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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

Willis Well Petroglyphs

Willis Well Petroglyphs

Willis Well is an interesting place. For centuries, Native Americans camped in the spring (really just a seep). Numerous Desert Archaic petroglyphs cover the boulders near the spring. They are mostly abstract designs. Their meanings were lost in antiquity. George and Mildred Willis settled on this land in 1915. George

Coyote Hole Canyon Petroglyphs

Coyote Hole Canyon Petroglyphs

A seep called Coyote Hole Spring is tucked away in a small canyon near the town of Joshua Tree. Cattle ranchers developed the spring in the early 1900s. Today, it usually only has water after significant rain. Most of the petroglyphs here are of Desert Archaic or Serrano origin. GPS

Alister's Cave Pictographs

Alister's Cave Pictographs

Alister’s Cave is a well-known pictograph site in the Wonderland of Rock area of Joshua Tree. The cave (really a rock shelter) is full of pictographs, but they have faded over the years, primarily due to the exfoliation of the granite. They are increasingly hard to see, so I

Hollow Rock Pictographs

Hollow Rock Pictographs

While exploring the Wonderland of Rocks, not far from Barker Dam, we came across an unassuming large granite boulder. There is no shortage of granite boulders in Joshua Tree, and there wasn’t anything immediately particularly interesting about this one either. But we did notice a hidden, hollowed-out opening underneath

Silent Sentinel Petroglyphs

Silent Sentinel Petroglyphs

Late in the spring of 2011, we were off exploring the backcountry of Utah’s San Rafael Swell. We spent a week or so off of paved roads and camping out. One of the spots we stopped at was the Silent Sentinel. It was the end of a long day,

Wildrose Pictographs

Wildrose Pictographs

This is a small pictograph site in Wildrose Canyon inside Death Valley. Most of these pictographs have faded due to weathering and time, but a few vibrant ones remain. No directions to this site. If you visit this hidden spot, please respect it. Soon, these pictographs will be gone forever.

Ram on Rocks Pictographs

Ram on Rocks Pictographs

In 2012, I visited a very small native site in the backcountry of Joshua Tree. There is a larger habitation site not far away (which this site is named for). One thing that makes this particular site interesting for the area is the metate and manos sitting out front of