The ancient La Bajada

[Highmountain]

This spiderweb of trails and roads probably goes back as far as human beings in this area. At the bottom end there's a stone corral where travelers kept their animals so's they wouldn't have to make the ascent too close to dusk. Evidently there was a flagman at the topside to signal when traffic was stopped so people waiting at the bottom would be ready to begin the climb when the last of them arrived.

I once knew an old man who drove a truck and had to take La Bajada during the 1920s. Said he put the truck in the lowest gear and walked down beside it reaching inside to steer in case something happened and it got away from him. The cliff bottoms and carcasses of pre-WWII automobiles down the slopes testify to the wisdom of this practice.

Rock faces throughout the zigzag face have countless petroglyphs and initials of long-time ago travelers who must have stopped for a rest.

Last time I tried to drive up it a huge boulder blocked the passage about halfway up and it required losing a bit of paint and folding back the left mirror on a Mitzubishi Montero circa 1986. I don't recommend trying to drive it.

 

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[Highmountain]

The bottom of La Bajada is on tribal land, but I'm not certain of the status of the old road/trail. I suspect there's a peremptoral easement on it, same as any other historic road. I've been up and down it numerous times and never been challenged, which I believe I would have been if someone felt they had a strong enough claim to it.

At the bottom and circled on the map at the lower end there's what once was a tourist court that served folk who maybe came in late and didn't want to brave the road at night. It's definitely on tribal land and owned. I've never tried to get permission to detect around it, but a person might, if he wasn't bothered by hearing the word 'no'.

The second circle is the location of the stone corral I mentioned in the earlier post. I think it goes back a lot further than the tourist court, and it's probably owned, though it mightn't be. I've never been challenged nosing around inside it. I suspect the bottom to the south of the road is where the folk camped who were holding their animals in the corral.

If you can approach from the top where it's all public land I believe, but a tricky fence/lock situation last time I tried, the easiest way to find La Bajada topside is the highline that comes off the top just to the west of it. Used to be the maintenance road for the highline was the only way in there a person could be sure wasn't behind a locked gate.

You'll have to look around a bit, but there's also a place for holding animals at the top and I'd guess you can find historic campsites various places. There a lot of fire rings scattered around. I don't know what a person with a good MD might find.

But I'd bet further down where the old car carcasses are still lying 100 feet below the track sometimes you'd find all manner of things nobody ever figured were worth carrying off.

Pottery artists from as far away as San Filipe do get clay from several spots up there off the road and you might run into them. If you do I've found it's best just to say 'hi' and go on about your business and not be bothered by scowls and mutters. There's a middling amount of dislike for non-NAs among most tribes. Those folk you encounter will be a lot friendlier when they're trying to sell you a pot, but while they're digging clay they'd rather you left them alone so's they don't feel the need to be rude.