gjhikes.com

Palmer Gulch Petroglyphs

2026-05-27T05:00:00.000-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 11.74 miles
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation: 4839 - 5452 feet

Elevation gain: ~2K feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 7 hrs. 30 mins.
Trailhead: McCarty

GPS coordinates: 38.73764, -108.26732
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs

Palmer Gulch is located in the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness between Delta and Grand Junction, Colorado. This post covers a long strenuous, but not entirely unenjoyable, hike across McCarty Bench to 5 petroglyph sites that we have identified within the gulch. The hike avoids the private property of the Escalante Ranch by remaining the entire time in the wilderness area. Advanced route finding abilities and hiking skills are recommended.

For turn-by-turn directions to the trailhead enter 38.73764, -108.26732 into your driving app. (On my cell phone I can enter 'McCarty Trail' but for some reason that doesn't show up on my computer). From the turnoff on US-50 it is about 4.8 miles to the trailhead which is on the right.

From the trailhead the McCarty trail climbs steeply up the drainage. Just under the half mile point there is a large cairn where the official McCarty trail continues to the left. At this point take the right fork.

In another 800 feet or so the trail to the right approaches a deep wash. Go to the left and continue climbing the hill on this side of the wash.

Someone has placed a few cairns along this part of the route that are reliable enough to set your course by. Most of the this part of the route looks like a faint game trail.

Just past the 1 mile point the route makes a big drop and crosses the wash on some slickrock at a spot marked on maps as the Falls.

From the falls on you will need to take advantage of your advanced route finding skills with the object, of course, to get over to Palmer Gulch, which is another 2.7 miles away, with the least amount of effort as possible, and without trespassing. To do that you will want to stay high enough up on the bench so that you aren't continually climbing in and out of washes. The way that we accomplished that was to stay high up on the shoulder of the mountain as we rounded the point above the falls and then using our GPS to more or less follow the 5,400 feet contour line.

We started bending our course a little toward the mouth of Palmer Gulch at some very large boulders that we marked on the map as 'Sheltered Rocks'. There are actually a score or more rock shelters on this upper bench where you could easily get in out of the rain. Only one of them, which was one at Sheltered Rocks, showed any signs at all of previous habitation. That one had some campfire soot on its back wall. If you decide to camp up here make sure you don't stay in one that may have been an archeological site.

Anyway, there were some deer in the area on our trip, and knowing that they have to go down to the river to drink on a regular basis, we found a good game trail that led down to the mouth of Palmer Gulch.

The route that we took brought us into Palmer Gulch just inside of the wilderness boundary. From there it was only a few hundred feet to the first panel of petroglyphs which are under an overhang on the left side of the wash.

Here there are a few anthros, a lot of game animals, at least one bear paw, and what looks like a guy with the tail end of a rattlesnake in each hand.

There is also this image of what looks like a coiled rattlesnake.

About another hundred feet up the wash, under a short overhang on the opposite side of the wash, are a couple more panels of petroglyphs.

Here you can count at least 8 bear paws of various sizes.

At least one of the bear paws looks like it might depict a grizzly bear.

The next couple of panels are around a bend in the wash under an overhang on the left. This panel looks like a group of anthro's acting out some story.

Around the next bend after that, and also on the left side of the wash there is this square image that has various scratch marks around it.

To the right of that square image there is another one of a different style about 10 feet away on the other side of a juniper tree.

We investigated every alcove on both sides of the wash for the next mile without finding anything. At that point we had come to where Gunnison Gulch connects on the right. Staying in Palmer Gulch we came to one last panel on the right side of the wash on a darkly patinated cliff.

The images here were mostly big game animals.

One interesting thing to note is that the lower part of the panel disappears into the ground. It's illegal to do any of your own excavating so naturally we didn't disturb anything.

Our downloadable GPX track for Palmer Gulch includes the private property boundaries. We've been putting off visiting Palmer Gulch and Leonard's Basing for a long time because of the private property, knowing that the alternative to driving there would be a very long hike. When we read that the BLM had acquired Escalante Ranch we decided to look into it once more but found out that at present nothing has changed. There are still all of the same locked gates and no trespassing signs.

Tired of waiting we opted to go ahead with the hiking option. We spent one full day hiking about 12 miles researching a route across McCarty Bench that stayed within the wilderness boundary. The next trip was the 12 mile hike that gave us the photos for this post. It would have been nice to hike another mile up Palmer Gulch and to have also explored a little of Gunnison Gulch but that would have been pushing our endurance, knowing that the return trip requires another 1,000 feet of elevation gain.

Anyway, if you would like to see Palmer Gulch for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Roubideau Creek Petroglyphs

2026-05-20T05:00:00.237-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 4 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 5590 - 6453 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 4 hrs.
Trailhead: 38.57040, -108.16513
Fee: none
Attractions: scenic views, petroglyphs

The Roubideau Creek Petroglyphs are located in the Camel Back Wilderness Study Area west of Olathe, Colorado. We have been able to find 3 panels of petroglyphs near where the Roubideau Pack Trail crosses Roubideau Creek. The trail itself is very well constructed and makes for an enjoyable hike.

For turn-by-turn directions to the trailhead enter 38.57040, -108.16513 into your driving app. From CO-348 you will turn onto Cedar Road where the route continues for about 5 miles on the Tow-Me-Home Road. Tow-Me-Home sounds ominous but we have driven all the way to the Roubideau Creek trailhead without using 4WD and without spinning a tire. A moderate amount of ground clearance is needed in the rocky places.

The unmarked trailhead is where there is an abandoned 4WD route that is marked with a brown mylar marker with 'No Vehicles Beyond this Point'. From here head along the shallow ditch toward a post that you can see in the distance.

After the post the route turns along the wash toward the canyon where it begins a gentle descent passing the fallen gate of an old fence.

From there it continues around the scenic cliffs passing a rock shelter that we will stop at on the return trip out of the canyon.

There comes a point in the descent into the canyon that the 3 panels of petroglyphs that we know about are visible. The 2 on the right are within 20-30 feet of each other on the red cliff right above Roubideau Creek. The panel on the left is on a boulder near the base of the hill but set back a ways from the creek.

When the water is low you might be able to cross the creek on rocks without getting your feet wet. We have in the past but on this trip the water was over the top of my waterproof boots.

On the left side of the red cliff are 2 sheep figures facing a deer or elk.

To the left of that there is an image of a horse and rider created out of scratched lines.

Above some sluff in front of the cliff about 20-30 feet away is another image of a horse and rider that looks very old and worn. There are also some faint circles and other images that are hard to make out.

The boulder with petroglyphs sits on the lower side of the hill above the bottom area around the creek. The bottom is a tangle of sagebrush and greasewood that is easiest to get around by hiking across the hillside.

On the left is a stacked group of figures with their arms raised to spook the deer that are facing them. All over the rest of the panel are at least a dozen sheep and deer images. Near the bottom of the panel are a couple of deer tracks.

This is the rock shelter that we mentioned earlier that is up near the start of the trail.

The rock shelter has obviously been disturbed by recent activity which caused us to at first doubt the prehistoric authenticity of some of the traces of black charcoal images that are present until we noticed these 2 sheep images on the lip of the caves overhang.

So far we have hiked the Roubideau Creek trail 3 times exploring both up and down the canyon. It has turned out to be one of our most favorite hikes in the area. The trail is very well constructed and easy to follow until you get down around the creek where it seems to disappear in the undergrowth in places. The intrepid hiker has the option of continuing on the trail as it climbs out of the west side of the canyon and exploring around Camel Back Mountain. Hiking either up or down stream requires occasional creek crossings.

