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Calico Early Man Site
Friends of Calico Early Man Site ATTN: Maggie Foss 2024 Orange Tree Lane Redlands, CA 93474 THE HOV TREKKER CREW drove by a road sign "Early Man Site" in Yermo, California numerous times wondering what it could be in the middle of desert. On a Saturday, the HOV Trekker crew was on our way to Las Vegas with no specific plans so we decided to check it out. After turning off the interstate 15 at Minneola exit and following the sign, we drove up a couple of miles on dirt road. On the way up to the site, there was no sign of anything that could be interesting until you see a picnic area close to the Early Man Site compound. As you wonder who could be coming to the middle of no where to picnic, you arrive at the compound which consist of three or four buildings with old vehicles and equipment parked near the buildings. At first glance, they looked like someone's house and storage shacks out in the desert. There was a restroom building for visitors that looks to have vault style toilets. (We didn't use it.)
When the HOV Trekker crew arrived around 2 PM, there was no one else at the Early Man Site compound and the visitor center was closed. After we parked our car, we worked our way up the trail to the digging pits. It was very hot day with the temperature over 100 degrees but the hike around the digging pits wasn't too exhausting. Even Baby Trekker had no problem with the hike. On the way to and around the digging pits, there were 10 information posts explaining the area and history of the site. We couldn't go into the actual excavation pits because they were fenced and locked. However, we were able to see the master pit through the fences. There was a collection of rocks from the pits around the site to observe. The hike to the site was not too strenuous. However, you do have to go up and down a small hill around the pits so you should wear comfortable shoes with non- slippery soles.
The HOV Trekker crew has learned from our research after the visit that the site is controversial because of the nature and age of the artifacts collected. There are disputes whether the artifacts are man-made or random work of nature. If the artifacts are accepted as genuine man-made objects, the human history around the North America will date back over 200,000 years, much earlier than accepted date of human presence in North America.
The HOV Trekker crew enjoyed the visit to the Early Man Site. It would have been better if we had little more knowledge about the site before we went to visit. That aside, the HOV Trekker crew recommends setting aside about an hour to make this side trip on the way to or back from Las Vegas.
According to the Bureau of Land Management website, there are user fees for visiting the site but when the HOV Trekker crew visited on August 29, 2011, there was no one asking us to pay the user fee. The site is open on Wednesday between 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM and Thursday through Sunday 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM. It is closed on Monday and Tuesday.
For more information about the Early Man Site, visit Calico Early Man Site and Bureau of Land Management websites. Things to do in Southern California
L.A. County Fair
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