For the last several years, my wife and I explore (mostly Four Corners states) for Native American Petroglyphs & Pictograph, and Native American ruins. This search often takes us into some pretty remote location. Often we are the only ones on the backcountry road and/or trails. Also visit sites of old forts, abandoned mines,pony express stations, etc. Anything historical. Anyone else out there searching for rock art?
Petroglyphs and Pictographs - Rock Art
- Thread starter Doc Foster
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Influencer I
An abandoned quicksilver mine in Big Bend NP
Petroglyphs near Moab
Petroglyphs near Moab
Very cool. Had planned to visit Big Bend this summer but it was pretty much closed down when I wanted to go. We have visited just about all of the rock art sites in Moab. This year we headed North up into WY and Northern/Central UT instead.
Member III
Here's one on Lake Havasu up through the gorge on the east side of the river. You can only see it if you are on a boat (or swimming). 
About 2 or 3' high from water level.
About 2 or 3' high from water level.
We are also into exploring. Here is a large stone at the bottom of Fontana Lake in The Smoky Mtn, N.P. You can only see it when the drop the water level in the late fall. Dozens of ruins of homesteads thru Park, just really hard to get to.
Grave of one of the first Settlers.
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Influencer I
That's awesome. My wife and I just got back from WY and UT. Big Bend is best in the spring. All the flowers are blooming and the weather is great. Check out Christmas Mountain when you go. You can get the gate key for free from Terlingua Ranch Lodge, tell Bill Tommy sent ya.
Wow! Are all of those in the Christmas Mountains? I love the shots of the dog and the Tacoma. Can you be a bit more specific on their location? I will have to add this area to my bucket list. I hope to get out there in Spring time in the next couple of years. I spent a couple of days in Big Bend NP back in the 1990's and yearn to return.
Influencer I
Influencer I
Let me know when you plan on going and I can meet you out there and show you around. There are a lot of really neat secret places to see. There is a park resort that was being built but the damm broke and they abandoned the project. The damm is still there.
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We went dirt biking out in CA at Carizzo Plains and came across these while out exploring.
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Three Rivers Petroglyph Site also a nice place to camp. the more remote camping is closed after the fires but the RV spots at the Glyphs are still open
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Advocate I
Something I've wondered for awhile, just how do we know that a lot of this art wasn't graffiti of the day, much like the side of most railroad cars today?
I think it would be quite hilarious to find out a bunch of highly educated scholars were duped into thinking there was some deep mystical meaning behind these petroglyphs and pictographs when in reality it was teenagers of the day being creative.
I think it would be quite hilarious to find out a bunch of highly educated scholars were duped into thinking there was some deep mystical meaning behind these petroglyphs and pictographs when in reality it was teenagers of the day being creative.
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Member III
Member III
These were taken at the Mazinaw Rock in the Bon Echo Provincial Park in Ontario. There are more than 250 pictographs and the area is designated as a national historic site of Canada. I'm at the bottom of the rock (obviously) and it goes straight up about 30m above me.
Along with the pictographs there is a carving to commemorate American poet Walt Whitman who was a frequent visitor to the long gone lodge that was across the lake from the rock. He was mainstay of the "Walt Whitman Club" which was founded in his honour. In 1919, 100 years after his birth, a carving was made into the rock face with the message below. I'm not sure how they went about it then but today no doubt an environmental impact study would be required and the likely answer would be "NO". You can still clearly make out the entire carving when you are close to it.
These pics were taken in 2019 which was 100 years after the carving was made.
Along with the pictographs there is a carving to commemorate American poet Walt Whitman who was a frequent visitor to the long gone lodge that was across the lake from the rock. He was mainstay of the "Walt Whitman Club" which was founded in his honour. In 1919, 100 years after his birth, a carving was made into the rock face with the message below. I'm not sure how they went about it then but today no doubt an environmental impact study would be required and the likely answer would be "NO". You can still clearly make out the entire carving when you are close to it.
These pics were taken in 2019 which was 100 years after the carving was made.
