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Monday Field Trip and Workshop Registration

You may choose to attend 1 Monday field trip. First you need to be registered for the ARARA conference. Once you have done so, you will receive an email with a code you need to register for a field trip. Field trips registrations are on a first-come, first-served basis.

A note about the spaces left number: We include field trip leaders in our count total. They have a separate registration category and separate code to use for registration. If you are trying to register and are being taken to the Leader category it means that the participant category is full. Choose another trip.

Participants who sign-up for more than one field trip per day will be removed from all field trips for which they have registered.

Each individual coming to the conference should complete a separate registration. There is the ability to add a guest to your registration if a spouse does not have an email address.

You can cancel your field trip registration yourself through March 3. There is no fee for cancelling a field trip.
Log into the website (top right of the page), come back to this page, and then you will see an "Already registered" link below the "Register" button for your trip.  Click on this link and you will have a cancel option.

We may cancel trips with less than four participants and move those participants to other trips based on their preferences.

Pre-registration closes on Feb 24th. After that you will need to register at the conference. Only Monday field trips will be available for in-person registrants.

If you need help please contact Troy Scotter at 801-362-1206 (leave a message) or email


Weather: Average daytime temperatures in Tucson vary from the mid 60s to high 80s for the time of the conference.

Monday Field Trips

  • 07Mon. San Xavier del Bac Mission and Tumamoc Hill

    • 13 Mar 2023
    • 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM (MDT)
    • Tucson, Arizona
    • 14
    • 6 registrants
    Register

    Leaders: Linda Hanson (San Xavier), Paul and Suzanne Fish, Gayle Hartmann (Tumamoc)

     Site Description: This trip begins at San Xavier Mission, a National Historic Landmark and the oldest European structure in Arizona. An authentic 18th century space, the church's interior is filled with marvelous original statuary and mural paintings. There are even a few glyphs etched by the Tohono O’odham laborers. This 90-minute behind-the-scenes tour will focus on how the 300-year-old Mission’s external architecture and interior statuary and murals reflect the Moorish, Spanish, Catholic, and Indigenous influences in this region. Additionally, the tour will discuss present-day conservation and restoration efforts currently underway.
    The trip’s second stop will be Tumamoc Hill, a Tucson landmark near downtown. Tumamoc Hill has an extensive complex of stone trincheras features attributable to a pre-ceramic village (500 to 300 B.C.) and a subsequent early Hohokam village (A.D. 475 to 700). Recording efforts have documented 734 petroglyphs as well as 450 Euro-American inscriptions, many of which date to the period of Mexican and early American settlement. The petroglyphs on the hill date from the archaic to late Hohokam (A.D. 1400). The field trip should end around 1 pm. Participants can then explore downtown Tucson or enjoy one of the small Mexican restaurants at the foot of Tumamoc Hill. Bring water and snacks.    References: Fert 1979; Hartman and Boyle 2013

    Difficulty: San Xavier: 0.25 miles of walking over flat, mostly paved ground. Tumamoc Hill: 0.5 to 1 mile of walking over volcanic desert terrain with 25 ft elevation gain.

    Vehicle Requirement: any

    Driving Time/Distance (One Way): 0.5 hrs, 18 miles

    Max. Number of Participants: 20

    Fee:$10 cash donation for San Xavier (Restoration Fund); pay trip leader day of

    NOTE: This trip will depart from the hotel at 7:00 a.m. to allow access to the Mission before it is open to parishioners.

    Show details

  • 08Mon. Amerind Museum and Pictographs

    • 13 Mar 2023
    • 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM (MDT)
    • Tucson, Arizona
    • 9
    • 11 registrants
    Register

    Leader: Dan Frey 

    Site Description:     This trip will lead people to the northeast reach of the Dragoon Mountains, to a place known as East Cochise Stronghold. It is so named because it was once a hideout for Cochise, the famed Chiricahua Apache leader, and some 1,000 of his followers. Visitors will first stop at the Amerind Museum of Native American art, history, culture, and archaeology. It is also an archaeological research institute, library, and archive with a long pedigree of groundbreaking research in the American Southwest and Northwest Mexico. For those interested in additional perusal and purchase, the adjacent gallery sells Native American works in two- and three-dimensional media. Visitors will also be able to see a small petroglyph site adjacent to the museum. From there, the group will visit a selection of pictograph sites, beginning with Balancing Rock, which hosts several probable Apache pictographs. They’ll then continue on to three pictograph sites in the Stronghold. The cultural affiliation of these pictographs remains uncertain. Are they Mogollon, Apachean, or something else? Bring water, lunch, and snacks.

