Along the Sea of Cortez on the East coast of the Baja Peninsula sits a little piece of paradise for off-road racers and dirt riding enthusiasts. Its sandy grounds dotted with brightly colored bougainvillea, sun bleached whale bones and palm trees whispering in the breeze. The warm turquoise waters of the Sea of Cortez merely steps away from your private room. A perfect place to get away from it all and relax.
The Chenowth Legacy Lodge is the latest creation of off-road racing legend Lynn Chenowth. It is currently under construction, which seems to have been delayed a bit due to COVID. When complete the lodge will feature 18 private rooms, a restaurant, bar and swimming pool situated on 1 1/2 acres along the Baja coastline in the little town of Rancho Percebu just south of San Felipe.
On the property sits a beautiful two story building of stucco and brick with decorative wood accents. But what sits behind its two massive wooden doors embellished with iron straps and clavos, is the truly magical part of this place.
Refered to as a “legendary off-road industry pioneer” Lynn Chenowth was inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2019. His contributions to the sport of off-road racing were numerous including the creation of the first true tube frame and developing an approach for mass producing off-road chassis that helped make the sport accessible and affordable for off-road racing enthusiasts.
Under his ownership his company built and sold more than 25,000 sandbuggy frames for both race and recreational use worldwide. His unique innovations like the Chenowth Wedge, Chenowth Magnum and Chenowth Mini-mag helped lead to big wins for legendary offroad racers such Drino Miller, Ivan Stewart and Roger Mears. Chenowth’s partnerships with Yamaha and the military led to new innovations that helped spark the UTV industry.
Inside the museum you will find large collection of historic photographs and memorabilia representing Chenowths contribution to the world of offroad racing including tropies, helmets, racing suits, and of course the cars.
Best of all, you may get to have the pleasure sitting at the bar sharing a drink with the legend himself.
Chenowth has since sold his company and is enjoying his retirement in the Baja desert. But for someone who has built a life around offroad racing, it can be hard to sit still.
I was there when they opened on Dec. 30, 2021. We had a super meal and drinks in the bar. It is a beautiful oasis with gourmet food. And yes, I was lucky enough to meet and have a drink with the owner himself! Gorgeous!