El Huerfanito Airstrip

The primary reason for the closure was redundancy and obsolescence. The development and modernization of the main San Felipe International Airport (IATA: SFH, ICAO: MMSF) provided a much safer, paved, and better-equipped facility for all types of air traffic. As SFH grew to accommodate commercial and larger private aircraft, small, unpaved dirt strips like El Huerfanito became unnecessary. Furthermore, the land on which the airstrip was located became more valuable for coastal real estate and tourism development, leading to its eventual repurposing.

The site of the former airstrip is now integrated into a residential and vacation home area, often referred to as Campo El Huerfanito. Satellite imagery clearly shows that the land has been repurposed. While the faint outline of the north-south runway is still visible, it is bisected by local dirt roads, and numerous houses and structures have been built directly on or adjacent to the former runway path. The surface is overgrown and completely unusable for any type of aircraft landing or takeoff.

El Huerfanito Airstrip was a classic Baja California dirt runway, significant during the mid-20th century (approximately 1950s-1980s). In an era before the main highway (Mexico Federal Highway 5) was fully paved and the international airport was developed, such airstrips were a vital lifeline. Its operations were primarily focused on general aviation, serving American pilots and tourists who flew their own light aircraft (like Cessnas and Pipers) to San Felipe for fishing, off-roading, and vacationing. It provided direct access to the southern beachfront communities ('campos') of San Felipe. Operations were strictly VFR (Visual Flight Rules) and catered to pilots experienced with unprepared landing strips. The airstrip represents a bygone era of adventurous fly-in tourism that was crucial to the early growth of San Felipe as a destination.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening El Huerfanito Airstrip. Reopening is considered highly improbable to impossible due to the residential development that has overtaken the site. The existence of the fully operational and superior San Felipe International Airport just a few miles to the north negates any practical need for this small, primitive strip. Any attempt to reopen it would require the acquisition and demolition of private property and would likely create conflicts with the established airspace and traffic patterns of the main airport.