Did you know there is an amazing fossilized geological formation hidden in the deserts only about 2 hours from Bakersfield? There is a natural dormant volcano, a fossilized river, and hidden artifacts in caves left behind by Native Americans 12,000 years ago. 23ABC's Adam Bowles went on an adventure to find and enjoy this amazing place.
You don’t want to miss this rare sight. About 2 hours from Bakersfield, past Tehachapi and into the deserts there is a beautiful land frozen in time in the pre historic era from 12,000 years ago. First you travel past Tehachapi down highway 58 until you start to see cacti past the wind turbines.
Next your going to travel down highway 14. You'll notice your not in Kansas anymore…..I mean Bakersfield!
You'll see beautiful desert scenery, with cacti and beautiful plants all around you and you'll even see the majestic Red Rock Canyon State Park.
You may want to make a pit stop to take pictures of this beautiful state park with amazing geological formations.
Keep going until you hit HWY 395. Go down this HWY a little past Ridgecrest until you see Cinder Road.
Make a right down this road until you start to see black looking rocks all around you, a parking lot, a huge dormant volcano which means were here.
Welcome to Fossil Falls, a land completely fossilized from the Owens river about 12,000 years ago. Native Americans used to live here called the Coso people who inhabited this area around 6000 B.C. There are even artifacts scattered among the hidden caves in this fossilized area like tools, markings, and arrow heads that is a sign of an early past frozen in time.
A volcano? Yep there is even a dormant volcano you can see with your very own eyes called the Coso Volcanic Field. All of these black basalt rocks were made from volcanic flows hundreds of thousands of years ago. Along with the Owens river they cut a path through these rocks which created fossil falls. You can climb through these rocks to get to the hidden caves and look at an amazing view. In this canyon you'll wont believe what you'll find... a past left behind by Native Americans. But, it is illegal to take these artifacts so take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints. But, this experience will be amazing with people coming from all over.
You can camp, hike, and picnic on these basalt rocks. You may be surprised what you may stumble upon in fossil falls hidden in the deserts. You'll get to experience what fire from a volcano and water from long ago can create all preserved in this amazing geological formation inhabited by the Coso people thousands of years ago. Its all right here. Adventure is out there all you have to do is get out there.