    References: Kolber 1986

    Difficulty: Balancing Rock: 200 yards walking over level terrain with little-to-no elevation gain;  Amerind Museum is ADA-accessible; the pictographs require 0.5 miles of walking over trail-less desert terrain with about 400 ft elevation gain.

    Vehicle Requirement: any

    Driving Time/Distance (One Way): 1.5 hrs, 83 miles

    Max. Number of Participants: 20

    Fee: None

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  • 09Mon. Hieroglyphic Canyon and Casa Grande National Monument

    • 13 Mar 2023
    • 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM (MDT)
    • Tucson, Arizona
    • 9
    • 11 registrants
    Register

    Leader:  Steve Phillips

    Site Description: The petroglyphs in Hieroglyphic Canyon in the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix were featured in ARARA’s first occasional paper, written by Don Weaver in 1985. A short 1.5 mile hike up the canyon leads to a set of springs and series of bedrock tanks around which several hundred Hohokam petroglyphs adorn 54 discrete panels. The petroglyphs are accompanied by several bedrock mortars, Images of bighorn sheep and other quadrupeds proliferate, while other motifs are also present, including an iconic pipette design. The Casa Grande Ruins National Monument consists of the remains of multiple structures surrounded by a compound wall constructed in the early 14th century by the Ancestral O’Odham. "Casa Grande," the largest structure on the site, is what remains of a four-story adobe structure used for astronomical observations, among other things. Bring water, lunch, and snacks.

    References: Weaver 1985

    Difficulty: Hieroglyphic canyon requires 3 miles of walking over a maintained Forest Service trail with 580 ft elevation gain

    Vehicle Requirement: any

    Driving Time/Distance (One Way): 2 hrs, 100 miles

    Max. Number of Participants: 15

    Fee: no

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  • 10Mon. Papago Butte, Casa Grande, and the Ak-Chin Him-Dak Eco-Museum

    • 13 Mar 2023
    • 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM (MDT)
    • Tucson, Arizona
    • 1
    • 19 registrants
    Register

    Leader: Aaron Wright

    Note: Many people are trying to register for this trip. It filled up quickly. If the only registration category you see is "Leader" you will not be able to register. That category is reserved for field trip leaders.

    Site Description: Papago Butte lies near the community of Maricopa, south of Phoenix and northwest of Tucson. It is an extension of the Palo Verde Mountains and lies adjacent to the Vekol Wash. While the butte is privately owned, permission has been granted to lead a group to see some of the hundreds of Hohokam petroglyphs that adorn it. This trip will first stop at the Casa Grande National Monument, which is the site of a four-story adobe building built in the fourteenth century. From there, attendees will visit the petroglyphs at Papago Butte. The tour is capped with an optional stop at the Ak-Chin Him-Dak Eco-Museum before the return to Tucson. This museum is owned and operated by the Ak-Chin Indian Community and features the art and history of O’Odham of the Vekol and middle Gila River valleys. Bring water, lunch, and snacks.

    Difficulty: Papago Butte requires 0.25 miles of walking across level but unpaved terrain. Casa Grande and the Him-Dak museum of ADA accessible

    Vehicle Requirement: none

    Driving Time/Distance One Way: 2 hrs, 100 miles

    Max. Number of Participants: 20

    Fee: $10 admission for the museum; pay on-site

    Show details

  • 03Mon. Great Bend of the Gila

    • 13 Mar 2023
    • 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM (MDT)
    • Tucson, Arizona
    • 15
    • 5 registrants
    Register

    Leader:  Skylar Begay

    Site Description: This trip will take participants to two of the densest concentrations of petroglyphs along the Great Bend of the Gila River. This region lies at the interface of the Hohokam and Patayan archaeological traditions, and the cultural interplay is evident in the regional repertoire of petroglyphs. Participants will first visit the famed Painted Rock Petroglyph Site, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 to recognize the significance of its 4,000 petroglyphs. The site is ADA accessible, with a maintained pathway, parking, and pit toilets. From there, participants will rendezvous for lunch in Gila Bend before working back upriver to visit the Gillespie Narrows Petroglyph Preserve. Over 5,000 petroglyphs adorn basalt boulders and outcrops along the escarpment of a lava flow. While some petroglyphs can be viewed from the base, a moderate climb to the top of the talus will bring the grandeur of the site into focus. Bring water and snacks (lunch can be purchased in Gila Bend).

