Rockhouse Canyon/Valley

Hike Name: Rockhouse Canyon/Valley Location: southwest CA Length: 14 Submitted by: Malachi Barkus Date Submitted: 0/0/00 Rating:	more California trail reviews California national parks California state parks
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Description
Great all-around desert hike. Rockhouse Canyon seems to be a fairly popular destination, however, the valley beyond is less frequently visited. The canyon is long and winding, but an easy hike, with almost vertical walls in places, and plenty of evidence of violent flash floods and earthquakes (passenger car sized boulders litter the floor). There's a good-sized dry waterfall that old-school jeepers use to climb over using winches (look carefully for some graffiti left on a boulder by somebody from the late 60s). In the valley beyond the canyon lie a number of rock house ruins. The rock houses were built by Indians who inhabited the area, and perhaps by a miner who took gold from nearby Jackass Flat. Upon leaving the canyon, take the western wash and look for a jumble of boulders on a rise, one boulder actually seems to have a smiley face on it (!) and beyond that are the rockhouse ruins. More ruins and an old Indian village lay at the other end of the valley, but that is probably an overnight trip. Took me about 10 hours and a bad blister on the bottom of my foot. Lots of fun, but bring your own water, and plenty of it, even in the winter.

Directions to Hike
Take the 8 West to 79 North to Borrego Springs. Head for the Borrego Salton Seaway, and turn left at roughly mile 26, the Rockhouse Truck Trail. Follow the dirt road to a quarry and hang right, skirting the edge of Clark Dry Lake. The road gets pretty rough past here, so high-clearance is good. At the point that the road forks towards Rockhouse Canyon (right) and Butler Canyon (left), turn right and park in the turnout to the left. If you have a high-clearance 4x4, you can take the next three miles on four wheels to the road closure (the area is a designated State Wilderness).

Contact Information
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
200 Palm Canyon Drive
Borrego Springs, CA 92004
(760) 767-5311

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