BLAIR VALLEY
The large camping area within this valley will accommodate most RV's, tent trailers, and tenters. It will also accommodate large groups. There is a number of hiking trails to different things to see within the valley.
MORMAN BATTALION TRAIL
Across the large dry lake was the trail of the Morman Battalion. They crossed WALKER PASS an proceeded on South across the Valley and into BOX CANYON.
FOOT and WALKER PASS: Just north of this pass the deep ruts of stage and wagon traffic over a 100 years old are marked by a monument. Here passengers had to get out of the coaches and help push them up the steep incline and over the granite ridge seperating Blair Valley from Earthquake Valley.
GHOST MOUNTAIN: This trail climbs a steep slope about 1 mile up the mountain to the ruins of Yaquitepec, the 1930 and 1940's home of the Marshal South family. After the Depression had cut off South's income as a writer, he and his wife, Tanya, turned to primitive living. They built an adobe home, and cisterns to catch and store the water. They lived much like the early Indians, getting most of their sustenance from the desert and wearing little clothing. Three children were born to them during their stay on Ghost Mountain.
MORTEROS: About a 1/4 mile hike to an excellent site of numerous Indian bedrock monteros - deep grinding holes in the granite boulders. The Indians would collect seeds from the desert plants, grind them down for storage in baskets or clay pots (ollas) and use them later.
INDIAN PICTOGRAPHS and SMUGGLER CANYON: The hiking trail to the PICTOGRAPHS leads southwest down Smuggler Canyon to a very prominent boulder on the west side of the stream bed on which the pictographs are well displayed. This Indian rock art has been painted on rather than etched into the rock (petroglyphs) by early day Kumeyaay Indians. The pictographs are unusual for their well-executed yellow and red designs consisting of interlaced elements in a diamond-chain motif. the diamond chains and chevrons are typical of Luiseno rock art and show the influence this Indian group had on the neighboring Kumeyaay. Pictographs were commonly done by shamans - priests or medicine men.
SMUGGLER CANYON OVERLOOK
Continue on down the path past the Pictographs, past another boulder with bedrock morteros to a superb overlook of the Carrizo Valley. Hickers may backtrack here or continue down a steep, winding trail into the valley below. The mouth of Smuggler Canyon on Highway S-2, just east of Vallecito Stage Station.
