Kumeyaay Village Site
in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Labeled simply as the Village Site on park maps, the Kumeyaay Village in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is an easy to visit location where Native Americans lived for thousands of years. Take a short stroll around a pile of boulders along Mine Wash Road and spot grinding holes among the rocks. A sign at the Kumeyaay Village reads:
Native desert people have been attracted to the cave of this bouldered hillside for thousands of years. The last group to live here were the Kumeyaay (ku-may-eye), a nomadic people who lived off native plants and hunted game such as jackrabbits and bighorn sheep. They made camp here from October through May until the late 1800s.
Walk a few yards ahead to the village site. See if you can find the large flat rocks which still show signs of seed grinding. Native women spent many hours upon these rocks working on the metates and in the deep morteros.
Broken tools, pottery and bits of charcoal hold the story of a people who loved for centuries in the rock shelters of Mine Canyon. Please respect this ancient habitation site of those who came before us.
Walk into the boulders behind the sign and spot morteros, Native American grinding holes still carved into the rocks. You can walk about a quarter mile around the old site before continuing your exploration of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. To learn more about the Kumeyaay Indians, make your way to Morteros Trail and Pictograph Trail.
To get to Kumeyaay Village Site: From Christmas Circle in Borrego Springs, drive 5 miles southwest on Borrego Springs Road. Turn right on Route S3 (Yaqui Pass Road) and drive 6.9 miles south on Yaqui Pass Road to Route 78. Turn left and drive 2.7 miles east to Mine Wash Road, a sandy dirt road on the south side of the road (A Mine Wash sign is at the intersection). Turn right up Mine Wash Road, which is in good condition. Pass bathrooms on the right after 0.3 miles. At 1.6 miles up Mine Wash Road, you will reach the Village Site where a sign is on the left side of the road next to the boulder pile.
Address: California 78, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, CA 92004
Coordinates: 33.113076, -116.34512 (33° 06′ 47.07″N 116° 20′ 42.43″W)
Use the map below to view the site and get directions:
Or view California Desert trails and campgrounds in a larger map
 | Yaqui Well Trail This 1.6-mile out and back hike on a self-guided nature trail explores area botany and history, crossing a wash to reach a rare desert water source. |
 | Cactus Loop Trail This 0.75-mile loop on a self-guided nature trail explores cacti and other plants that have adapted to survive in the Anza-Borrego Desert. |
 | Kenyon Overlook Trail This 1.15-mile loop sets out from Yaqui Pass to reach an incredible viewpoint across Mescal Bajada. |
 | Narrows Earth Trail This 0.5-mile self-guided hike explores the geology of the park. |
 | The Slot This short hike descends through a narrow canyon beneath a natural rock span that is among the most photographed landmarks in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. |
 | Hellhole Canyon Trail to Maidenhair Falls This 5.5-mile hike visits a 20-foot waterfall in a canyon near Borrego Springs, making it the perfect place to cool off on a hot day in the California Desert. |
 | Hikes in the California Desert Explore more trails in Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, and Mojave National Preserve. |
 | Tamarisk Grove Campgrounds This shaded 27-site campground is one of four developed campgrounds in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and the start of two self-guided nature trails. |
 | Anza-Borrego Desert Campgrounds Four developed campgrounds, eight primitive campgrounds, and extensive roadside camping accommodate your visit to California’s largest state park. |
 | Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Wildflowers The desert bloom brings bursts of color to barrel cactus, beavertail cactus, ocotillo, and more. |