Traversing the Medano Pass Road

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Every now and then we come across a truly great overland trail and Medano Pass Primitive Road is one of them! It is a rough 22-mile trail connecting the Wet Mountain Valley and CO State highway 69 with Great Sand Dunes National Preserve. The trail feels like an adventure, climbing to Medano Pass at elevation 10,040’, crossing Medano Creek nine times and traversing areas of deep sand. It has many primitive camp locations as you get closer to the Preserve and if you want to drive it in a day, it will take between 2.5-3 hrs. Our advice is to take a couple of days and camp the first night along the solitude of the trail, exploring the Preserve and dunes the second day.

The warmer months are the best times to go, as there will be snow closing the trail in the winter. Fall is spectacular with amazing color in the trees. We drove the trail in Fall and scored. We also explored the Great Sand Dunes in January and had snow on the dunes which was fantastic. At this time, the Medano Pass Road was closed and it was beautiful and Freezing!

Check the conditions

Conditions can change on this trail with sand pits requiring airing down and the Creek levels rising significantly after rain. We’d recommend checking the Park’s weather page or calling the park’s visitor center for up to date trail conditions Tel: 719-378-6395

Medano Pass Road Camping

There are 21 numbered primitive sites along the Medano Pass Road, each one being marked with a brown post and camping logo. These sites are free of charge and are first-come, first- served. It was completely empty when we were there in Fall, although apparently summer months and Holiday’s they fill fast. Access is only available late spring through Fall, due to snow conditions.

Camping Regulations for Medano Pass Road Campsites (Source: www.nps.gov/grsa )

Camping is permitted in designated, marked sites only in the national preserve. No permits are necessary.
Tents must be located within 40 feet of the front of the bear box at each site.
Pets must be leashed or restrained at all times.
Fires only in existing fire rings; put out completely with water. Gather dead and down firewood 4” or less diameter.
No off-road driving. Vehicles must be highway-legal in Colorado. Park only in designated campsites or parking areas.
Secure food, coolers, toiletries, and trash from black bears. Lock them in the bear boxes provided at most sites.
All trash, including orange peels, egg shells and toilet paper, must be removed. Bury human waste 6” deep.

TAP into Adventure!

Anza Borrego – Blair Valley

By

Lori Palmer

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GPS	N 33° 2’15.51″ W 116°24’34.44″
Elevation	2,500 Ft
Season	Year round: best Oct.-May
Terrain	Packed dirt, sandy in areas, some wash boards
Difficulty	Easy terrain
Required Vehicle	2WD/4WD SUV : stock (Note: Can have deep soft sand in places, depending on weather)
Time	Approximately 2 hours
Length	11.2 mile loop

Anza Borrego-Trail head Blair Valley — Trail head Blair Valley

Directions: From Julian, head down Banner grade and 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.

Site Location and Description: Blair Valley sits between Granite Mountain and Whale Peak. It’s a good place to get away from it all. Blair Valley is peaceful, starkly beautiful and has many primitive camp areas so you can find your own private piece of paradise. TAP Note: The park doesn’t allow campfires unless your fire is in an enclosed raised container. The road into and around Blair Valley and the area with a dry lake bed called Little Blair Valley is mainly packed dirt, some sand and wash boards.

Anza Borrego-Little Blair Valley camping — Little Blair Valley camping

This gem of a valley in Anza Borrego State Park also offers its visitors some fascinating historical hikes. The Pictograph Trail is about 5.7 miles to the left off of Little Blair Valley. This is a roughly one mile trail with a large boulder marked with an amazing array of pictographs. Can you guess the story they are trying to tell?

Return to the main road and head back the way you came to the Morteros Hiking Trail on the left. This is a short, easy hike leading to a spot that was once an Indian village. You can see numerous grinding holes called “morteros” and a plaque that explains the history of the area. Imagine cooking and living amongst these large boulders, seeking shelter amongst them and making your life in the desert.

Continue southwest on a descent into Blair Valley and you will see Ghost Mountain on the left. There is a road that goes left and leads to a small parking area, from here you can go up to the Marshal South Home (Yaquitepec). Hike one mile up this very steep hill to their homestead and imagine what life was like living in this beautiful yet challenging isolated destination. Blair Valley in Anza Borrego is not to be missed!

