There aren’t a lot of options for hikers looking for trails to explore in the sweltering, humid mess that is Houston, Texas. Sure, the Sam Houston National Forest has some charm, with its towering pine trees and meandering creeks, but the lack of any elevation change makes the redundant scenery grow old fast.
Maybe this is why I so thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Vasquez Rocks Natural Area, where large, angled layers of rock jut out from the ground to constantly reshape the look of the landscape, depending on your vantage point. Or maybe my enthusiasm is rooted in the absurd amount of relief I felt after my girlfriend and I finally arrived in California the prior evening following a three-day, 30-hour drive from Texas.
Whatever the reason, this place rocks. Quite literally.
I’d explored Vasquez Rocks one other time, while visiting my mom, who lives in Santa Clarita, a few years ago. To prepare for that trip, we did a bit of research, glanced over a vaguely marked trail map, and headed out. Within less than one hour, we were hopelessly lost.
It wasn’t the terrifying, “We’ll never get out of here!” lost. We could clearly see our car from the top of one of the taller rock formations. But we had no clue which path would take us back down to the main trail. It’s akin to going to Orcutt Hills for the first time. There’s a main trail—sort of—but it’s hard to resist the urge of wanting to explore the mysterious, random offshoots. And once you start off on the network of side trails, it takes some time to find your way back. You’re never lost, but you’re often unsure of where you are.
My mom and I discussed our first failed attempt at navigating the confusing labyrinth of unmarked trails at Vasquez Rocks on our most recent drive to the park in late March. This time we were determined not to get lost. And we brought backup, as my girlfriend and our dog were with us.
Alas, my faith in our team was misplaced. At one of the first offshoots we encountered, we took the bait and diverted from the main trail. We were lost even faster than my previous visit. But rather than worry about getting back on the main trail, we embraced the mishap. We walked around aimlessly, without any sense of direction or purpose, choosing when to turn right or left on a whim.
At random points of our journey we stopped and stared out at the monoliths jutting out from the ground. The large formations created an optical illusion, reshaping the landscape from different points of the park. According to the Vasquez Rocks Nature Center Associates, the rocks rise from the ground at angles between 45 to 52 degrees. This angle is created by the Elkhorn Fault, which runs underneath the rocks, and is an offshoot of the San Andreas Fault.
After hiking and taking in the views, we began the voyage back to our car, stopping on the way to explore some of the larger rock formations at the park. We scampered up and down the rocks, with our dog especially enjoying himself as he searched for some critters to chase.
These larger rock formations we so carelessly trampled over have served as the backdrop for numerous movies and television shows, including multiple Star Trek iterations. Additionally, in what sounds like the plot of a movie, a bandit named Tiburcio Vasquez eluded law enforcement while hiding within these rock formations in 1874.
I’m not sure what happened to Vasquez, but given my track record at the park, there’s no chance I would’ve found him.
Staff Writer Zac Ezzone feels weird having his photo in the paper. Don’t send mean comments about his shirt to zezzone@santamariasun.com
This article appears in Sep 26 – Oct 3, 2019.
