Rock Art Around Las Vegas

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The native peoples who lived around Las Vegas hundreds and thousands of years ago created some amazing rock art. It is thought that much of their artwork was related to religious practices or annual rituals, but the true meanings of the art are unknown. Today we can only stand in awe at the skill and imagination of the people who lived here long ago.

There are two basic types of rock art: petroglyphs and pictographs. Petroglyphs are images pecked or carved into the rock surface, usually by removing the dark coating of desert varnish to reveal lighter-colored underlying rock. Pictographs are art made by painting on the rocks using plant and mineral pigments. Occasionally, the two types are found together.

There are many rock art sites scattered around southern Nevada. All rock art is an irreplaceable treasure, and because modern humans have a long history of damaging the artwork, many sites are considered by experts to be too sensitive to make the locations generally available to the public. In that spirit, I have listed here excellent examples of publicly known sites. I know of many other sites, and other people know of far more sites. To see pictures of rock art around Las Vegas, visit Petroglyph Bob's website. He has dedicated his life to documenting rock art sites around Las Vegas and making his photos available to researchers and the public -- just don't ask him were the sites are located.

	Red Rocks Canyon National Conservation Area There are a number of petroglyph sites at Red Rocks. Two good sites are located in Willow Springs Canyon. There are nice petroglyphs on the west side of the canyon on Petroglyph Wall, and there are nice pictographs (hand paintings) on the east side of the canyon along the Willow Springs Loop Trail. There are good examples of agave roasting-pits in the area too. The trail to the petroglyphs is about 0.1 miles long, and the pictographs are a 30-second walk on a paved trail east of the small outhouse in the picnic area. Calico Basin also has some nice rock art along the new boardwalk. The underlying rock here is red and white sandstone.
	Lake Mead National Recreation Area There are some amazing petroglyph sites at Lake Mead. Two such sites are Grapevine Canyon (near Laughlin) and Keyhole Canyon south of Boulder City. The hike to Grapevine Canyon is about 0.3 miles. The underlying rock here is granite.
	Mt. Irish Rock Art and Archaeological Area (BLM site north of Alamo) The Mt. Irish Rock Art and Archaeological Area, located about 110 miles north of Las Vegas, is an area covered with huge boulder piles on which native peoples created many petroglyphs. The dirt access road is a bit rough, but you can drive right up to some amazing petroglyphs. The underlying rock here is consolidated volcanic ash (ash-flow welded tuff [rhyolite]).
	Valley of Fire State Park As with other areas around Las Vegas, there are some amazing petroglyph sites at Valley of Fire. Atlatl Rock and Mouse's Tank are excellent sites with easy access. The paved road runs up to the base of Atlatl Rock, and the petroglyphs begin a short walk down the Mouse's Tank Trail. The underlying rock here is dark red sandstone.

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