If you would like to explorer the area for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Roatcap Gulch Petroglyphs

2026-05-13T05:00:00.000-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 800 feet
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 6042 - 6203 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: 38.56463, -108.13260
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs

Roatcap Gulch has 3 pretty easy to hike branches that each show at least some signs of use by ancient Native Peoples and later use by others. This post is for some petroglyphs that are above the main branch of Roatcap Gulch that are sometimes referred to as the Game Drive Panel as it has images of a handful of human figures that are herding 30 or more big game animals.

For turn-by-turn directions you can enter 38.56463, -108.13260 into your driving app. Eventually you will end up at the west end of Fox Hill Road where it crosses the canal and becomes West Transfer. Immediately after crossing the canal turn right at the above sign and begin following the Roatcap Gulch Road. If your driving app is suggesting to drive further up West Transfer before turning just ignore it. After you turn right onto Roatcap Gulch it should autocorrect. There are brown mylar trail markers at most intersections that make it easier to stay on the Roatcap Gulch Road even without a driving app to guide you. Roatcap Gulch requires a medium to high clearance 4WD vehicle.

After following the Roatcap Gulch Road for about 4.5 miles you will come to where it makes a sharp left and begins climbing out of the gulch. At this point stay in the gulch by continuing straight ahead. Your driving app probably doesn't know about the 4WD road that leads the remaining distance to the trailhead. (I just noticed that the blue arrow that I drew here is pointing right at the petroglyphs on the rock ridge that are only a half mile up ahead.)

The 4WD road comes to an end after about a half mile. The last few hundred feet are pretty rough even if you are in an off road vehicle and there's no sense in going to the bitter end of the road because the petroglyphs are due north of where we put 'Park Here'.

If you have extra keen eyesight or a good pair of binoculars you can see the large elk that is on the left hand side of the panel from where you park. From below that portion of the cliff face looks about the smoothest. The panel is facing mostly east.

There is about 150 feet of elevation gain to get up to the panel. When we were there we couldn't see any signs of a former trail or even a single boot track. If a trail does start redeveloping in the future try to stay on it the best you can.

The panel has two long cracks running down its face. The antrhos that are herding the animals appear along these two lines.

Here you can see 4 of the small human like figures. One arm of each of several of the figures are, we're guessing, probably holding whatever weapon was being used. We're also guessing the weapon was a bow judging by a couple of the images.

If you enlarge this photo you can see that the figure has its mouth open as though yelling. Looking closely you can make out teeth and even eyes.

This is the right side of the panel. The rock is deteriorating and ruining the images. Be sure not to touch any of the rock because that will only speed up the process.

Looking down the canyon, for reference, you can see where the Roatcap Gulch Road climbs out of the gulch on the right and the half mile stretch of 4WD road continues toward where you parked.

There are quite a few rock shelters in the surrounding area. This one has some walls made with dry stacked rocks. There are also a few inscriptions on the back wall. It is located just north of the turnoff into the East Fork of Roatcap Gulch.

We have the impression that the 4WD road stops where it does because it was mainly being used to access the petroglyphs. Over time it appears that people may have quit visiting them.

Those that would like to read a little about the images can find a nice write up online by Carol Patterson. And those that would like to do a little more hiking while in the area will find a well constructed trail up this branch of Roatcap Gulch that we followed for about 2.5 miles before turning around.

As far as the Roatcap Gulch Game Drive Panel goes, if you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Juniper Tree Ruin

2026-05-06T05:00:00.479-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 1.8 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 5066 - 5265 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 2 hrs. 30 mins.
Trailhead: 37.48695, -109.62569
Fee: $5/person per day-$10/week
Attractions: cliff dwellings

The Juniper Tree Ruin is located in the Lower Butler Wash Area of the Bears Ears National Monument west of Blanding, Utah. The ruins are tucked away just out of sight from the Lower Butler Wash Road. There is another cliff dwelling nearby that can be visited on the same hike that has several well intact rooms that are visible from the Lower Butler Wash Road.

For turn-by-turn directions to the trailhead enter 37.48695, -109.62569 into your driving app. The ruins are on the north end of the Lower Butler Wash Road. From just south of Blanding turn west onto UT-95 as though going to Natural Bridges National Monument. Follow UT-95 for 9.4 miles and turn left. Your driving app might be having you turn left way back at the Black Mesa Road but it is a lot shorter and smoother to continue to the 9.4 mile point. After passing the Fee Station turn right and continue to the 4.4 mile point from UT-95 and turn left where the unmarked trailhead will be at a grassy turn around spot in another hundred yards or so.

The road continues from the trailhead but there is a brown mylar marker that says Area Closed to vehicles followed by another brown mylar marker that says no camping. If you follow the old road it leads up the hill to a point that overlooks the Lower Butler Wash Road where there is a primitive campsite. From near this campsite you can spot the Juniper Tree Ruins while a little lower on the hill you can see the First Ruins. The easiest way to get to both sets of ruins is to take a side trail off of the old road before it starts climbing the hill and follow the side trail to the back of the canyon where you can hike up to the upper bench. In other word, from where you parked hike to the back of the canyon where you can climb out of it on the left.

Looking up the wash you should be able to spot the First Ruins in an alcove on the left with a good pair of binoculars. The Juniper Tree Ruin is hidden behind the shoulder of the hill on the right.

For the most part the trail follows the wash as it heads toward the back of the canyon.

If you climb up on the little rise at the back of the canyon you can look off to your right above the spillover and get your first glimpse of the Juniper Tree Ruin beneath a distant overhang.

There is a nice route from the back of the canyon that will get you up to the higher bench that leads to both the First Ruins and the Juniper Tree Ruin that doesn't require much scrambling. It's basically a 'walk up'.

When you gain the upper bench above the area of the spillover it is only a couple hundred yards to the left to the First Ruins.

Here you can see a fallen ruin on the left side of the alcove and the 2 other rooms that are mostly intact.

Here is a closer look at one of the rooms.

From the First Ruins it is only a short pleasant stroll over to the Juniper Tree Ruin.

Juniper Tree sits up on a bench above a lower alcove. You might notice that the walls on the far right look a lot looser. They don't have as sound a foundation due to the sloping nature of the ledge on that end and are losing their cohesion.

The ruin gets its name from a part of a Juniper tree that was used in its construction.

Climbing up to the same level as the ruins and looking across you can get a whole different view of the ruin.

The far end of the ruin is built into a cave portion of the overhang. The outside wall on this end of the ruin looks like it is barely hanging on to the cliff. Be sure to stay out of the ruin so that you don't end up becoming that guy that caused the wall to fall.

On our first trip to the Juniper Tree Ruins we didn't know about the route up from the back of the canyon. We had hiked up the old 4WD road to the primitive campsite where we mentioned we could see both sets of ruins. From there we worked out a route across the top to the First Ruins. We saw several sets of boot tracks along the way so we apparently weren't the only ones thinking the same thing. We were actually pretty surprised when we found the well traveled route that most people were following.

If you would like to see the ruins for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Black Rock Canyon Ruins

2026-05-04T05:00:00.000-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 4 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 4486 - 4646 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 3 hrs.
Trailhead: 37.37105, -109.57752
Fee: none
Attractions: ruins, pottery, petroglyphs

Black Rock Canyon feeds into Cottonwood Wash about 7 or more miles north of Bluff, Utah. While the main branch of Black Rock Canyon is dry the branch just to the west is well watered by a natural spring. For this post we hiked about a mile down that wet west branch to where we discovered a few petroglyphs and a minor ruin with lots of pottery.

