Ted's World of Petroglyphs and Pictographs

“Stand the test of time.  Be rock solid.  Carve out a place for yourself.
Be open to interpretation.  Make a good impression.  Tell your story.”

Prehistoric rock art is found all over the world.  Historians have struggled both with dates and meanings of the drawings, but with limited success.  Petroglyphs were drawn by using a sharp rock to etch lines into another rock.  In contrast, pictographs were painted on rock walls; those that survive are at least partially protected from the forces of nature, and the most well-preserved specimens are found in caves.

Within the United States, petroglyphs abound, primarily in the arid regions of the west.  Pictographs are much less common.

Most images are available for download in 1024×768 or greater JPEG format; a few older ones have a lesser resolution.

The designation "..." means, "same image" or "same location."

– click on any picture for a high-resolution graphic –

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CALIFORNIA — OWENS VALLEY  (7 sites)

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Newspaper Rock   ⇔ *

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Sky Rock

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Sky Rock — the whole picture

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Thirteen Moons Panel

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Rosetta Stone  –aka–  Tablet Stone

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Yellowjacket site — on the National Register of Historic Places

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CALIFORNIA — CHINA LAKE NAVAL AIR WEAPONS STATION

— This colorful site can be visited only on a scheduled tour that begins in the military base.

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CALIFORNIA — 'PALISADES' SITE NEAR SODA SPRINGS

— Similar to others in the Donner Summit area, these glyphs are barely visible and are easily missed.  A few are presented as the camera found them, then with image-enhancing adjustments.

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The glyphs are on that rock.  The site's name is my own

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CALIFORNIA — MISC

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Hospital Rock
Sequoia National Park

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NEVADA — GOLD BUTTE NATIONAL MONUMENT

— Many more panels exist than what are shown here.

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First Rock *
Falling Man *
Parade of Sheep

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NEVADA — LAGOMARSINO CANYON

— Access to my favorite site involves a very rough ten-mile road near Virginia City, Nevada.

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source of my website avatar * *

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NEVADA — VALLEY OF FIRE STATE PARK  (2 sites)

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Petroglyph Canyon... * *

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Atlatl Rock... * *

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NEVADA — MISC

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Hickison Recreation Area
Austin, NV

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UTAH — BLACK DRAGON PANEL

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UTAH — BUCKHORN WASH

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Buckhorn Wash Pictographs    ⇔
meticulously repaired by dedicated environmentalists

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UTAH — CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK  (6 sites)

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Horseshoe Canyon – The Great Gallery    ⇔
North America's premier pictograph site

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Ghost Panel * *

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Horseshoe Gallery    ⇔

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Alcove Gallery *
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High Gallery

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Needles Region – Many Hands Panel

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Cave Spring Pictographs *
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UTAH — GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT

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Escalante River
at Highway 12 *
Someone tried to steal this one *
Hundred Hands Panel    ⇔

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There actually are more than 160 hands

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UTAH — MOAB AREA  (5 sites)

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Potash Road, on the north bank of the Colorado River

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Potash Road... * *

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at Poison Spider Trailhead, on Potash Road

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Kane Creek Road, on the south bank of the Colorado River

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Birthing Panel, Kane Creek Road

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Westwater Drive, near the golf course

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Intestine Man, on SR-313 *
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UTAH — NINE MILE CANYON  (2 sites)

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Hunter Panel
a world-famous site

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UTAH — ROCHESTER SITE

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Rochester Panel

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UTAH — SANTA CLARA RIVER RESERVE

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UTAH — SEGO CANYON

— This is the only site I know that features both petroglyphs and pictographs.  In particular, the combination panel is unique in my experience.

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Pictographs... * *

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Petroglyph *
Combination of painting... *
...and etching

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Yours Truly *

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UTAH — ZION NATIONAL PARK  (2 sites)

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In Petroglyph Canyon... * *

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Cave Valley Pictographs... * *

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UTAH — MISC

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Newspaper Rock National Historic Site, near Monticello

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Fremont Culture SP *
Bloomington Petroglyph Park
in Saint George *
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Capitol Reef National Park, at Fruita    ⇔

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Temple Mountain Road... *

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WASHINGTON — COLUMBIA HILLS STATE PARK

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Pictographs on the guided hike, leading to this:

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"She Who Watches"
a world-famous figure

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— The following panels were saved from what is now the bottom of the Columbia River.

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The lone pictograph in the salvaged group

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