodd that it takes more like 6 hours. We live outside of Houston and cut out about 30 minutes, but yeah I am too optimistic sometimes. I am hoping our border time will be less than other times because we actually have the insurance and I've got the immigration papers this time round.

I am always nervous near the border (both sides). We were going to drive Houston to the border for Day 1 and then do Day 2 to Lagos de Moreno, but I'm too scared to sleep in a border town. We might push through to Monterrey... WHat do you think? We're not leaving Houston until 3 or 4 pm on the first day. Are my instincts right that nighttime is more dangerous?

[oceangaia]

Do you know you can get your car permit online and be good to go unless you need to stop for the tourist visa?

Driving at night is more dangerous everywhere. In the U.S. , in Mexico, in Europe. Your vision is reduced and more bad people are out. You might hit a goat in Mexico or a deer in the U.S.

But while everyone and their brother will warn you to NEVER drive in Mexico at night, most of whom have never actually driven in Mexico at all, the major highways and especially the cuotas are about as safe as driving the interstates in the U.S. We usually leave Houston around 8pm to arrive at the border around 2am so crossing will be quicker, then drive through the night and are almost to Saltillo by sunrise. But if you're not comfortable with that, then your schedule is right.

[chicagomama]

Thanks for the tips! I printed them out and took them with us- we had a fantastic trip to and from Mexico and followed your directions.