“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 –
CALIFORNIA — OWENS VALLEY (7 sites)
Newspaper Rock ⇔
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Sky Rock
...
Sky Rock — the whole picture
Thirteen Moons Panel
Rosetta Stone –aka– Tablet Stone
Yellowjacket site — on the National Register of Historic Places
CALIFORNIA — CHINA LAKE NAVAL AIR WEAPONS STATION
— This colorful site can be visited only on a scheduled tour that begins in the military base.
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.
The glyphs are on that rock. The site's name is my own
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CALIFORNIA — MISC
Hospital Rock
Sequoia National Park
NEVADA — GOLD BUTTE NATIONAL MONUMENT
— Many more panels exist than what are shown here.
First Rock
Falling Man
Parade of Sheep
NEVADA — LAGOMARSINO CANYON
— Access to my favorite site involves a very rough ten-mile road near Virginia City, Nevada.
source of my website avatar
NEVADA — VALLEY OF FIRE STATE PARK (2 sites)
Petroglyph Canyon...
Atlatl Rock...
NEVADA — MISC
Hickison Recreation Area
Austin, NV
UTAH — BLACK DRAGON PANEL
UTAH — BUCKHORN WASH
Buckhorn Wash Pictographs ⇔
meticulously repaired by dedicated environmentalists
⇔
UTAH — CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK (6 sites)
Horseshoe Canyon – The Great Gallery ⇔
North America's premier pictograph site
Ghost Panel
Horseshoe Gallery ⇔
Alcove Gallery
...
High Gallery
Needles Region – Many Hands Panel
Cave Spring Pictographs
...
...
UTAH — GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT
Escalante River
at Highway 12
Someone tried to steal this one
Hundred Hands Panel ⇔
There actually are more than 160 hands
UTAH — MOAB AREA (5 sites)
Potash Road, on the north bank of the Colorado River
Potash Road...
at Poison Spider Trailhead, on Potash Road
Kane Creek Road, on the south bank of the Colorado River
Birthing Panel, Kane Creek Road
Westwater Drive, near the golf course
Intestine Man, on SR-313
...
UTAH — NINE MILE CANYON (2 sites)
Hunter Panel
a world-famous site
UTAH — ROCHESTER SITE
Rochester Panel
UTAH — SANTA CLARA RIVER RESERVE
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.
Pictographs...
Petroglyph
Combination of painting –
– and etching
Yours Truly
UTAH — ZION NATIONAL PARK (2 sites)
In Petroglyph Canyon...
Cave Valley Pictographs...
UTAH — MISC
Newspaper Rock National Historic Site, near Monticello
Fremont Culture SP
Bloomington Petroglyph Park
in Saint George
...
Capitol Reef National Park, at Fruita ⇔
Temple Mountain Road...
WASHINGTON — COLUMBIA HILLS STATE PARK
Pictographs on the guided hike, leading to this:
"She Who Watches"
a world-famous figure
— The following panels were saved from what is now the bottom of the Columbia River.
The lone pictograph in the salvaged group
