With paleontologist, Colin Dunn, travel back 280 million years to the Early Permian, a time when this area was a tidal flat on the edge of a wide seaway.  Learn about the creatures that lived on the coast and left numerous footprints and trackways in the muds and sands.  From the mighty sail-backed Dimetrodon, to small insects and arachnids, tracks of all sizes have been preserved.  This hike will take visitors up an arroyo to the first major site that these tracks were found and collected, the Discovery Site.  Geology and paleontology of the area will be discussed. Travel on Picacho Ave./ Hwy. 70. At the stop light with Shalem Colony Trail. Directions: Travel on Picacho Ave./ Hwy. 70. At the stop light with Shalem Colony Trail go north on Shalem Colony Trail for approximately 5.5 miles. Prior to reaching the Rio Grande, you will reach a county road, Rocky Acres Trail. Turn west on Rocky Acres Trail. Go west approximately ¼ mile to a dirt road entrance on the left-hand side. Cross over a cattle guard and continue to the west past the first parking lot to the second. Dress appropriately and remember the outdoor essentials – water, snacks, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, and sturdy is approximately a 3-hours field trip, moderate hike.

 For more information, contact Colin Dunn at crdunn@blm.gov.

For further reading:

Traces of a Permian Seacoast: Prehistoric Trackways National Monument