Return to the main trail and go north to the group camping area, stay near the bluffs and you will cross a road that was the original Butterfield Stage Route. You can hike up Foot and Walker Pass to a monument for the stage route.

The History of Blair Valley: The Indian village on the Morteros trail was seasonally occupied by the Kumeyaay Indian Tribe for nearly 1,000 years. Morteros, the grinding holes dug out in the boulders were made by the women as they crushed seeds for their meals.

Marshall South and his family lived on Ghost Mountain for 16 years in the 1930s and 40s. The home is made of adobe and they called it Yaquitepec. Marshall was a writer and poet who supported his family by writing monthly articles about what it was like living on Ghost Mountain for Desert magazine. In 1947, his wife divorced him and the family left the homestead.

Ruins of Marshal South's house — Ruins of Marshal South’s house

Anza Borrego-Galleta Meadows Sculptures

By

Lori Palmer

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Directions: Most of the sculptures are located north of Christmas Circle, the roundabout in the center of Borrego Springs along Borrego Springs road. There are others south of Christmas Circle along Borrego Springs Road before you get to Yaqui Pass Road. You can get a free map of all the sculptures at the Visitor Center.

Site Location and Description: This sculpture garden in Anza Borrego State Park is a truly amazing desert find. In Galleta Meadows there are over 130 large metal sculptures to enjoy. From the paved road you can easily drive on dirt roads to get near each of the life-sized sculptures. There are creatures that roamed the Anza Borrego Desert over 6.5 million years ago, as well as sculptures depicting more recent wildlife.

Other interesting Galleta Meadows sculptures include a “Gomphotheres”; a four-tusked elephant-like creature, giant tortoises, “camelops”; the predecessor of today’s camels, a giant sloth, dinosaurs, romping horses, an amazing serpent, and more. One of the latest creations is a 350-foot sea serpent whose body submerges and emerges from the desert floor. It’s got the head of a dragon and a rattlesnake’s tail. It cost around $40,000, took four months to craft, and took another three months to erect in Borrego Springs. Galleta Meadows is a great photo opportunity and a fun opportunity for exploration for all ages.

The History of Galleta Meadows: The late Dennis Avery, of the Avery Label fortune and land owner of approximately three square miles of undeveloped land in Borrego Springs wanted to create a ‘free-standing art gallery’ on his property. He met Ricardo Breceda, the ‘Perris Jurassic Park’ owner/artist/welder based in Perris, California. He commissioned Breceda in 2008 to create a collection of prehistoric creatures. Since then, the collection has grown to include human figures like a gold miner, farm workers, Native American, Spanish padre, along with popular dinosaurs such as a tyrannosaurus rex, velociraptor, spinosaurus and allosaurus.

Borrego Stardance” courtesy of Gavin Heffernan, Sunchaser Pictures

Anza Borrego-The Narrows

By

Lori Palmer

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GPS	33.13072, -116.301549
Elevation	717 ft. to 1,250 ft.
Season	Year round: best Oct.-May
Terrain	Packed dirt
Difficulty	Easy terrain
Required Vehicle	2 wheel drive
Time	10 minutes
Length of Trail	1/2 mile loop

Anza Borrego-A hallway at the Narrows — A “hallway” at the Narrows

Directions: From Christmas Circle in Borrego Springs, drive 11.5 miles southwest on Borrego Springs Road. Turn right on Route 78 west and drive 4 miles through a dramatic gap between Yaqui Ridge and the Vallecito Mountains. Pull off the road into the trailhead parking area on the south (left) side of the road near mile marker 81.5, just south of Quartz Vein Wash.

Anza Borrego-Bridge at the Narrows — “Bridge” at the Narrows

Site Location and Description: This is a very short, extremely cool hike very close to the trail up to Calcite mine. If you are going to the mine, bear left and you will soon arrive at the Narrows. As in other areas of Anza Borrego, the Narrows offers the visitor spectacular examples of rock formations and sedimentations that are an archeologist’s dream. This is a super fun, kid friendly hike that winds around through and under mud/rock tunnels and gives everyone plenty to look at, climb up on and under and take photos of. Reportedly there are pamplets at the beginning of the trail with good information about the geology. We didn’t see them when we visited, although it could have been because we were really excited about getting into the narrows and exploring. This is a popular trail so pick your times to explore wisely. TAP Note: Although we enthusiastically promote exploring the Narrows, we stress that you be very careful, always: take water, watch the kids, and do not mark or take any rocks.