    References: Wright 2017, 2018

    Difficulty: A level 0.25-mile ADA-accessible trail loops around Painted Rocks. Gillespie Narrows is accessible via a 100-yard walk from a maintained dirt road, but viewing the glyphs up-close requires an 80-ft climb up a boulder-strewn escarpment.

    Vehicle Requirement: any

    Driving Time/Distance (One Way): 2.3 hrs, 151 miles

    Max. Number of Participants:20

    Fee: $2/vehicle parking fee at Painted Rocks; pay cash at the site

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  • 01Mon. Cocoraque Butte

    • 13 Mar 2023
    • 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM (MDT)
    • 6
    • 14 registrants
    Register

    Leaders: Gordon Hanson and Jim Avramis

    Site Description: This trip leads to seven small petroglyph-covered boulder hills around Cocoraque Butte, located in Ironwood Forest National Monument. The site has the largest-known selection of “bell rocks” in southern Arizona and about 2,000 petroglyphs on rounded black boulders. Some glyphs can be seen from the base of the hills with binoculars, but climbing the largest of the boulder-covered hills is the best tour. Hiking terrain is flat with boulder-covered hills rising from the base. A fifteen-minute walk from the parking area along an old sandy road to the largest of the hills is the first stop. The hills vary from a few feet to the tallest stack of boulders measuring 100 feet high. The optional climb to the top is rewarding but rated difficult. Bring water, lunch, and snacks. 
         
    References: Hernbrode 2018, 2019a, 2019b, 2021; Hernbrode and Boyle 2016, 2017

    Difficulty:  2.2 miles walking over flat desert with some deep sand with 50 ft of elevation gain. A climb to the top of the highest hill adds 100 ft of elevation.

    Vehicle Requirement:     high clearance needed, 4x4 recommended

    Driving Time/Distance (One Way):     1.25 hrs; 31 miles with the last 6 miles unpaved with some deep sand (and mud if it has rained)

    Max. Number of Participants:     20

    Fee:  None          

    Show details

  • 02Mon. Cocoraque Ranch

    • 13 Mar 2023
    • 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM (MDT)
    • Tucson, Arizona
    • 1
    • 19 registrants
    Register

    Leaders:    Janine Hernbrode and Bob Hernbrode

    Note: Many people are trying to register for this trip. It filled up quickly. If the only registration category you see is "Leader" you will not be able to register. That category is reserved for field trip leaders.

    Site Description: This trip is an opportunity to access a private ranch behind locked gates. About 9,000 glyphs are on a relatively steep volcanic 185-foot-tall hill with no established trail. The optional climb to the top is rewarding but rated difficult. The site was used by the Ancestral O’Odham for access to water and for ritual activities over millennia. A large array of glyphs, particularly archaic glyphs can be seen walking around the bottom of the hill as well as through binoculars. A labyrinth glyph is viewable ⅔ of the distance up this hill. The site has sound properties, and two different clusters of “bell rocks” can be seen; one cluster half-way up the tall hill and another, more accessible for all participants, in a cluster at the base of a nearby hill. Some of the bell rocks have animate shapes. Bring water, lunch, and snacks.

    References:     Hernbrode 2018, 2019a, 2019b, 2021; Hernbrode and Boyle 2016, 2017

    Difficulty:      0.25 miles walking with 40 feet of elevation gain. A climb to the top of the hill adds 160 ft of elevation.

