Category: Anza Borrego and the Southern Deserts (page 1 of 2)

Anza Borrego and the Southern Desert

June 18, 2020

Canebrake Skeleton Pictographs

Hidden in a granite rock shelter near an ancient Kumeyaay village site is a set of unique pictographs. Most of these pictographs are typical of the La Rumorosa Style but what is unusual here are the skeleton figures. I have not seen them anywhere else in the Kumeyaay territory.

March 19, 2020

Palen Tank Petroglyphs

I recently followed an ancient Native American trail out to a water tank and petroglyph site. What got my attention to this site was the report of historical inscriptions and the fact that it is way off of other Native American trails I knew about.

August 12, 2018

Spoked Wheel Geoglyph

At the end of a long day exploring pictographs around the badlands of Anza Borrego, we made one last stop – the Spoked Wheel Geoglyph.
This ceremonial site is a twenty-foot diameter rock alignment consisting of two circles with spokes connecting them. A native trail runs nearby.

August 12, 2018

Blue Sun Pictograph Cave

My friend Don Austin coined the name “Blue Sun” Cave. The Kumeyaay people once lived here. And even though there is no water nearby, the shelters created by the massive granite boulders provided a welcome home in this harsh desert.

August 10, 2018

Piedras Grandes Pictographs

Back in 2015, we went out to the Piedras Grandes pictograph site. Piedras Grandes means “Large stones” and these granite boulders out in the southern part of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park certainly are that. The site is inside of the Piedras Grandes Cultural Preserve and it is a short walk from a parking area to the pictographs in the rock shelter.

Please don’t ask me for locations to rock art or other sensitive sites.

If a site name is in “quotes”, it is misnamed on purpose.

Many of the hikes described here visit historic mining sites. These sites are inherently unstable and unsafe. Always approach them with caution and at your own risk. The author assumes no liability or responsibility for your activities.

The wilderness is a wild and untamed place. You are responsible for knowing where you are going and what you are getting into. Stay safe! Do not put yourself or others at risk.

There are still wild places out there. Go out and explore them!