08Fri. Tohono O’odham Nation

Leader: Al Dart

Site Description:  This tour will visit at least three places around the Baboquivari Mountains on the Tohono O’odham Nation, west of Tucson. A sacred cave on Baboquivari Peak is the home of the Tohono O'odham Creator I’itoi (“Elder Brother”). The first destination will be a 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps work-camp headquarters that is now a campground and picnic area. (If open, the tour will first stop at Kitt Peak on the way to the work-camp headquarters. A boulder atop the peak depicts a possible Hohokam map). From the work-camp headquarters, participants will drive a short distance to Baboquivari Picture Rock, which exhibits ancient and historic petroglyphs and pictographs, bedrock mortars, and a probable Tohono O'odham shrine. On the return, participants will have the option to visit the Tohono O’odham Nation Cultural Center & Museum in Topawa. Participants provide their own transportation, drinking water, and picnic lunches and plan on an all-day trip.

Difficulty: 0.25 miles of walking around Baboquivari Picture Rock with slight dips across washes

Vehicle Requirement: High clearance; roads are all paved except last 12 miles are on a dirt road that may not be well maintained

Driving Time/Distance (One Way): 2.5 hrs (with stops), 89 miles

Max. Number of Participants:  20

Fee: $20/person payable to Old Pueblo Archaeology Center (cash or check upon arrival; Old Pueblo will forward all fees collected to Tohono O'odham Nation’s Baboquivari District)