For turn-by-turn direction enter 37.37105, -109.57752 into your driving app. The best approach is via the Lower Butler Wash Road. Vehicles that can handle that road should have no trouble getting to what we are using as a trailhead. Shortly past this point the Deckers Road turns into a high clearance 4WD route. With the Fee Station, or Wolfman Panel trailhead, as a starting point follow the Lower Butler Wash Road for 7.5 miles and stay right. In another 1.4 miles stay right again and continue for 1.8 miles. At this point go left and in about 0.2 miles there will be a large area of slickrock on the right that makes a good place to park.

From what we are using for a trailhead either follow the shallow wash for about 4 tenths of a mile until you reach the canyon or shorten the distance a little by hiking due east until you reach the edge of the canyon.

Upon reaching the rim of the canyon there are easy walk-in routes both to the left and the right where you can reach the wash below without needing to do any scrambling. Just over a mile up stream, where the Deckers Road crosses the wash, there is a natural spring that feeds water down this branch of the canyon.

The wash itself is a coarse, or gravely, sand where you might sink 1 or 2 inches with each step. That is only in places like this where the stream of water is flowing below the surface.

Where the water comes back up to the top the sand is firmly packed. It is easy to cross the stream without the water coming over the soles of your boots. We should mention that the flash flood level reaches 6-8 feet in the narrow sections of the canyon. Getting caught here during a thunderstorm would probably mean certain death.

Just past the 1 mile point from the trailhead we noticed a spiral petroglyph on the west side of the canyon a couple of feet above the wash.

On the east side of the wash, below a bench, we discovered large amounts of pottery shards.

Interestingly enough there are a lot of shards that were imbedded in the wall of the wash below the bench. The top of the bench is probably a good 10 feet or more above the wash. Layers of charcoal are also visible in the wall.

Be sure to leave all of the pottery where you find it and remember that it is illegal to do any digging. An archeologist can't even dig without the proper permits.

There isn't much in the way of ruins up on the bench above the wash. It is evident where there were once some walls. The bench is littered with quite a few old rusty cans showing that some cowboys or other people used it as a camp at one time.

We hiked about another half mile past the ruin to check out an alcove that was in the main branch of Cottonwood Wash. Hiking around this part of Cottonwood Wash is difficult, due to tangles of tumbleweeds and debris from flashfloods, unless you can find a cattle trail to follow.

While hiking back up the wash we found a few more petroglyphs on a sloped ledge that was about chest high. They are only about 10 feet or so from the spiral petroglyph. These concentric circles show up the best.

Another option to the out-and-back hike that we did would be after reaching Cottonwood Wash to hike up the main branch of Black Rock Canyon to the Deckers Road, follow that down to where the Deckers Road crosses the wet branch of the canyon, hike down the wet branch to where we entered the canyon originally, and then climb out and hike back across the top to the slickrock trailhead. That loop should come out not more than 6 or 7 miles. It would allow a lot more exploring and seeing how the canyons are fun to hike and pretty easy anyway it should make for a good time.

As far as what we have shown here goes, if you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Spirals Panel

2026-05-03T07:46:00.002-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 40 feet
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 4943 - 4953 feet
Cellphone: 0 bars
Time: 15 mins.
Trailhead: 37.44848, -109.62526
Fee: $5/day/person-$10/week
Attractions: petroglyphs

The Spirals Panel is located east of the north end of the Lower Butler Wash Road in the Bears Ears National Monument west of Blanding and Bluff, Utah. The easy to get to site includes various depictions of spirals, in both circle, square, and triangle shapes, and what looks like a bald headed Egyption priest leveling a long spear above his shoulders.

For turn-by-turn directions to the site enter 37.44848, -109.62526 into your driving app. The turnoff is 7.1 miles south of UT-95 and 14.2 miles north of US-163. After turning off of the Lower Butler Wash Road it is just over a quarter mile to where the side road passes close to the point of a cliff where the petroglyphs are located.

From the road the petroglyphs are visible on the cliff behind a small juniper tree.

The main panel shows the bald figure standing between 2 circles. It might be wearing a fringed skirt.

Here is a rough tracing done on the computer to make it stand out.

Looking closely you can make out 2 black eyes, an ear with its large dangling ring, and something like a serpent on its torso.

The largest spiral circle takes a clockwise turn.

To the left is a spiral square joined with a spiral circle.

For something a little different here are 3 spiral triangles within a trapezoid off to the right.

Two more trapezoids with 3 elements but this time forming spiraled squares.

High up on the cliff is a pineapple shape with a lot of circles.

In the middle of the cliff face there is a deer or sheep figure to the right of which are 2 images of hands.

There are more images off to the right, and mixed in elsewhere, that include what might be feathers, plants, or both.

Whether the figure holding what looks like a spear is a shaman, warrior, or god is something that we don't know. You have to admit that he is pretty interesting.

If you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Secret Alcove Ruins

2026-05-01T05:00:00.001-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 4 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 4360 - 4535 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 3 hrs. 30 mins.
Trailhead: Cottonwood Wash
Fee: none
Attractions: cliff dwelling, petroglyphs

The Secret Alcove Ruins are located in a side canyon of Cottonwood Wash on the north side of Bluff, Utah. While the site is located within Bears Ears National Monument it is accessed via the Speaking Springs Preserve. Found in the alcove are the remains of 10 or more rooms, a few petroglyphs, and numerous grinding slicks.

For turn-by-turn directions to the trailhead enter Cottonwood Wash Bluff Utah into your driving app and pick the hiking area location north of town. (Sometimes the driving app picks the trailhead and sometimes it chooses the wash itself on the south side of town.) Alternatively you can enter the GPS coordinates of the trailhead 37.29547, -109.56485. From US-191 in Bluff you will be directed north on 3rd West Street to the trailhead.

From the parking area follow the road as it heads north into Cottonwood Wash. (Between the trailhead and the wash you will pass at least 8 cliff dwellings that we have marked on the map and 2 boulders with a few petroglyphs.)

Just past the 1 mile point the road turns into a trail and drops down into the wash. From here all you have to do is follow the wash for a few hundred yards until you get to a side wash on the left which you will want to follow thereafter.

As this smaller wash heads toward the side canyon you will probably notice a ruin in the side of a butte up ahead.

The ruin covers the entrance to a large cave. If you climb up out of the wash for a closer look you might notice what looks like an old pueblo mound and some pottery scattered about on the ground.

As you continue into the side canyon you will eventually reach a spot that is choked with trees. At this point you will want to climb out of the wash on the right.

Here you will find a narrow trail that climbs along the side of the hill above the wash. In several places the trail is only boot wide. The ground is soft though so if you need to peck out a few wider foot holds with your trekking pole it's not much trouble.

The large alcove has a lot of reeds and grass growing in front of it from a seep that you have to climb up through. Once you get into the alcove you will find that it is quite large and has a huge rubble pile in one end.

Amongst the boulders of the rubble pile there are a few with petroglyphs and grinding slicks on them.

The remains of rooms can be found all along the back wall.

Here is a square storage cist sunk into the floor of the alcove with a flat stone slab for one of its sides.

Here is a round storage cist built onto the side of a room.

If you venture all the way up onto of the rubble mound you will find a few more petroglyphs.

And quite a few grinding slicks.

These are the rooms that you see when you first enter the alcove.

There may have been as many as 3 kivas in the alcove.

It's amazing how much rubble has built up around the ruins in the alcove. Either some of the ruins were sunk into the floor of the alcove or over time it has filled with more and more dirt and debri. The air was nice and cool within the alcove so other than its limited view it was probably a pleasant place to hide out from the rest of the world.

