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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
Nampaweap Petroglyphs
Tucked away in the juniper-dotted canyons of the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument in northwestern Arizona next to Mount Trumbull lies one of the region's most extensive collections of rock art - the Nampaweap Petroglyphs. Scattered across dark basalt boulders are thousands of petroglyphs - not the handful you