Rocky and Bacon Hills, Porterville, CA

Wendy Harrell will be leading this Field Trip.    Questions: harrellw@att.net  209-777-4576

Field trip is to Rocky Hill and Bacon Hill, both sites are east of Porterville CA, in the foothills of the Sierras. March 4th and 5th.Any vehicle is OK, no dirt road driving. Saturday meet at 9AM at the corner of HWY 198 and Yokohl Road. Sundays meet up time TBA. Hike is moderately strenuous, some scrambling over boulders. Both are large painted sites. Accommodation available in Porterville and Visalia.

This is a rare opportunity to see painted and cupule sites on private land, none of which are available to the public. Porterville Rocky Hill contains a large complex of sites that range from pre-contact to the historic period. They include pitted boulders, grooves, slides and many other features typical of large Yokuts habitation sites. The polycrome pictographs are good examples of the Yokuts painted style. Oioiu, the place of the pregnant woman, is the only ethnographically documented cupule site of this type in Tulare County. Much of the walking is across gently rolling ground with some moderate hiking. Th is tour takes approximately 8 hours. 

Additional Information Regarding the Organized  Field Trips

1. PLEASE NOTE that URARA holds no responsibility or liability for those participating in field trips. Attendance at a pre-trip orientation meeting is required by all field trip participants, where a completed liability waiver and medical consent form will be discussed. Each trip roster will be finalized upon completion of waiver and consent forms by participants. Some Field Trips might have a Pre-trip meeting to be held the evening before the Field Trip. 

2. Four-wheel-drive is recommended for high-clearance areas. Car-pooling is recommended, and is required for the final leg of some trips.

3. Many of the field trips may involve hiking, easy to strenuous, through rough terrain with substantial brush where one may encounter creatures such as rattlesnakes, so be sure to pack appropriate footwear, hiking clothes with a jacket for that sudden rainstorm, a hat, and sunscreen. Don’t forget your camera. Participants are responsible for bringing along plenty of water to ensure healthy hydration.

4. Plan to provide your own lunch, snacks, and drinks.