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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.

149 posts

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

Indian Cave Boulder Pictographs

Indian Cave Boulder Pictographs

Years ago, I went out in search of this hidden rock shelter full of pictographs. It is one of the most decorated rock shelters in Joshua Tree National Park. Pictographs, probably made by the Serranos, cover the walls and ceiling of the interior cave. It was difficult to photograph them

Surprise Rock Pictographs

Surprise Rock Pictographs

In early 2013, I was out hiking in the backcountry of the Wonderland of Rocks in Joshua Tree National Park and came across this solitary boulder with petroglyphs and pictographs. They are inside of a concave, hollowed-out section of a large White Tank monzogranite boulder along what could have been

Mule Tank Petroglyphs

Mule Tank Petroglyphs

Mule Tank is a small, seasonal tinaja along the foothills of the Mule Mountains along the Colorado River. It is a long walk to any other source of water, so this catchment would have been an essential source of water in this vast and arid region. The petroglyphs themselves are