If you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Speaking Springs Preserve

2026-04-29T05:00:00.529-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 2 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 4367 - 4383 feet
Cellphone: 3-5 bars
Time: 2 hrs.
Trailhead: Cottonwood Wash
Fee: none
Attractions: cliff dwellings, petroglyphs

The Speaking Springs Preserve is located in Cottonwood Wash, at the end of 3rd West Street, on the north side of Bluff, Utah. The Preserve was created after The Wildlands Conservatory purchased a corridor of private property in Cottonwood Wash. On the west side of the Preserve, on land that is within Bears Ears National Monument we have identified 9 cliff dwelling type structures and several panels of petroglyphs.

From the trailhead the route passes through a gate where you continue on foot along the same road that maps even still label as 3rd Street.

About a quarter mile from the trailhead there are some cottonwood trees on the left. Although it isn't visible from the trail there is a good size pond behind the trees that is kept full by a flowing well. Just past that there is a butte on the left where the first cliff dwelling type ruins can be spotted. A good pair of binoculars come in handy to be able to see some of the smaller ruins. We circled 2 of them in this photo. There are 3 more around the left side of the butte and several more on the front side facing the road.

The ruins are perched high up on the cliff in places that you would think that only the eagles would dare to nest.

The ruin in this photo is right in the middle. It should give you a good idea of why binoculars will come in handy for some of the ruins.

This is one of the 3 ruins that is further around on the left side of the butte.

Here are 2 ruins that are side by side on the front of the butte facing the road.

This one is located near the right front corner of the butte to the right of the corral. If you look close you can see one of the juniper logs that was once part of its roof.

The next ruin sits quite a ways back from the road but it is easy to spot from the road if you know where to look.

The ruin is quite a bit larger and is still in relatively good shape.

The next 2 ruins are on the south facing side of a point. The large boulder on the right that is all the way down at the bottom of the cliff has petroglyphs on 2 of its sides. An old road leads to these ruins from the main road. It has a brown mylar marker letting you know that you are passing into Bears Ears National Monument.

The south facing ruin on the left is in near perfect condition.

The south facing ruin on the right seals off a recessed crack or cave.

The petroglyphs on the boulder are what look like a couple of Ute ponies. There are a few archaic looking designs on the opposite side of the boulder.

The next cliff dwelling that we noticed is right around the 1 mile point of the road.

It is perched on a ledge near a crack in the cliff. It's hard to tell from below if the ruin has any of its roof left but it looks doubtful.

The last thing that we will point out is another large boulder with petroglyphs on 2 of its sides. The lower images in this photo look quite a bit older than the others. There are a few anthros and what might be a pair of moccasins. The top anthro looks to be a male figure and the bottom one might be a woman giving birth.

The images that we thought were really interesting are those on the opposite side of the boulder that are made up of thin scratch lines. We roughly traced them on our computer to make them show up better. At first we thought the image on the left was a dreamcatcher. But then we noticed that they are actually a couple of interestingly drawn anthropomorphic figures. The one on the right looks to be a female and the one on the left a male.

This is a closer look at the umbrella shape above the male figure without any of our computer tracing.

The one mile point is about as far as most people will want to venture. Presently, once the road drops down into the wash the route disappears into the undergrowth. The more experienced and venturesome hikers may want to consider continuing on to what we are calling the Secret Alcove Ruins that are tucked away deep into the next side canyon. We'll make a separate post for those with all of the details.

Maybe the nicest thing about The Wildlands Conservatory purchasing this property is that it now won't end up as a housing project. Cottonwood Wash, in Bluff, is a rather unique area where you have one side of the canyon lined with petroglyphs and the opposite side lined with cliff dwellings. Kudos to the Conservatory and thank you for allowing free public access.

If you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Westwater Creek Ruins

2026-04-22T05:00:00.225-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 0.7 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 5700 - 5801 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 1 hr. 45 mins.
Trailhead: Five Kiva Pueblo
Fee: none
Attractions: cliff dwellings

Westwater Creek runs down a long canyon on the west side of Blanding, Utah where a handful of ruins can be found inside of some of the alcoves. The ruins range in size from the famous Five Kiva Pueblo to ones of a single storage room or granary. This post will revisit the Five Kiva Pueblo and several larger ruins on the opposite side of the canyon that are within a few hundred feet.

For turn-by-turn directions to the trailhead enter Five Kiva Pueblo into your driving app. From US-191 you will be directed onto the paved Ruins Road, CR232, where it is 1.7 miles to the end of the road and the trailhead.

From the trailhead the route descends along several benches to reach the canyon floor.

Before getting all the way into the canyon look for a trail on the left that leads up to the lower ruin.

The lower ruin clings to a ledge beneath an overhang. At one time there may have been a dozen rooms distributed along the ledge but not much is left now except little fragments of walls.

One of the slabs of rock on the ledge has a long pecked line that wraps itself over a corner of the rock. Near the lichens there is a circle smoothed into the rock that is evenly bisected by the line. This may have served as a solar calendar.

Getting to the upper ruin can be done by finding the trail that leads up the canyon below the Five Kiva Pueblo. As you head in that direction you have to look for an alcove on the right that looks large enough for a ruin. It takes some minor scrambling to get up to it through the brush.

Enroute you should be able to spot several small granaries on the left that are both up high on the cliff and down low closer to the bottom.

The upper ruins is a little more intact than the lower ruin.

Here the alcove is deeper with a broader ledge providing more stability to the structures.

Being this close to the Five Kiva Pueblo pretty much demands us to give it another visit.

It has been 9 years since we last visited the Five Kiva Pueblo and it doesn't appear to have changed in the least.

Knowing where to look from the Five Kiva Pueblo it is easy to spot the upper and lower ruins on the east side of the canyon.

It's likely that there might be more ruins further up stream that we don't know about as yet. Down stream near the junction of Westwater Creek and Big Canyon there is the Wooden Deck Ruin. We couldn't find an open route through the bottom of the canyon to get there but we were able to hike along the east rim to get a good view of it. As far as the ruins around the Five Kiva Pueblo go, if you would like to see them for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Three Warriors Petroglyhphs

2026-04-15T05:00:00.152-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 200 feet
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 5059 - 5070 feet
Cellphone: 3-5 bars
Time: 15 mins.
Trailhead: 40.34763, -112.00144
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs

The Three Warriors Petroglyphs are located in Eagle Mountain, Utah. The site consists of a single boulder with 3 anthropomorphic figures, that although lacking any weapons, have been imagined to represent warriors.

For turn-by-turn directions to the Three Warriors Petroglyphs enter 40.34763, -112.00144 into your driving app. The site is located behind an LDS church that is directly across the Pony Express Parkway from another LDS church.

A metal fence has been constructed around the boulder with the petroglyphs so that it might be better protected.

The images show up pretty well although you might have to look at them for a few minutes to completely make them out.

They might show up better in direct sunlight but the bars of the fence cast shadows over them. The shadows can be gotten rid of by blocking the sun with your body or by arriving earlier in the day so that the sun isn't behind the camera. The petroglyphs are west facing.

The left hand warrior is standing arms akimbo. His headdress is mostly flat as though he had horizontal horns protruding from his head.

The middle warrior is also standing arms akimbo. He has 2 large eyes. His headdress has 2 long horns and 4 smaller ones that might be something besides horns.

The right hand warrior is holding one arm up as though waving and has the other bent downward. He has a round face and it's hard to tell what the headdress is.

