The Ghost Mountain Trail to Yaquitepec is a trail of moderate difficulty. It’s 1.4 miles long and will take you one to three hours depending upon your hiking skills. It’s a family friendly trail.
One of the more interesting artifacts of California’s Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is Yaquitepec on Ghost Mountain. The ruins of the South Home, where a family of writers lived in the 1930s, can be seen from the top of this short, steep trail (about 600′ in 3/4mile) that begins in Blair Valley, 2.7 miles from Highway S-2.
In February 1932, while the country felt the grip of The Depression, Marshal and Tanya South came to this mountain to build their home and live off the land. They raised their children here, wrote magazine articles, grew vegetables, gathered native plants, and after 16 years decided to call it quits.
The “South Home,” actually an adobe cabin, was built by Marshal and Tanya South when they began homesteading in 1932, before the area was within the state park boundaries.
Yaquitepec, or Ghost Mountain, still carries the reminders of South’s homesteading adventure. The steep, mile long walk to the homesite will give you a breathtaking view of the land the South family called home. Look for signs of the ingenious water system with its cisterns and troughs. The adobe structure is quickly becoming a victim of the elements.
This is a rewarding hike with interesting remains to explore and beautiful 360 views.
Tips: Watch for the Blair Valley sign (on your left) just after curve on S2 south. There are other nice short hikes in this area including th… more »e pictograph trail and the Mortero trail.
Bring plenty of water and sunscreen/hat there is no shade.
