Mount Irish Petroglyphs

This is an impressive and large petroglyph area with three main clusters of petroglpyhs; Paiute Rocks, Shaman Hill, and Shaman Knob. Archeologists think some of the petroglyphs here could date from 1000 BC. One very interesting, and unique, petroglyph repeated here is the so-called Pahranagat Man. He shows up a few times here, at the Shooting Gallery and at a few other sites in Pahranagat Valley, but nowhere else.

We visited the site for the first time in March of 2003 and then again in September of 2010. Spring and fall make the best times to spend some time here.

Please leave no trace and take only photographs. Petroglyphs are an irreplaceable part of our history. Please respect and protect them. Also, please don’t camp here. There are plenty of other places to camp nearby and the area is now inside of the Basin and Range National Monument.

Mount Irish Petroglyphs

58 photos

We revisited the site in 2010. This area is known as Paiute Rocks. This is the atlatl rock panel. Compare to earlier photo.

Close up of the atlatl glyph.

A few anthropomorphs.

Lone sheep.

More sheep migrating.

Dots and lines. You tell me.

This panel looks unchanged since 2003.

Some of the petroglyphs are getting faint.

Long curvilinear connecting to anthropomorph. Lots of circles here too.

Deer and ??

One sheep is much more recent than the others, which look more like deer.

Sheep?

Close up of a sheep.

Alysia photographs the panel.

Some sections have flaked off.

The weather takes its toll.

Shield?

We move on to the next hill, which is known as Shaman Knob.

The square figures in the center are known as Patterned Body Anthropomorphs. I'm not so sure they are anthropomorphs.

Closer view of sheep and anthropomorphs.

Pahranagat man shows up again. His limbs are newer additions which make me wonder. Perhaps they have been re-traced? I hope not.

These are the only faint pictographs I notice at the site.

A close up of "Sombrero man". I think the sombrero is more likely a shield of some type.

Same panel. Note the other guys with "shields".

Two of the anthropomorphs with shields or ??

Wider view of the rock outcrop. Pahranagat man is on the lower section.

Another Pahranagat anthropomorph.

Sheep and dots again.

Sheep and grids. Nets? The sheep and grids are from two different time periods.

Deer?

Sheep and dots.

Square bodied anthropormorphs?

A few small ones.

Lines.

Rain? Counting?

The same panel with a wider view.

This is known as the Lizard panel.

Another shot with the lizard to the upper left.

Close up of the lizard.

Very interesting petroglyph.

A large sheep followed by many others.

More sheep.

We come to the last panel. It is on a large flat rock with many sheep.

Closer view of 3 of the sheep. Is the front one also pregnant? Do the forward curving horns mean this sheep is female? Aggresive? We may never know for sure.

Is the upper right sheep pregnant? Note the long curving horns.

Cat and Alysia check out a large panel on our first visit here in 2003.

Petroglyphs cover whole walls here.

There are thousands of petroglyphs here.

Some rocks are completely covered. Note the possible atlatl in the upper right.

The rock has fallen away in places and lichen have grown over some of the petroglyphs.

All sorts of interesting designs.

Some are very faint.

Pieces of the rhyolitic rock have fallen away.

A stylized square bighorn. Some anthropomorphs and shields or bags or sombreros(?) below. Probably not really sombreros.

The outhouse was in poor condition. Funny, how there is only a women's outhouse.

The petroglyph in the upper center is quite interesting. He is famous Pahranagat Man. A repeated petroglyph in this region.

These sheep and dots are high up and hard to reach.

The amount and variety of the petroglyphs is pretty amazing.