That's all there is to the Three Warriors Petroglyphs. A single boulder with 3 images. If you bother to go see the Eagle Mountain Petroglyphs that are on the other side of the road you may as well stop here for a few minutes also. If you would like to see them for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Eagle Mountain Petroglyphs

2026-04-08T05:00:00.184-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 1,000 feet
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 4977 - 5005 feet
Cellphone: 3-5 bars
Time: 45 mins.
Trailhead: 40.34878, -112.00920
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs

The Eagle Mountain Petroglyphs are located within a housing subdivision in the bedroom community of Eagle Mountain, Utah. The petroglyphs are found upon small boulders that have been enclosed by metal fences for their protection. Most of the images are very faint and mostly indiscernible.

For turn-by-turn directions to the trailhead enter either 40.34878, -112.00920 or 'Three Petroglyphs Trail' into your driving app. Although someone has added the Three Petroglyphs Trail marker to Google Maps they seem to have done it in ignorance as it doesn't really describe the site. They may have had it confused with the Three Warriors site that is nearby. As can be seen in this photo a small parking area has been included in the development of the subdivision specifically for people visiting the petroglyphs.

By being enclosed in fences the petroglyphs couldn't be much easier to find. There is a small group right in front of the parking area and a larger group off to the right.

Looking closely you can pick out a lot of anthropomorphic images.

This is one of the more obvious ones that looks like a little man with horns that is accompanied by a few other shapes.

Most of the images look like they might date back to the archaic period (c. 1500-4000 years ago).

Many of the petroglyphs, although pecked deep into the surface of the rocks, are obscured by lichens.

This particular rock had a human like figure on one corner and a lot of wavy lines.

Here it looks like a wide groove or dish was smoothed into the rock with some petroglyphs pecked in afterwards. The smooth part doesn't really look like a grinding slick but perhaps it was or maybe it is entirely natural.

A few images of deer and bighorn sheep are also present.

The best part about the Eagle Mountain Petroglyphs is that they went through the trouble to put up the fences and protect them as they began developing the subdivision around them. Houses are going up very fast in the area so in a short time it is likely to look completely different. The Eagle Mountain Petroglyphs are old and very faint but if you would like to see them for yourself all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Mellor Canyon Petroglyphs

2026-04-01T05:00:00.158-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 100 feet
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 5184 - 5396 feet
Cellphone: 0 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: 39.24983, -111.83396
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs

The Mellor Canyon Petroglyphs are located north of Gunnison, Utah. The site includes several anthropomorphic figures with facial features and maybe a dozen or more other images.

For turn-by-turn directions enter 39.24983, -111.83396 into your driving app. You will be directed about 6 miles north of Gunnison on UT-28 and then east onto the Mellor Canyon Road for 1.16 miles to where the petroglyphs will be on your left.

This portion of the Mellor Canyon Road is drive-able by most 2WD highway vehicles.

The petroglyphs are on rocks that are probably within about 20 feet of the road. To keep from missing them either measure the 1.16 miles distance from UT-28, use a GPS with our track loaded, or enter the coordinates suggested above into your driving app.

Beginning on the left the first panel of petroglyphs has an anthropomorphic image that is holding out its arms with its fingers spread. The figure is wearing a necklace and maybe earrings.

There is another anthropomorphic image that also is holding its arms out with its fingers spread. It too is wearing a necklace and has distinct facial features.

There are several faint deer and some other shapes that are hard to make out. At least one of the deer has a large set of antlers.

Further down the short outcropping cliff to the right is yet another figure wearing a necklace and displaying distinct facial features. Above its head is what might be a teepee.

The last group of images includes a zigzag line that wraps itself up in a spiral. The other images are hard to decipher but they might be either telling a story or forming a map.

There are a few other petroglyphs that are in the following slideshow besides the ones shown above. The images have similarities with Fremont style petroglyphs found in other parts of the state. Even though they are faint they are worth taking a look at. We didn't explore any more of Mellor Canyon looking for other sites but they could very well exist. If you would like to see what we've shown here for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Painted Rocks Pictographs

2026-03-25T05:00:00.217-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 0.25 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 4987 - 5000 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 1 hr.
Trailhead: 39.35543, -111.94682
Fee: $15/vehicle
Attractions: pictographs

The Painted Rocks Pictographs are located north of Gunnison, Utah in the Yuba State Park. Found on a cliff overlooking the lake the pictographs are most easily visited when the water in the lake is low enough to drive within a few hundred feet of them. When the water is that low then it isn't as difficult to scramble over the rocks and boulders on the shoreline to get to the pictographs without a boat.

For turn-by-turn directions to the low water trailhead enter 39.35669, -111.95037 into your driving app.

To get to the low water trailhead, after turning off of UT-28, stop at the entrance station to pay the required fee and proceed on to the boat ramp. The high water trailhead is in the parking lot nearby.

Near the lower end of the boat ramp there is a road that travels across the gravel bar along the shoreline. The pictographs are on the west side of the hill almost straight ahead.

A good place to park is where the boulders begin. Standing near the water at this point the pictographs can be spotted. As you get closer they disappear behind part of the cliff and can't be seen again until you are almost under them.

Scrambling over to the pictographs is probably easier than this photo makes it look. For the most part we walked in the sand right on the water's edge. As you can see the slope is quite steep so if you slip into the lake the water probably gets deep really fast. Crossing this expanse during high water might not be all that hard. Having never done it we can't say. If the water was just a bit lower there might be more of the sand exposed making it much easier. This is what the water level of the lake was at the end of November on an average year for moisture. Be sure and test each rock before trusting it. We found one that was big enough to fill the back of our pickup that moved surprisingly easy.

Before reaching the main panel of pictographs there is another panel that is tucked up high in a corner of the cliff that has a few more faint images. Besides the 2 obvious anthropomorphic figures there are also 2 sets of concentric circles and a bighorn sheep.

This is the main panel with its 3 anthropomorphic figures, an image of concentric circles, and a few smaller faint images.

Looking closer at the figures on the left you can make out necklaces and some facial features. The larger figure appears to have the head of an animal with a long snout like a deer or elk. In the dark red area at the end of the snout you can see 2 nostrils.

The large figure on the right is holding what looks similar to an eagle staff.

The view along the shoreline below the pictographs, with some boulders lying high and dry, and others still partially submerged, is a pleasant scene.

Two wheel drive highway vehicles wouldn't have had any trouble driving to the low water trailhead on the day that we made our visit. Parking at the high water trailhead only adds about an hundred yards to the hike. We also explored all around the 2 peaks that can be seen in the background but didn't find anything of note. There could be more pictographs, and maybe even some petroglyphs, on the same hill where the pictographs that we have shown are found but we didn't take the time to find out. The entire hill is labeled Painted Rocks on the map. As far as the pictographs that we did find, if you would like to see them for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Water Canyon Pictograhs

2026-03-18T05:00:00.225-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 1.4 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 5179 - 5580 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 1 hr. 30 mins.
Trailhead: 40.03912, -111.63390
Fee: none
Attractions: pictographs

The Water Canyon Pictographs are located east of Salem, Utah. Found at the site are a half dozen or more pictographs of bighorn sheep on the cliffs immediately above a sealed cave.

What serves as a trailhead for Water Canyon is near a large water tank just off of South 1900 East. For turn-by-turn directions enter 40.03912, -111.63390 into your driving app. There is a road that loops around the water tank with several places to park on either side. Be sure not to block their gate.

On our trip we parked on the northwest corner of the water tank and followed the road around from there.

Looking at the map you will notice that there are several different routes that you can follow. For the most part it is one of those 'all roads lead to Rome' things.

