Sunday Excursions
We have five excellent archaeological excursions and one elephant snot required workshop for our 2021 Site Steward Program annual conference attendees! Please sign up for the outing you'd like to attend. See the conference schedule for more information.
Tour of Arrastre Creek on the Agua Fria National Monument
When: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Where: Dirt parking lot off the Sunset Point Rest Area exit EAST side, Arrastre Creek, Arizona, USA
Guides: Pam Kalish, Trudy Mertens
We will tour the Arrastre Creek on the Agua Fria National Monument located an hour north of the hotel off I-17 near Sunset Point Rest Area. This will be a high clearance (not four-wheel drive) driving tour with a short 1/4-mile hike (no elevation gain) to see spectacular rock art, agricultural fields and historic dwellings. If you are energetic you can continue past the 1/4-mile trail on your own but it is more arduous. Tour will be of agricultural feature, historic features and petroglyphs. Come prepared with appropriate hiking sticks, boots, water etc. Tour is to be limited to 15 participants. Only Site Stewards who have completed training will be allowed to attend. Please bring your Site Steward card with you.
Tour of Arlington Mesa
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When: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Where: Meet at Cracker Barrel Restaurant located at 1-10 and Watson Road. 606 S Watson Rd. Buckeye, AZ 85326
Guides: Douglas R Newton & Kim Gilles
We will tour the Arlington Mesa site in the Tonopah Region west of Phoenix. This Hohokam site dates between AD 500 to 1050 and includes a ball court, rock alignments, trash mounds, a summit trail and a nice view of Power Butte across the Gila River. The tour length is one mile and will take approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours to complete with no elevation gain. This site is on State Trust Land therefore only Site Stewards who have completed training will be allowed to attend. Please bring your Site Steward card with you.
Walking Tour of Camino Veijo #1 Site
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When: 8:30 am - 10:30 am
Where: Meet at Florence Junction - north side of junction of Hwys 60 and 79 (there is parking). Guides: Van Newville and Josh Meister
We will tour Camino Viejo # 1 site. The site is a Huhugam habitation site with remnants of stone and adobe walls, pottery spreads, lithics, and some interesting rock piles. El Camino Viejo is an hour east of the hotel and can be driven to with any type of vehicle. We will meet at 8:30 am at Florence Junction - north side of junction of Hwys 60 and 79 (there is parking). The tour length is 1/2 mile and will take approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours to complete with no elevation gain. This site is on State Trust Land therefore only Site Stewards who have completed training will be allowed to attend. Please bring your Site Steward card with you.
History on the Rocks: A Prehistoric hiking tour of Box Canyon, South Mountain Park
When: 8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Where: Holbert Trailhead, Box Canyon Loop, South Mountain Park Phoenix,
Guides: Brian Krauss
Come join Ranger Brian Krauss on this tour of Box Canyon, an area of frequent use in antiquity at the base of South Mountain. See the history and clues into Hohokam lifeways written on the rocks and buried underfoot in Box Canyon, a refuge for Ancient Sonoran Desert Peoples in ages past and today. The hike involves hiking and scrambling over boulders, so please come prepared to be mobile and stay hydrated. The length of the hike is 2-3 miles with a total elevation change of about 300 feet. There are restrooms at the trailhead. Meet at 8:00 am at Holbert Trailhead. Only Site Stewards who have completed training will be allowed to attend, Please bring your Site Steward card with you.
Mesa Grande Cultural Park Tour
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When: 8:00 am - 9:00 pm
Where: Mesa Grande Cultural Park platform mound, Mesa, Arizona, USA
Guides: Emily Goble Early
The ancestral Sonoran Desert dwellers, ancestors of today's O'odham people, built and used the Mesa Grande platform mound between AD1100 and 1450. The mound was the public and ceremonial center for one of the largest villages in the Salt River Valley. Please dress appropriately for heat and walking during this one-hour tour.
Graffiti Removal Training
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When: 8:00 am -12:00 pm
Where: Meet in the Hotel lobby.
From there we will travel a short distance by vehicles. Site: Historic Hayden Mill, Tempe
Guides: Jewel Touchin, Patricia R. McCabe
Join archaeologist Jewel Touchin and Patricia McCabe of Logan Simpson on a field trip to Hayden Mill -a site that has been heavily spray painted. Stewards will learn what Elephant Snot is and how it can remove graffiti from building structures and archaeological sites. Each participant will be using Elephant Snot to remove graffiti on areas recently tagged. Meet Sean Hammond in the hotel lobby at 8:00 am. From there we will travel a short distance by vehicles over to the Tempe activity site. Please wear long sleeved shirts, long pants, and closed-toed shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty.