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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.

146 posts

Hidden Handprint Cave

Hidden Handprint Cave

Deep in the Wonderland of Rocks is a unique rock shelter. Once used by the Serrano, it is a sacred place. They must have gathered here for rituals. The ceiling is marked with more than a dozen small red handprints, a shooting star, spoked circles, and other interesting symbols. It’

Boundary Island Petroglyphs

Boundary Island Petroglyphs

In a far-flung corner of Joshua Tree, there is an isolated boulder outcrop with a few dozen petroglyphs. The petroglyphs are generally abstract in design and could be of Serrano or Chemehuevi origin. There are quite a few circle petroglyphs here with lines descending from them. It would be interesting

Pipes Canyon

Pipes Canyon

Pipes Canyon is a pleasant and easy hike. The trail heads out from the visitor center at the Pioneertown Mountains Preserve and follows the canyon up into a riparian habitat. The canyon is usually dry, but water does occasionally surface to support this isolated oasis. Keep an eye out for

Sun Sword and Whale Rock Petroglyphs

Sun Sword and Whale Rock Petroglyphs

With a tip from a friend, I went out searching for a remote set of petroglyphs in the backcountry wilderness of Joshua Tree National Park in early 2020. I had a few clues in my search. I was looking for petroglyphs that were near an old campsite and hidden on

Canebrake Skeleton Pictographs

Canebrake Skeleton Pictographs

Hidden in a granite rock shelter near an ancient Kumeyaay village site is a unique set of pictographs. Most of these pictographs are typical of the La Rumorosa Style, but what is unusual here are the skeleton figures. I have not seen them anywhere else in the Kumeyaay territory. Some

Palen Tank Petroglyphs

Palen Tank Petroglyphs

I recently followed an ancient Native American trail out to a water tank and petroglyph site. What got my attention to this site was the report of historical inscriptions and the fact that it is way off of other Native American trails I knew about. The petroglyphs themselves are unusual

Black Hands Pictographs

Black Hands Pictographs

I found these solitary black pictographs hidden under a pile of granite boulders out at the northern end of Joshua Tree National Park. The pictographs here are very faded. A casual passerby wouldn’t even notice them. You have to know what you are looking for and stop a minute