There is a shallow wash that runs up the middle of the canyon. If you stay on the left side of the wash you will go a few hundred feet past the pictographs and have to double back on the road that is on the south side of the wash. Alternatively there is a connecting route about a quarter mile from the trailhead that crosses the wash to the south side. For reference, the pictographs are on the side of the gray cliffs up ahead at the mouth of the canyon on the right hand side.

If you drove to the point where a short side trail leads through the oak brush to the pictographs you will find a place on the left where you can park out of the way. Driving to this point will more than likely require 4WD to get up the steep rocky road.

The cave is down low in a bit of a hole. We know there is a cave under there because the soot on the rock from fires that were made inside of it long, long ago shows signs of habitation. We circled the spots on the cliff where you can find the images of bighorn sheep.

There are 3 bighorn sheep in a line that show up the best. It is interesting to note how the one on the far right is a lighter shade while each one to the left gets darker in color. Something like red, purple, and then black.

The images are slowly disappearing under a layer of something like salt that is forming over the top of them.

There is a longer line of sheep, facing in the opposite direction, a little lower on the cliff. These images are fainter and have a lot of graffiti beside them.

On the left are at least 2 more sheep. To the left of those there is more paint but we couldn't tell whether it was graffiti or not.

We could have easily driven all the way to the mouth of Water Canyon and parked across from the pictographs but chose to hike it instead. There is about 400 feet of elevation gain so you end up getting a pretty good little workout if you decide to hike.

All in all, the pictographs are worth the time and effort it takes to see them and the area itself is rather pretty to boot. If you would like to see them for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Murphy's Well Petroglyphs

2026-03-11T05:30:00.009-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 0.5 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 2880 - 2918 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 1 hrs. 30 mins.
Trailhead: 35.12661, -117.10278
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs

The Murphy's Well Petroglyphs are located in the Black Mountain area northwest of Barstow, California. A handful of petroglyphs can be found at two separate sites that are in close proximity of each other.

For turn-by-turn directions to Murphy's Well enter 35.12661, -117.10278 into your driving app. From the Hinkley exit on CA-58 you will be directed north on the Hinkley Road for 7.8 miles and then right on County Road 20771 for another 8.4 miles to where the trailhead will be on your left. County Road 20771 is a 4WD road but all you will probably need is just a little bit of ground clearance. There is enough loose sand that passenger cars wouldn't be advisable.

The first petroglyphs can be hunted for amongst the boulders along the side of the hill behind the trailhead.

Some of them are visible from the trail.

Others you can get glimpses of part of them but you have to climb up on the rocks to see others.

There are 3 images here all within a few feet of each other.

This one is hidden beneath an overhanging boulder. If you get close enough to see the other 2 images then you can spot this one behind them.

Area 2 is at the mouth of a side canyon where there is a primitive campsite. The petroglyphs are scattered around in the rocks that are lower down on the side of the hill.

All of the images here can be easily spotted from down on the level ground.

Rain,

Wind?,

and sun.

And a chain of circles.

We hiked about a half mile or so into the side canyon. I should say scrambled because the side canyon is full of boulders and brush and is difficult to hike. Anyway, we didn't see anything of interest in that short distance. We thought that we had seen more petroglyphs on the internet than what we have shown here but this is all that we could find on this trip.

If you would like to see them for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Hawkins Pueblo

2026-03-11T05:00:00.101-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 1 mile
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 6069 - 6103 feet
Cellphone: 3-5 bars
Time: 1 hr.
Trailhead: Hawkins Preserve
Fee: none
Attractions: pueblo ruins

The Hawkins Pueblo is located in the Hawkins Preserve in Cortez, Colorado. The pueblo sits on top of the bluffs on the north side of McElmo Creek. In the cliffs below the pueblo there are several caves that also show signs of previous habitation.

For turn-by-turn directions enter Hawkins Preserve into your driving app.

A good trail map can be found at the main kiosk that shows where the pueblo is located less than a half mile from the parking area.

The most direct route is to follow the paved path for 0.15 miles. Enroute the trail passes several interesting static displays.

At the 0.15 mile point go to your left and begin following the Ruins Road.

The pueblo, which is covered by a large metal roofed canopy, is on the right after another quarter of a mile.

The various rooms of the pueblo are outlined with stones that were probably restacked to give visitors a better idea of how the structures once looked.

The Pueblo II ruins were built on top of previous pithouses.

The room block was sufficient for the habitation of 50 - 100 people. A single kiva is said to accompany the room block.

Other remnants of ruins and rock shelters can be found by exploring the cliffs below the mesa to the south of the pueblo. Exploring that area of the Preserve, where there are no established trails, requires a lot of scrambling and route finding. Most of the caves and overhangs are heavily graffitied.

There are restrooms marked on the map near the Hawkins Pueblo that take intimacy to a whole new level. They must have had tongue in cheek when they marked these restrooms on the trail map. The gaps in the slats expose anyone that is inside and as you can see there is no toilet paper or anything that would induce anyone but the most desperate to make use of them.

The Hawkins Preserve was all private property until the 1990's when it was donated to the Cortez Culture Center by Jack Hawkins. Perhaps, one of these days, the Mitchell Springs Ruins Group, on the south side of McElmo Creek, from the Hawkins Preserve, can be added as an extension, or also be made public.

If you would like to see the Hawkins Pueblo for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Buzzard Rock

2026-03-10T13:31:00.003-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 0.1 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 2092 - 2102 feet
Cellphone: 3-5 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: 830 N 1st Ave.
Coordinates: 34.90754, -117.02205
Fee: none
Attractions: Forest hike, deer, elk, turkeys

Buzzard Rock is located on the north side of the Mojave River just off of N 1st Ave. in Barstow, California. A half dozen or so petroglyphs can be found on the northwest side of Buzzard Rock.

For turn-by-turn directions to the trailhead enter 830 N 1st Ave into your driving app. There is lots of room to park next to the foundation of an old structure.

All the petroglyphs that we found were concentrated on the northwest sloping side of the rock.

A few of the petroglyphs are easy to spot but others take a little time to find.

Here is a different angle of the same petroglyphs.

These are about 10 feet above the H.G. initials that are a little easier to spot.

And these are on the right side of the slope.

This image is on the left side of the slope and faces more north than west. It might be a little harder to find due to the direction it faces.

There are a few more images that look like partial petroglyphs but that is about all that there is on Buzzard Rock. Not a lot but now we know. If you would like to see them for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

West Well Petroglyphs

2026-03-10T08:39:00.000-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 0.2 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 742 - 748 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: West Well
Coordinates: 34.44563, -114.47631
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs

The West Well Petroglyphs are located south of Needles, California about 5 miles west of the California/Arizona border near Lake Havasu. Found at the site is a large rock outcrop that has petroglyphs on its north and south sides.

For turn-by-turn directions enter 34.44563, -114.47631 into your driving app. From Needles you will be directed south on US-95 for about 20 miles where you will turn left onto the Havasu Lake Road. After another 10 miles you will turn right off of the pavement onto the Hightower Road.

In another 3 miles you will reach Chemehuevi Wash where you will want to turn right on the West Well trail, BLM NS056. The road is good for highway vehicles up to this point but for the next 1,200 feet to the trailhead there can be some deep sand.

From the trailhead it is only an hundred feet or so to the petroglyphs.

As you approach the rock there will be petroglyphs facing you. Most of them are up high. There are also more petroglyphs going around the rock to the right that are on its back side.

There is a better view of the images that are a little closer to perpendicular on the back side of the rock.

