Archaeology Day Field Trips
ARCHAEOLOGY DAY FIELD TRIPS
Join the Colorado Desert Archaeology Society on Archaeology Day for in-person field trips to Mine Wash, pictograph and petroglyph sites. NOVEMBER 2 & 3, 2024
For all field trips:
- Limited to 15 participants
- All participants must sign up in advance.
- Fee: $10 per adult/ $5 per child
- All participants must be prepared with suitable footwear to walk over rough ground and boulders, bring water, hat, and sunblock.
- For dates & times see below.
Please register below for the field trip you would like to attend:
Mine Wash Village
Date & Time: Saturday, Nov 2, 2024, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (end time approximate)
Meeting Location:
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center Parking Lot
200 Palm Canyon Dr.
Borrego Springs, CA 92004
Details: Mine Wash Village was used most intensively by the Kumeyaay people around 1100 years ago and again in the 1600s. We will observe features associated with seasonal habitation, food gathering, and food preparation. Archaeological features include bedrock milling and grinding features and examples of the mysterious pecked cupules found throughout the region. Mine Wash was also associated with a trade network extending from the Colorado River to the Pacific Coast with exotic items such as obsidian from the Salton basin, shells from the Gulf of California and Pacific Ocean, and fish.
Requirements: High clearance vehicle, carpooling may be organized.
Morteros Trail
Date & Time: Sunday, Nov 3, 2023, 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. (end time approximate)
Meeting Location:
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center Parking Lot
200 Palm Canyon Dr.
Borrego Springs, CA 92004
Details: Morteros was a village used by the Kumeyaay Native American people in the past. We will see food preparation areas, an agave roasting pit and cupules, pictographic rock art, and identify various plants and how they were used. Led by: John Downing Brenda Wills Eli Vasquez
Requirements: High clearance vehicle preferred; carpooling may be organized.
Blair Valley Pictograph Trail
Date & Time: Sunday, Nov 5, 2023, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (end time approximate)
Meeting Location: Meet at: Blair Valley turnoff of S2. (See directions below) Meet at restrooms.
Details: The exceptional Blair Valley pictographs are associated with the Kumeyaay People, who have lived in this region for thousands of years. View this notable native rock art site that features diamond chains, zigzag lines, sun rays, and other seemingly abstract patterns. Although no definitive dates can be established, these paintings, created using natural red pigments, are thought to be between 200 and 1000 years old. Led by: John Downing Brenda Wills Eli Vasquez
Requirements: High clearance vehicle preferred
Directions to Meeting Location:
From Borrego Springs: South on Borrego Springs Rd; Turn Right on Yaqui Pass Rd.; Turn Right on CA-78; Turn Left on S-2; 4-5 miles past Shelter Valley turn left into Blair Valley primitive camp; the meeting point (Campground Rest Rooms) will be immediately on your right.
From Julian, continue east on Highway 78 to Highway S2. At the intersection of Highways 78 and S2, go south on S2 for 5.3 miles. There is a sign on the left side of the road marking the entrance to Blair Valley.
