Anza Borrego Desert State Park
Anza Borrego is a large park. The state park is over 600,000 acres in size. On the west it is bounded by the Cleveland National Forrest which by itself is over 500,000 acres. To the north you enter endless BLM lands then the San Bernardino National Forest. Most of the area is road less wilderness. To say the least the entire area is enormous.
In the center of Anza Borrego is the town of Borrego Springs. Borrego Springs is a small desert town with only a few thousand residents. The town has the essential stores to provide for the residents, a few small resorts and a handful of gift shops and restaurants. There is a small agricultural operation to the north consisting of mostly citrus trees. The area is low Colorado Desert sitting at about 500 feet elevation. The climate is dry with average temperatures ranging from 69F in the winter to 108F in the summer. It's not uncommon to have July high's of 120F.
Immediately to the west the terrain climbs to about 3000 feet and changes to arid grassland. Pines and oaks populate the higher ground. Horse and cattle ranches dot the area. East of Borrego Springs the land slowly drops to about 300 feet below sea level into the Salton sink. Here you will find the Salton Sea and surrounding agricultural area known as the Imperial Valley. In prehistoric times the Salton Sink was part of the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez). As the Colorado river deposited silt the area became cut off from the ocean and became a fresh water lake (Lake Cahuilla). Additional siltation and possibly a change in course of the river cut the lake off entirely. With no source of replenishment the lake ultimately dried out. Today as you drive along the eastern side of the Salton Sea you can still see the high water mark where Lake Cahuilla met the mountains.
The present day Salton Sea was created in 1905 through a colossal engineering snafu when a group of enterprising individuals decided to divert a portion of the Colorado river, fifty miles to the east, into the valley for irrigation purposes. They formed a canal to channel water into the area. All was well until the first spring run-off and flood from the mountains. The river overtook the canal gates and changed course into the valley where it flowed entirely for almost two years until it could be stopped and diverted back into Mexico where it empties into the ocean. Today the river is under constant control due to the creation of the Hoover and Glen Canyon dams.
The present day Salton Sea is a repository of the runoff from all agricultural operations in the area. Most of the natural fish have died off due to the increased salinity and fertilizer levels.
For reference see:
http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/salton/AncientLakeCahuilla.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Valley
Day one
We set up in Palm Canyon campground for the first night. It gave us access to the town to pick up any last minute supplies and also provided a place for us to make our final trail route plans for the trip into Rockhouse Valley.Click on any of the photos for a larger view.
Palm Canyon campground is typical open desert. Creosote bush and cactus are but a few of the plants to be found.
Day two, Harper Flat
Harper flat is named for cattle ranchers, Julius and Amby Harper, brothers. They started their cattle operation in the 1920's tapping into a local spring for water and also building two dams in the canyon to catch and hold rainwater runoff. Their operation only lasted for a few years.
Long before the Harpers were there early native americans had a flourishing culture in the area. They would typically spend the winter in and around the flat and then move to the higher ground, today's Cleveland National Forrest for the summer months. Remnants of their village can be found throughout the flat. Morteros can be found in many of the larger rocks.
Whenever I am in Anza Borrego I make it a point to visit this area. It is relatively easy to get to yet few people go there. A short, 5 mile drive up Pinyon Wash, takes you to a large tumble-down jamb of rocks. From there a one mile hike through the canyon takes you to the flat. I have yet to meet another party here. On most trips I am alone but this time I was able to show my sons the area. I've hiked to the other side, exploring the area. Someday I'd like to camp there.
In 2009 16 year-old Micky Guidry vanished somewhere here. I always spend a moment in silence and thought.
This rock is almost twenty feet long. I counted fifteen morteros in it.
A wide stone in a shallow depressions would be used to grind seeds.
A large stick would be used to pound seeds in deep holes. This one is six inches deep. I can't guess how long it took to grind it that deep.
Rock house Valley
Days 3, 4 & 5
This trek started in 2007 when my son Michael and I came to Anza Borrego to find old rock houses reported to be in Rockhouse Valley. From what we had read there were three houses in the lower part of the valley. It was reported that there were also rock houses in the upper part of the valley. Mike and I did the hike that year. We did find the lower houses and camped there for the night. Day two took us straight across the valley in the direction of where we thought the upper houses would be. We never found them, having to cut our trip short due to rain.
Rockhouse Valley is very remote. It is located in BLM land north of Anza Borrego state park. In order to get there you have to drive 9 1/2 miles through rough open desert to the junction of Butler and Rockhouse canyons. From there you have to hike another 8 1/2 miles up Rockhouse canyon just to get to the lower houses. It is impossible to get into the valley by motor vehicle. There is no water, no cell service. You need to carry everything just to stay alive.
In the spring of 2008 we tried the hike this time with both Michael and Eric. We again made it to the lower houses and spent the night. The weather that night was brutal and in the morning we chose to exit the valley thus failing on our second attempt.
In the spring of 2016 Michael and I again attempted the hike. He was stationed in California on special assignment for the U.S. Army and was due to transfer back east at the end of the year. While he was still in California we decided to make one more attempt at the rock houses. We did the hike in April making it to the lower houses with good time to spare and had planned to continue on to the upper houses the same day. While taking a lunch break at the lower houses we were greeted with machine gun fire. As best we could tell the shooting was coming from the main wash about a mile further up the valley, the route we needed to take. We weren't being shot at but not knowing who was doing the shooting we reluctantly decided it would be best not to get any closer so we left. (While we had lunch Michael was able to identify three different types of machine guns being used. Whoever it was, was also detonating some kind of explosive devices. We were astounded at what we were hearing. The people shooting were emptying full magazines each time they shot. Michael estimated 800 rounds while we were there. On our way into the valley we did notice two small private helicopters circling the valley. We decided that they must have landed on the western side. That was how the guns were brought in.)