These images are some of those on the back side of the rock.

And these images are on the front side of the rock.

A dozen more images are high up on surfaces that are facing skyward that can only really be seen if you were to climb up there to get a closer look. We didn't notice any signs saying that you can't enter inside of the fenced area and climb on the rock but it kinda seemed implied.

According to the BLM website there are other archeological features in the area including rock rings. There might even be more petroglyphs. The area was apparently home to the Chemehuevi Nation or Tribe.

If you would like to see the West Well Petroglyphs for yourself all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Picture Canyon Petrolgyphs

2026-03-10T04:53:00.001-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance CA: 4.9 miles

Round Trip Distance NV: 5.4 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 1683 - 2285 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 3 hrs. 30 mins.
Trailhead CA: 35.09087, -114.75208

Trailhead NV: 35.06214, -114.70751

Wash Route: 35.07975, -114.77288
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs, historic route

The Picture Canyon Petroglyphs are located in the Dead Mountains Wilderness near Needles, California. Picture Canyon was the historic route of the Mojave Road and an ancient route for Native People. The Native People that traveled through the area left behind hundreds of petroglyphs upon the granite walls of Picture Canyon.

We have identified 3 routes to Picture Canyon. Two of them from the California side and one from the Nevada side. The route that we took began at 35.09087, -114.75208 at the edge of the Dead Mountains Wilderness boundary on the California side. From there you follow the Mojave Road toward the canyon for 1.4 miles.

Having reached the mouth of the canyon we saw quite a few tire tracks coming down a wash. Either that is a sanctioned route through the wilderness area that doesn't show up on maps or it is a rogue route. If you are on foot like we were then that route would save a half mile in round trip hiking distance.

Even though it was in the month of February when we hiked into Picture Canyon the daytime temperatures were in the 90's so we started hiking at sunrise.

These are a couple of the petroglyphs that are at the first site that we labeled P1. Like all of the petroglyphs except P8 they are on the left, or north, side of the canyon.

And these are further into the canyon at the next 2 sites.

There are several places where panels of petroglyphs can be seen all the way up near the rim of the canyon in places where it appears that you could climb all the way out. Depending on where you are at in the canyon the rim is 300 - 400 feet above the wash. We wondered if there might be caves up near the rim in these places that could have served as dwellings.

Further along there is a spot where there is a slanted boulder that is down at the level of the wash that is covered with petroglyphs. On the cliffs above the boulder there are dozens more.

Right around the corner is another big group of images.

This group of images are from what would be called the main panels. This is the petroglyph spot that is marked on some topo maps.

With so many petroglyphs to look out individual images can be easily passed over. If you look closely near the top of this rock you can see a flute player sitting Indian style. There are also a handful of big handed anthropomorphic figures worth noticing including one square bodied figure that looks like a boogie man.

We were able to stay out of the deep sand for the most part while hiking the Mojave Road by walking off to the side of the road. I was thinking that when they set the wilderness boundaries in places like this they may have had in mind limiting casual visitors to help protect the rock art. If they are really serious about doing that they might want to put up a better barrier than the brown mylar markers that you can see in this photo that have tire tracks going over top of them.

As far as all of the many petroglyphs in Picture Canyon go, if you would like to see them for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Willow Wash Petroglyphs

2026-03-09T09:29:00.002-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 0.2 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 2193 - 2231 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: 35.20524, -115.87202
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs

The Willow Wash Petroglyphs are located just off of the Kelbaker Road in the Mojave National Preserve south of Baker, California. The site includes more than a dozen petroglyphs etched upon basalt cliffs.

For turn-by-turn directions to the pulloff that serves as the trailhead for the Willow Wash Petroglyphs enter 35.20524, -115.87202 into your driving app. From I-15 Exit 246 you will be directed south on the Kelbaker Road for 13.4 miles. Just after crossing a wash there is a small pullout on the left.

From the pullout there is a well worn social trail that leads up along the north side of the mesa to the petroglyphs.

One of the first good images that you will come to is about 20 feet above the trail.

Others like these are down lower on the cliff.

There is a second area of petroglyphs another hundred feet or so along the cliffs.

These are some of the better images that you can find in the second area.

We noticed a surprising amount of mountain lion scat on the trail along the cliff. Some of it pretty old and some of it more fresh. We didn't look around for any lair but the mountain lions obviously frequent the area.

Across Willow Wash and a little further up the Kelbaker Road are the Willow Wash Pictographs that are also worth visiting. The Willow Wash Petroglyphs are probably the easiest ones to get to in all of the vast Mojave National Preserve. At least of the sites that we have visited. If you would like to see them for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Vontrigger Spring Pictographs

2026-03-09T07:43:00.001-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 0.5 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 3500 - 3559 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 45 mins.
Trailhead: 35.05332, -115.14770
Turnoff: 35.05152, -115.16370
Fee: none
Attractions: pictographs, rock shelter

The Vontrigger Spring Pictographs are located in the Mojave National Preserve northwest of Needles, California. The site includes some faint red pictographs, a scenic cave, and a rock shelter that are all within 1,000 feet of the trailhead.

For turn-by-turn directions to the turnoff enter 35.05152, -115.16370 into your driving app. The turnoff is off of the Lanfair Road. Coming from the direction of Needles, 48 miles away, the Lanfair Road is paved except the last 7 miles which is a wide gravel road. Coming from the north the Lanfair Road is good from the Cedar Canyon Road south but north of there the Lanfair Road is a hazardous route due to some wash outs that if you were to hit at any speed would wreck your vehicle. In other words, if you are coming across on the Cedar Canyon Road then fine but if you are coming directly from I-15 the better route would be to drive down US-95 to the Goffs Road and come up from there. It would be both safer and faster.

After turning off of the Lanfair Road follow the 4WD road for 1.13 miles and turn left. At this point the 4WD road gets slightly more uneven but not too bad. After just over a half mile this road dead ends at a spring. From there it is less than 300 feet to the pictographs.

The surest way of finding the pictographs is probably to hike into the narrow canyon until you come to these neat looking caves.

At that point turn around and look back at the cliff that you just walked past and you should be able to spot the pictographs. From this distance there appear to be several large anthropomorphic figures that look a little out of place for this area. They look to me like something that you might find in Southern Utah.

A zoom lens will keep you from needing to climb up on the slick rock below the images to take photos.

The most distinct images are probably this red sun and a few other plain circles.

Mostly undeterminable shapes.

There are several of these smaller images that have an anthro aspect to them.

Another couple hundred feet up the wash there is a rock shelter that is directly across from the now walled up well of Vontrigger Spring.

The blackened soot roof shows the signs of many fires. This rock shelter was probably repurposed by the miners that worked in the area. There are a few rusty cans littering the midden area. According to our maps the land north and west of Vontrigger Spring is private property so this is where we turned around.

We noticed that there was some cinnabar in the area and wondered if that could have been used to make the paint that was used for the pictographs. The color seems to be an exact match.

The Vontrigger Spring area is interesting even if the pictographs aren't the greatest in the world. If you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Hole in the Wall Petroglyphs

2026-03-09T06:31:00.001-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 0.64 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 4210 - 4236 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 1 hr.
Trailhead: Hole in the Wall
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs

The Hole in the Wall Petroglyphs are located in the Mojave National Preserve northwest of Needles, California. The site includes numerous faint petroglyphs on slowly eroding boulders and at least one rock shelter.

For turn-by-turn directions enter Hole in the Wall into your driving app and choose the Information Center. The site is 19.8 miles north of Interstate 40, Exit 100, on a paved road. If coming from the north it is 34 miles from I-15, Exit 272, with 22.2 miles of paved roads and 15.8 miles of dirt roads.

