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Rock Art

Native American pictographs and petroglyphs. No directions or waypoints to rock art sites unless they are already known or published.

145 posts

Mockingbird Canyon Pictographs

Mockingbird Canyon Pictographs

Nestled in a rural neighborhood in Riverside, the Mockingbird Canyon pictographs are a hidden gem. Believed to be the work of the native Luiseno Indians, this is an impressive set of San Luis Rey style polychrome pictographs painted on the ceiling of a granite rock shelter. The circles, nets, and

Red Amphitheater Pictographs

Red Amphitheater Pictographs

I’ve been to this hidden pictograph site in Death Valley National Park several times over the years. Our first time was in 2007. Recently, in 2020, we went out there twice. Most pictograph sites are small, and while this is no exception, it is a great find. Most of

Rattlesnake Canyon Petroglyphs

Rattlesnake Canyon Petroglyphs

This is a collection of two very close sites in remote western Nevada. They are medium-sized sites with a variety of Western Desert Archaic petroglyph designs. We have visited the site a few times over the years. The site also has a 1909 inscription by Roy Hunter. The Hunter name

Indian Springs Petroglyphs

Indian Springs Petroglyphs

I did a little hike in the Eagletail Wilderness west of Phoenix on a cold winter morning. The Sonoran Desert of Arizona is full of tall saguaro cacti, and this is a fantastically scenic country. After crossing the open desert, I entered a canyon cut into some low-lying volcanic hills.

Tyson Wash Petroglyphs

Tyson Wash Petroglyphs

We briefly stopped outside Quartzsite, Arizona, at the well-known Tyson Wash Petroglyphs. The fact that the site has seen heavy visitation for years and isn’t vandalized is kind of amazing. The lighting wasn’t very good when we were there, so my photos aren’t the best. We looked

Dripping Springs Petroglyphs

Dripping Springs Petroglyphs

In the Plumosa Mountains of western Arizona, a small seep drips out of a cave in a solid rock cliff. It is a small oasis for animals in the otherwise arid Sonoran desert; people noticed it, too. Stacked stone walls of an old cabin remain just below the spring. On

White Cliffs Petroglyphs

White Cliffs Petroglyphs

In 2010, Dan and I went out exploring Death Valley National Park. On one of the days of this multi-day trip, we took a long hike out into the remote backcountry and came across a small canyon of white rock. Carved into this soft volcanic ash, we found a series