    Vehicle:     high clearance needed, 4x4 recommended

    Driving Time/Distance (One Way):     1.5 hrs; 32 miles with the last 7 miles unpaved with some deep sand (and mud if it has rained)

    Max. Number of participants:     20

    Fee:     $20 (private land); pay the trip leader cash the day of the event

       
    Show details

  • 04Mon. Picture Rocks Wash and Los Morteros

    • 13 Mar 2023
    • 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM (MDT)
    • Tucson, Arizona
    • 5
    • 15 registrants
    Register

    Leaders: Al Dart

     Site Description: This trip starts with a visit to Los Morteros, a Hohokam village and the center of an extended community of related settlements along the Santa Cruz River. This easy access site has a wide range of archaeological features, including petroglyphs and an impressive number of bedrock mortars that inspired the site’s name. Participants will then visit sites in the nearby Picture Rocks Wash. The largest and first on the itinerary has over 200 petroglyphs, including zoomorphs, anthropomorphs, abstract motifs, and a solar marker for the summer solstice and the equinoxes. Participants may then choose to continue with the guide about a mile farther up the wash to two smaller petroglyph sites in Saguaro National Park. These feature a well-defined “turkey” and a partially pecked and partially painted quail-like image. Participants should bring water and a packed lunch for the afternoon hike.

    References: Dart 2020

    Difficulty: Los Morteros: Flat 0.25 mile walk via an ADA-accessible path. Picture Rocks Wash: 50 yards walking in sandy wash to the main site; additional two-mile loop with 115 ft of elevation gain to reach additional two sites.

    Vehicle Requirement: any

    Driving Time/Distance (One Way:) 0.5 hrs, 25 miles

    Max. Number of Participants: 20

    Fee:     No

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  • 05Mon. Phoenix’s South Mountain Park

    • 13 Mar 2023
    • 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM (MDT)
    • Tucson, Arizona
    • 17
    • 3 registrants
    Register

    Leader: Al Arpad

    Site Description: The petroglyphs in the South Mountains, along the southern margin of Phoenix, were the first elements of Hohokam rock imagery professionally reported, and they remain the most studied across southern Arizona. These glyphs now reside in South Mountain Park and Preserve, one of the largest municipal parks in the world. On this trip, visitors will visit Box and Pima Canyons, two of the best petroglyph localities in these mountains. The glyphs in Box Canyon, which lies near the center of the range, were first studied by Warren K. Moorehead in 1897. Those in Pima Canyon at the range’s eastern terminus were first described in 1890 by Frank Hamilton Cushing. Box Canyon is an enclosed space with petroglyphs hung high around the canyon’s rim. Pima Canyon is an elongated access into the mountains, with petroglyph concentrations centered at the mouth and around springs and seeps. These different settings allow visitors to see the variable contexts in which residents of nearby Hohokam villages made and used rock imagery. Bring water and snacks (lunch can be purchased at various establishments in south Phoenix).

    References: Bostwick 2002, 2008; Carpenter 2006; Russell and Wright 2009; Russell et al. 2009; Snyder 1966, 1975; Wright 2011, 2014, 2016

    Difficulty: Box Canyon: A 0.25-mile loop with no elevation gain. Pima Canyon: A 3-mile loop along Pima Canyon and Pima Wash Trails with around 300 feet of elevation gain.

    Vehicle Requirement: any

    Driving Time/Distance (One Way):  1.75 hrs, 115 miles

    Max. Number of Participants: 20

    Fee: no  

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  • 06Mon. Sutherland Wash Rock Art District

    • 13 Mar 2023
    • 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM (MDT)
    • Tucson, Arizona
    • 1
    • 19 registrants
    Register

    Leaders: Bill Gillespie, Ron Andelora, and Brian Shear

    Note: Many people are trying to register for this trip. It filled up quickly. If the only registration category you see is "Leader" you will not be able to register. That category is reserved for field trip leaders.

    Site Description: One of the most beautiful landscapes in southern Arizona hosts four major sites and many smaller ones. The boulder and saguaro covered hills are separated by a small canyon with sound properties and social trails to aid access. The Ancestral O’Odham occupied this area since the Early Agricultural Period (2000 BC to 50 AD). The approximately 3,500 glyphs include flowers, a stunning bighorn sheep panel, lots of Hohokam barbell figures, genital reference landscape features, and solar and horizon markers. Moderate elevation gains are necessary to see these sites at the base of the mountains. Bring your D-Stretch enabled phone or camera as well as water, lunch, and snacks.

    References: Hernbrode and Boyle 2013a, 2013b, 2017

    Difficulty: All sites on social trails at different levels; 4 to 5 miles total, 330 ft elevation gain with multiple ups and downs; endurance needed

    Vehicle Requirement: high clearance

    Driving Time/Distance (One Way): 1 hr, 35 miles

    Max. Number of Participants: 20

    Fee: No             

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