Leaders: Janine Hernbrode and Bob Hernbrode
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