Blair Valley

The loop trip through Blair Valley starts off Hwy S2, which is located in Blair Valley itself.  After passing through Little Blair Valley, the route we take you on returns to Hwy S2 in Earthquake Valley, just a few miles north of where the route started.  You may wish to plan spending the entire day here.

The attractions to see along this road trip require several hikes.  Two are short, one is intermediate, and one is long.  The longer hike is to Ghost Mountain and the Marshal Smith home ruins and is covered in that chapter.  If you are not prepared for hiking, then a trip through Blair Valley may not be worthwhile.

After turning off Hwy S2, the dirt road passes by several campsites for the next half mile.  Every time we’ve passed by here, there are usually one or more campers.

About 0.3 mile from the pavement, the short hiking trail to Foot and Walker Pass can be found.  Look for it on the left or north side of the road.  More information on the tail is under The Hikes.

The road then skirts the dry lake or playa of Blair Valley.  On the opposite side, a literal sea of agave deserti grow on the hillsides along the road.  The road continues south through Blair Valley until a T intersection is reached.  Turning right will take you to the beginning of the trail that ascends Ghost Mountain. 

The next stop on our trip after bearing left at the T is a Native American village that was most likely occupied by Kumeyaay people during prehistoric days.  There is an obvious parking area here.  Look for a brochure that describes this hike (read more under The Hikes).  This stop consists of a number of large granite boulders that used to serve as shelters for the village’s occupants.

Just after this stop, a road heads off left to a distant valley to the north.  This is Little Blair Valley.  However, our route will continue straight (northeast) to a trailhead that leads to a large pictograph panel.  This hike is covered under The Hikes.  The road ends here and you must return to the previous road that heads north to Little Blair Valley.

Back on the road to Little Blair Valley, the road passes through the valley’s small playa.  The road then enters Earthquake Valley, passes by the backside of Foot and Walker Pass, then ends at Hwy S2.

Blair Valley is located near the eastern border of the park.  It sits along Hwy S2, about 6 miles south of Hwy 78.  The dirt road can easily be driven by a normal 2WD sedan.  The length of this loop trip is 11 miles.

From Christmas Circle, reset your odometer and go south on Hwy S3 (Borrego Springs Rd).  The road will slowly turn to the east and pass by several of the Galleta Meadows sculptures.  At 5.1 miles, Hwy S3 makes a slight right onto Yaqui Pass Rd. 

Continue on Hwy S3 over Yaqui Pass and at 12.1 miles you are at the junction with Hwy 78.  Turn right (west) and at 19.1 miles you are at Scissors Crossing (junction of Hwy 78 and Hwy S2).  Turn left onto Hwy S2 (also known as Great Southern Overland Stage Route or Sweeny Pass Road on some maps).  Continue on Hwy S2 for 6 miles.  It passes through the small community of Shelter Valley (aka Earthquake Valley).

Just after you cross over a ridge, look for the sign pointing to Blair Valley and a dirt road on the left (east) side of Hwy S2.  Turn in here and reset your odometer to zero.

The road continues south through Blair Valley for about 3miles from Hwy S2 where a T intersection will be found.  Turning right will take you to the trailhead to the trail that ascends Ghost Mountain.  The trailhead is reached in just 0.2 miles.

Turning left at the T intersection continues our trip.  The parking area for the Native American village and morteros will be found at about 3.7 miles from Hwy S2.

Before you leave parking area, reset your odometer to zero.  Continue on the road to the northeast – do not turn left just after the parking area – you will return here later.  The parking area for the pictograph panel hike will be found in 1.4 miles.

When you are done hiking to the pictographs, return back to the road you saw just after leaving the Native American village.  Turn right onto this road.  You will now be heading north and you will see the small dry lake of Little Blair Valley in the distance.  Continue on this road for 4 miles until you reach the pavement of Hwy S2.

There is a total of four hikes along this trip:

1. Foot and Walker Pass
2. Ghost Mountain to the Marshal Smith house
3. The ‘Ehmuu-Morteros Trail
4. Pictograph panel

Foot and Walker Pass

After finding the short trail using the instructions under What To See, climb the short 0.2 mile trail up to the top of the ridge in front of you.  Here, you’ll find a historical marker describing this unique point along the Butterfield Overland Stage route.

Although it was the lowest point in this ridge to cross and a short climb, it was quite steep.  So steep, that if the stage was carrying a heavy load, people would have to get out and walk on foot – hence the name of the pass.

Standing on top of the pass will give you a good view of the Blair Valley area.  Looking to the north, you can see a faint trace of the old stagecoach trail, plus you’ll see the road you will be traveling on later in this trip.

Ghost Mountain

This is covered under the Ghost Mountain chapter.

The ‘Ehmuu-Morteros Trail – Native American Settlement

The total roundtrip distance for this hike is about 0.8 miles and is on a relatively flat surface.  Before starting your hike, make sure to visit the kiosk or sign at the edge of the parking area.  Here, there is usually a pamphlet available that explains the hike, along with numbered points of interest along the way.

In many of the large rocks, small holes, known as morteros, will be found.  They were used to grind down food ingredients similar to the way chefs use a mortar & pestle today.  Continue hiking the trail past the village site for a short distance where it ends at a small pictograph panel that can be found on the side of a large boulder.

Pictograph Panel

The total roundtrip distance on this hike is about 1.5 miles.  The trail follows the bottom of a sandy wash and ascends, then descends a gradual slope with a loss/gain of about 80 feet of elevation.

The pictograph panel is located on the right side of the trail.  It is located on the front side of a very large boulder.

The trip through Blair Valley described in Getting There is very suitable to mountain bikes.  The sand is minimal and there are no steep hills to climb.  The only gradual descents are the approach to the Pictograph Panel trailhead.

Start your ride by parking your vehicle near the campsites described under What To See (near the Foot and Walker trailhead)

The only problem with using a bike to travel the route described in Getting There is getting to the return point.  In order to do this, you will need to ride a narrow and potentially dangerous section of Hwy S2 that climbs over a ridge as it returns to the beginning point (the campsites).

An alternative to making it a loop trail is to simply make it an in-and-back trip.  Follow the route all the way to the Pictograph Panel, but do not return via Little Blair Valley.  Instead, reverse the route you came in on to return to the campsites.