Crouch under the fallen rock-the Narrows

Pinkham Canyon Trail – Joshua Tree National Park

By

Lori Palmer

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Pinkham Canyon Road, overland trails, off-road trials, california overland trails, over landing, over land, off-road, off-roading, vehicle supported adventure, Joshua Tree National Park,

GPS- Pinkham Canyon Trail	N33 46.75 W115 54.99
Elevation	1,400-3,400 ft.
Season	Year round: best Oct.-May
Terrain	graded, narrow in sections, loose and sandy in spots
Difficulty	Easy to Moderate
Required Vehicle	high-clearance 4WD
Time	2 1/2 hours
Length	21.5 miles

Directions to Pinkham Canyon Trail: This overland trail begins opposite the Cottonwood Visitor Center on Pinto Basin Road and ends at I-10 Frontage Road exit, 17 miles east of Indio.

Site Location and Description: This is a beautiful and easy off-road trail that crosses through a sloped bajada and winds through Mojave yuccas to a gap in the Cottonwood Mountains. Monument mountain can be seen to the north and you’ll drive through the Pinckam Canyon Wash. There is one side trail down Thermal Canyon. Again, a beautiful trail worthy of exploration.

History of Pinkham Canyon Trail: This area was inhabited by the Pinto people; some of the earliest inhabitants of the Southwest. They used it’s river as a food gathering source. Evidence has been left behind as rock art scattered throughout the area. The Cahuilla Indias also roamed this region and used it’s water sources. Look for the mortar holes in the rocks. Long after the Pinto Valley became a dry basin, prospectors arrived. They named a peak near Cottonwood Spring at the northeastern end of the trail, Mastodon for it’s shape. They opened a mine, active from 1910-1930 at the base of Mastodon Peak. Shafts and some ruins remain. Moorten’s and Winona Mills were also located in this region. Miners used the water at Cottonwood Spring for their mills and teamsters transporting supplies in the Pinto Mountains also made use of this water source.

Click here for more CA off-road, Overlanding trails…..and TAP into Adventure!

Goldwell Open Air Museum & Artist Residency

By

Lori Palmer

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Goldwell Open Air Museum The Last Supper

GPS	N36.890223 W116.833672
Elevation	3,819 ft
Season	Year round: best Oct.-May
Terrain	Packed dirt
Difficulty	Easy
Hours of operation	24/7 no admission fee
Established	2000
Contact Information	1 Golden Street, Rhyolite, NV 89003 702-870-9946 goldwellmuseum.org

Directions: From Beatty, on the 374 approximately 5 miles east of Death Valley National Park.

Goldwell Miner — Tribute to Shorty Harris

Site Description and History: Goldwell is an outdoor sculpture park created in 2000 by a group of prominent Belgian artists, led by the late Albert Szukalski, who decided he was going to create a self-described “art situation”in a unique area that would give him freedom of expression and scope. A place vastly different than their practice spaces in Europe. The installment is made up of seven outdoor sculptures that are amazing. They are large, some colorful, thought provoking, and randomly beautiful. You will see the sculpture, The Last Supper modeled after Leonardo De Vinci’s painting The Last Supper and Ghost Rider, both created in 2000 by Szukalski by draping plaster-soaked burlap over live models until it dried and stood up on it’s own. Other works of art include Tribute to Shorty Harris made by Fred Bervoets in tribute to one of the miners whose gold discovery led to the goldrush of 1904. Dre Peters created a hand-carved female version of Icarus, the boy who flew too close to the sun in Icara….an appropriate sculpture for the desert! A fun installment is a colorful tile mosaic covered couch originally made for the Children’s Discovery Museum in Las Vegas by Sofie Siegmann. It was restored and brough to Goldwell Museum in 2007. Another fun piece out here is The Venus of Nevada, a sculpture made of cinder block based partially on the concept of a pixel (we thought it was Legos). For more information about the sculptures, contact the museum with the info in the box above. Ask about the arts festival in October and let us know how you liked it.

This is a truly unique find out in the upper Mohave desert and a nice stop on your way into Death Valley National Park. The Goldwell open air museum also has a new artist residentcy and artist workspace program in the nearby Red Barn Art Center that houses a feature artist for a month. (The Adventure Portal called and asked for permission to display photos of the works on this site. They graciously gave it to us.)