Starbuck's Exploring

Sign in Subscribe

Guy Starbuck

Guy has explored the deserts and mountains of the southwestern US for more than thirty-five years. In that time, he has found a couple of hidden and remote locations that don't see many visitors.

506 posts

Sky Portal Pictographs

Sky Portal Pictographs

It took quite a few hours of bushwhacking to reach this remote set of pictographs under a single boulder in the backcountry of Joshua Tree. It was an all-day adventure. The brightness of the pictographs found here is rare. Most rock art in Joshua Tree is faded from weather and

Hexahedron Mine

Hexahedron Mine

Sometime before 1894, Al Tingman ("The Father of Indio") and Ed Holland (of Lost Horse Mine fame) staked claims on some rich gold ore outcrops high above Pleasant Valley. They sold the mine to Bill and John Garrison, who formed the Hexahedron Mining Company. The Company dug a

January 2022 News

January 2022 News

I've been working on trip reports. The directions are taking way longer than I thought they would, so I'm cutting back to just GPS waypoints and tracks for now. Maybe in the future, I will be able to add more details to them. But in an

Mastodon Mine

Mastodon Mine

The Mastodon Peak Loop is an easy ramble near Joshua Tree's Cottonwood Campground and draws plenty of visitors. But while the trail is well-trodden, the story of the mine and nearby mills is lesser known. The Mastodon Mine was owned and operated by George Hulsey (and his family)

Petroglyph Wash Arrastra and Petroglyphs

Petroglyph Wash Arrastra and Petroglyphs

I decided to head out to try and track down an arrastra I read about a long time ago. It was mentioned in a report to be one of only two known “wagon wheel” style arrastras in a national park (The other one is the Pinto Wye Arrastra out in

Barker Dam

Barker Dam

It goes without saying that water is vital in the desert, and Joshua Tree is no different. A rancher named C.O. Barker built the dam around 1902 to improve the natural tank for his cattle. Along with the nearby Cow Camp reservoir, the tank was an important watering hole

Picture Canyon Pictographs

Picture Canyon Pictographs

Picture Canyon, a well-named canyon in the southern Sheep Range (and part of the Desert Wildlife Refuge), has been rediscovered by hikers in recent years as they searched for missing long-distance hiker Kenny Veach. He disappeared in 2014 while searching for a cave he discovered on a previous hike. His