The petroglyphs are found less than a half mile from the trailhead on the Rings Loop Trail.

This portion of the Rings Loop trail is easy to hike as it travels around the base of the mountain.

The site is at a group of large boulders that is marked with a 'Cultural Signs of the Past' kiosk that explains some of the images being perhaps thousands of years old.

Over those thousands of years the stone has slowly been dissolving away and ruining the images in the process. Be sure not to touch any of the images as the oils from your skin only accelerates the process.

Besides the petroglyphs on the main boulder there are some around a rock shelter and many of the other boulders in the same area.

However faintly they now appear it is easy to recognize the same images that you will find at other rock art sites telling perhaps similar stories but in a different location.

Other than the petroglyphs in Willow Wash, along the Kelbaker Road, the Hole in the Wall Petroglyphs are probably the most easily accessible petroglyphs in the Mojave National Preserve. With no more trouble than it takes to see them it makes a visit a little more worthwhile.

If you would like to see them for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Indian Well Petroglyphs

2026-03-08T11:06:00.000-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 0.2 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 3960 - 3998 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 1 hrs 30 mins.
Trailhead: 35.14567, -115.15907
Mojave Road turnoff: 35.13859, -115.18691
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs

The well known Indian Well Petroglyphs, a.k.a. Lanfair Buttes, are located in the Mojave National Preserve northwest of Needles, California. The well was a major source of water in the vast parched Mojave Desert from ancient times to the era of the Mojave Road and Government Road. Hundreds of petroglyphs can be found on the boulder covered hillside all around the well.

Entering the trailhead coordinates into your driving app might try to send you there via the Rancho Road which is not a good route. It is better to enter the coordinates for the turnoff on the Lanfair Road onto the Mojave Road which are 35.13859, -115.18691. If coming from the direction of I-15 to the north be very careful on the dirt portion of the Ivanpah Road as the are washed out spots that will certainly wreck your vehicle if you hit them. The better and shorter route is to come over via the Cedar Canyon Road or up from I-40.

After turning off onto the Mojave Road turn left at the 4-way intersection that comes up at the 1.4 mile point. The Mojave Road is a high clearance 4WD route although we had no trouble staying in 2WD. After turning left at the 4-way intersection drive another 1.2 miles and turn right.

Indian Well sits down next to the road. All of the boulders around the well are covered with petroglyphs as are most of the boulders all around the entire point of cliffs.

As many of the images are high up in almost inaccessible places a zoom lens will come in very handy for taking photos.

These are a few of the hundreds of petroglyphs at Indian Well.

It is easy to imagine it having taken hundreds of years for all of the many petroglyphs that blanket the rocks around Indian Well to have accumulated. Some changes in style of the images are evident.

If you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Rock Spring Petroglyphs

2026-03-08T09:40:00.001-06:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 1.1 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 4771 - 4908 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 2 hrs. 30 mins.
Trailhead: 35.15521, -115.33494
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs, historic ruins

Rock Spring is located off of the old Mojave Road in the vast Mojave National Preserve northwest of Needles, California. Being a key desert spring it has been visited probably for hundreds of years by native people who left signs of their passing on some of the boulders in the way of petroglyphs.

The trailhead is along the Cedar Canyon Road between Black Canyon and Lanfair. For turn-by-turn directions enter Rock Spring Loop Trail into your driving app. If coming from the direction of Hole in the Wall the trailhead is 5 miles east of the Black Canyon/Cedar Canyon Road junction. If coming from the east it is 9.8 miles from the Lanfair Road.

The Rock Spring Petroglyphs are easily accessible via the 1 mile Rock Spring Loop trail that begins near the remains of Bert Smith's rock house.

The well made Rock Spring Loop trail is easy to follow and pleasant to hike. At least when the temperature is only in the 70's.

The trail starts out heading in the direction of the wash. Right before it reaches the wash, only about 300 feet from where it started, it turns eastward to stay up on the benches above the wash. At this point there is a short unmarked side trail that leads down into the wash where you can spot a few petroglyphs.

The largest panel of petroglyphs are high up on the right side of a heavily graffitied slab of rock. Someone put their initials right over top of them. There are a few other faint petroglyphs higher up on another outcrop of rock and a couple all the way down in the wash upon some granite.

We explored the wash down to a dryfall and even below it before returning back to the main trail and continuing around the loop.

As the trail comes out of a narrow valley there is a spur on the right that leads past a kiosk about 'Desert Travelers' and then into the canyon below Rock Spring.

Here the right side of the canyon has quite a few petroglyphs pecked upon the granite boulders.

The first of them are down low right on the edge of the wash where you can walk right up to them.

More can be seen on the point right above Rock Spring.

These all show up well to the naked eye but are difficult to photograph. Largely because they are high up and out of reach.

More petroglyphs can be found on the bench that is above the wash but below the point. You have to get out of the wash and walk around the boulders to find them.

Just outside of the wash below Rock Spring there is a flat area off to the side of the wash that once served as the location of an Army post named Camp Rock. This post was occupied for the same brief period as the nearby Fort Piute with the purpose of protecting emigrants and the mail route. More petroglyphs can be found in this area.

Like petroglyphs on granite anywhere else that you find them the ones at Rock Spring are pretty faint. Nevertheless it is fun to search them out and learn a little about the history of the area. If you would like to see them for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.

Fort Piute Petroglyphs

2026-03-07T10:18:00.000-07:00

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 0.25 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 2743 - 2774 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 1 hr.
Trailhead: Fort Piute
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs, historic fort

Fort Piute is located in the Mojave National Preserve between Searchlight, Nevada and Needles, California. The fort was occupied for a short period between 1866 - 1867 to protect the mail route and emigrants. Due to its source of water from nearby Piute Spring the area was long before that inhabited by native people who have left numerous petroglyphs on many of the rocks and boulders along Piute Creek.

You can enter Fort Piute into your driving app for turn-by-turn directions but Google Maps on Android doesn't know about the BLM NN035 road so it routes you via the Goffs Road which is a longer out of the way route. Our Toyota driving app does know about BLM NN035. The GPS coordinates for the turnoff on US 95 are 35.10010, -114.82899. BLM NN035 has a lot of soft sand and requires a high clearance 4WD vehicle but that is required for the entire route to Fort Piute other than the short 1.5 mile stretch of BLM NN101. It's a bit of a pain getting there but you get to explore 3 different sites for the effort.

From the southeast corner of the parking area there is a metal post that marks a faint trail that leads from Fort Piute to the Turkey Farm. Petroglyphs can be found on many of the boulders going in that direction between the post and Piute Creek. Piute Creek itself is so tangled with vegetation in this area that it is almost impossible to navigate so most of the trails are along the side of the hill above the creek.

Here is one of the first boulders that you will come upon.

The images on some of the boulders are faint enough to be difficult to photograph but they are still well worth seeing.

Many of the boulders have very elaborate, easy to see, images that make use of their entire surface.

This small boulder is well up on the hill above the creek. It is wrapped entirely with images. Those on the top of the boulder have been almost completely effaced, possibly by making use of it as a grinding slick.

We're guessing that this incongruous looking image was probably left by someone from the fort.

Other than the drive it doesn't take much effort to see the petroglyphs at Fort Piute. It's kind of fun searching all around for them amongst the boulders. There are probably more to be found all along the creek heading downstream as we know there are heading upstream toward Piute Spring.

The ruins of Fort Piute itself are also worth visiting while you are here. If you would like to all this for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.