We made one final attempt in November or 2016 with both Eric and Michael. This post is about that trip. We did succeed in finding the upper houses, spending three days in the wilderness. For the trip we needed to bring three days supply of food and water plus extra clothing and sleeping gear. We hiked a total of 26 miles with an elevation gain & loss of 3000 feet. Mike's expertise in navigation got us to the upper houses. Eric's knowledge of the outdoors and human endurance kept us on the pace we needed to be sure we didn't run out of water. I had dreamt about making this hike for ten years. It would not have been possible without them.
The common way to hike into Rockhouse valley is to simply follow the wash through Rockhouse canyon. It's mostly soft sand and gravel with large rocks and boulders spread throughout the wash. In a few places you need to do some climbing to get over dry falls.
Stopping to look at cat tracks. It is probably a female. There was one adult track and one or more young. We came across these in the wash before we reached the lower rock houses. We guessed that they were about week old. The mud was dry the day we hiked but it had rained within the past week. We followed the tracks for several miles as we continued up the wash.
The afternoon was gaining on us by the time we reached the lower houses. We needed to make more progress towards the upper houses so we continued up the main wash. In about another mile we decided it was time to look for a place to camp for the night. We found a very inviting small side wash with open ground but seeing fresh cat tracks and a well used run we decided to move on. We would be sleeping on the open ground and didn't want to chance an encounter during the night. A little further we came upon a small knoll just on the south side of the main wash. This would make a good place to camp. Camping in the wash itself is not a good idea. The wash is a "natural line of drift" meaning that everything moves in it: winds, rainwater and animals.
First nights camp. We set up camp, had dinner then relaxed around a campfire. The night was calm and clear. Every now and then a breeze would drift through. I was surprised that a few mosquitoes visited us during the night. The remoteness and complete darkness showed more stars than I have ever seen. I counted a dozen or more shooting stars before I drifted off to sleep.
This is a Google Earth image showing the first day's route. We've hiked about ten miles. The starting location is where we left the car, the junction of Butler and Rockhouse Canyons. Our route took us up Rockhouse Canyon. Butler Canyon is to the west and drains Jackass Flat and the surrounding area. About a year ago Michael and I hiked the trail up to Hidden Spring. From there we followed a well worn trail 200 feet up to Jackass Flat. Exploring the area shows the remnants of a native village. Continuing the hike west across the flat takes you to the start of Butler Canyon and then following the canyon down back to where you started.
Day two, greeting the morning. We've had breakfast and are packing for the day's hike.
Eric with the valley to the east.
Our plan was to continue up the main wash to the junction of Nicholias canyon and then follow it to just below the upper houses. According to the maps we knew that at some point we would have to leave Nicholias and climb to reach the ruins, higher out of the canyon.
The junction to Nicholias Canyon. We found that there were several dry falls to get up at the beginning. From there on Nicholias was mostly an easy hike. We are now at 3700 feet. The upper ruins are reported to be at 5000 feet.
Looking back down from Nicholias. Eric has climbed some of it with Michael starting next.
Part way up Nicholias we found the remains of a bighorn sheep. They are one of the main sources of food for the mountain lions.
Even though it's fall, you occasionally find flowers. Spring it the time to really find flowers.
Desert Holly.
Part way up Nicholias canyon. Taking a break to check the maps.
Many of the notes about the route to the upper ruins direct you to follow Nicholias canyon through a turn to the northeast and then climb east the last 200 feet out of the canyon up to the ruins. We found the trail increasingly blocked by vegetation making the hike difficult. For awhile we hiked higher along the canyon but still had difficulty. At some point we made the choice to leave Nicholias altogether and hiked straight up and over the ridge, a climb of 500 feet.
The route showing our hike up to the ridge.
Looking southeast. Rockhouse valley can be seen in the distance. The entrance to Rockhouse canyon can be seen at the far side of the valley. It drains the entire area into Clark Dry Lake, the white area far in the distance. The lower rock houses are just inside the valley from where Rockhouse canyon starts.
Eric and Mike taking a break at the upper ruins.
Yours truly resting at the upper ruins. We would have liked to spend the night here but doing so would have delayed our trip back to the car. We didn't have enough water for the extra time so after resting for an hour we started our hike back to the lower houses. Our plan was to spend the last night there and then make an easy hike back to the car in the morning. We are at 5000 feet now. It's down hill from here.
A short distance east of the upper ruins is a grove of cottonwood trees. This would be a great location to camp.
The route on day 2. From the first night's camp we hiked to the upper rock house ruins then east down to the lower houses to where we would spend the second night. The trip back was more direct and may be an easier hike on the way up than Nicholias Canyon was. That will have to be tried next time. Also shown on the map is the reported site of the Santa Rosa Indian ruins, something we want to explore at a later date.
The morning of day 3. Lower rock houses. Having coffee and breakfast before we hike out.
One of the lower rock houses. The upper ruins are across the valley, part way up the the mountains.
Most of the time I spend in Anza Borrego I am alone. I don't usually limit my hikes because of this but the hike into Rockhouse Valley is one of the exceptions. When hiking here you are entirely on your own. The absence of any cellular service means that if trouble arises it's up to you to get out of it. In addition, with no source of water other than what you carry, the time you can expend to get out of trouble is severely limited. After spending years exploring Anza Borrego solo my son Michael convinced me to carry a personal locator beacon. I now carry it whenever I hike.
