A good friend gave me some tips on where a set of petroglyphs was hidden in the heart of Joshua Tree National Park. I hadn't heard anything about these petroglyphs and was definitely interested. He asked me to keep its location a secret, though.
After a quick drive followed by an equally quick hike, I came to the starting point of my adventure. It was located upon a high saddle at the edge of an outcrop of granite boulders. Somewhere below was a slot canyon with the petroglyphs.
As I crossed over the saddle, I descended into a maze of narrow passageways. Following a sandy wash between the towering boulders, I eventually arrived at a point where the wash narrowed and cascaded over a small dryfall. There was no easy way in or out.
As I looked around, I noticed a couple of bedrock mortars at my feet and a panel of faint petroglyphs lurking above. This location is a natural tank that traps water after a good rain, making it an attractive stop for the Native Americans.
Bedrock mortars and pictographs
I was told there was another site here, so I scouted around. Nearby was the entrance to a slot canyon. Blocking the way, however, was a set of guardian mesquite bushes laden with thorns. The mesquites would have been a welcome sight for Native Americans searching for food, but trying to squeeze through them was a different story for me.
I did my best to avoid the razor-sharp claws of the mesquite, but they still bit into my clothes and skin. Once on the other side with fresh rips in my shirt and pants, I had one of those moments where I thought, "What have I gotten myself into? This was not going to be worth it."
To my delight, the walls of this slot canyon were covered in petroglyphs. Even more intriguing, a signature with a date was inscribed to the left of the petroglyphs: "REG 1932". Who would have written this in 1932?
There wasn't much of a reason to be out here during the Great Depression except for cattle and gold. Perhaps some cowboy passed through here looking to develop a water tank for his cattle. However, the slot ahead dead-ends in another dry fall that would make it impossible to get cattle through. In the end, "REG" must have saddled up with boots in stirrups to look for a better site.
The only way out was the same way I came in, so I crawled back through those guardian mesquite bushes, freshly bloodied once on the other side.
No directions to this site. Please enjoy my photos below.
