Thursday, June 14, 2012

Valles Canyon-Sierra de las Uvas, Broad Canyon Wilderness, OMDPNM

 Goggle eyed petroglyph in Valles Canyon

Revisited Valles Canyon a couple of weeks ago with a friend that had been wanting to see the petroglyph site there.A very hot day but with enough of a breeze blowing to not be totally unbearable. As usual, I saw a few petroglyphs I hadn't see before, including the artful goggle eyed figure in the above photo, even though I've been here at least 5 times. My friend spotted a  few manos and metates, and we walked up Broad Canyon a piece so I could show him the spot where there are thousands of chips, flakes and pieces of chert, flint and agate.  It could have been a tool making site, but I don't know how to tell these things for sure. Saw a wide variety of lizards but no snakes. Lizards will run around in the noonday sun,but rattlers usually don't come out in the heat of the day.This is a great area for exploring. Almost no one comes here ever and especially not in the summer. Still,it was a good day with a good friend, and perhaps it's important to to give yourself the full desert experience once in awhile under the same sun, walking the same paths as the ones who chipped away at those rocks centuries ago.
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5 comments:

  1. AllenJuly 1, 2012 at 5:28 AM

    I just wanted to say I appreciate your blog. My wife and I just bought land in west central NM, and since I am not familiar with the area, it is cool to get some ideas on where to camp and wet my fly line.

    Allen Andrews

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  2. Devon FletcherJuly 3, 2012 at 8:27 AM

    Thanks, Allen. I usually respond to any comments or inquiries within a day or two,but I was out of town. If you need any information about a place that's not covered in the blog feel free to ask. I still have a backlog of stuff I'm trying to get on to it.

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  3. A.Ro.January 30, 2013 at 12:54 PM

    How does one get to Valles Canyon? I've seen Corralitos Road, but county road 09 merges into county road 07. Or should I take D 06?

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  4. Devon FletcherJanuary 30, 2013 at 6:04 PM

    2 ways to get there depending on how much you want to hike and what kind of vehicle you're driving. From the Barksdale Road E006 you will cross Broad Canyon( the road is actually in Broad Canyon for a stretch) at the second crossing you will park and walk down to the confluence with Valles and then upstream on Valles. It's probably less than 4 miles of walking if you explore both Valles and down stream on Broad.This hike starts on private property and encounnters private property on Broad Canyon a short ways down from Valles. Second way uses the Corralitos Road( CR 0012) all the way. I estimate Valles Tank and corral is about 25 miles or so from the frontage road(I-10). There's plenty of parking here or you can drive down Valles Canyon a ways until the road leaves the canyon from there you have to walk. CR E006 is pretty crappy once you begin your descent into Broad Canyon. Corralitos Road is paved. The road in Valles Canyon is rough and narrow in places and may have some very steep and rough stream crossings(I don't pay attention so closely when I'm walking). If you park at the Valles corral it's probably a 7 mile round trip to the confluence of Broad and Valles. If you drive down Valles. It's a much shorter walk.

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  5. A.Ro.January 31, 2013 at 11:23 AM

    Thanks for your help. It really cleared up the confusion in the roads to take.

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