Searching For Sacred Sites Part 1 — A Spring 2026 Rock Art Trip

Prologue…

 

Originally my Wisconsin friend Richard and I had planned to take another rock art trip together in the Fall of 2025, but life got in the way and created a scheduling conflict, so we decided to take a trip in the early Spring of 2026.  Around the first of the new year, we got serious about planning a new trip and I blocked out the first two weeks of March, 2026 for our trip.  Richard began researching Canyon de Chelly and set about to book the best guide he could find for our purposes.  I had been to Canyon de Chelly once, driving the rim and hiking down to the White House Ruins site in 2018.  I figured that there was probably quite a bit of rock art in the canyons but had no idea until Richard recommended that I read Canyon de Chelly, Its People and Rock Art by Campbell Grant.  For my part, I began to research some sites near Petrified Forest National Park, the Little Colorado River, and Silver Creek.  Since I was driving, I planned to look for a site in Lobo Valley (south of Van Horn, Texas), several sites in Alamo Canyon that I had never taken time to visit, Cocoraque Butte and Inscription Hill near Tuscon, and Red Tank Draw north of Phoenix.  Richard also suggested that I contact the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff to see if I could get permission to look at one of their collections that had information about Silver Creek.  So, a trip was born, and below you can read all about it!

 

Monday, March 2, 2026 —  Searching For the Lobo Valley Site

For a number of years I having been trying to determine the location of a petroglyph site located south of Van Horn, Texas in the area of Lobo Valley, never finding any concrete information about the site.  I decided that boots on the ground might be the answer.  I left my home at Lake McQueeny early on the morning of March 2, 2026 which happened to be my 52nd wedding anniversary (yes, I have a VERY understanding wife —  I love you Dorothy!).  I made a quick 5:00 a.m. stop at my grandson’s house in Boerne, Texas, to drop off a Spiderman towel and a couple of framed 5 by 7 photos from his last basketball game of the season, then continued west to see if I could finally locate the Lobo Valley site. 

I stopped at the Visitor’s Center in  Ozona, and the nice young lady I spoke to looked rather befuddled at my inquiry.  But she did provide me with a nice brochure from the Van Horn folks which provided a few possible sources of information.  When I got to the Culberson County Rest Stop (mile post 150 on IH-10) the attendant suggested I try the Sherrif’s Office in Van Horn.  When I got to Van Horn, I found that the Visitor’s Center, the Courthouse, the Clark Hotel Museum, and City Hall were all closed.  It turns out that March 2 is Texas Independence Day, which the folks out west apparently take very seriously.  I stopped at the Southern Star Trailer Park (trailer parks tend to be reliable sources about local attractions!) — no luck there.  I then went to the El Capitan Hotel and spoke with the manager and explained my quest.  She called a former employee that she thought might be able to help me, but no such luck.  I had spent almost two hours without success, so I figured it was just not meant to be.  I stopped at a convenience store on my way out of town, and, as I was paying for my cup of ice and zero sugar Red Bull, asked the clerk if she knew of anyone who might be able to help me locate the Lobo Valley Petroglyph site.  Much to my surprize, she pointed outside to a gentleman sitting outside the store and said “I think that man lives down there, you might talk to him”.  So, hat in hand, I introduced myself to this gentleman (who prefers to remain anonymous) and when I explained my quest he lit up like a Christmas tree.  Turns out he is an avid “arrowhead” hunter and often is out at the petroglyphs looking for artifacts.  After a little conversation, we struck a bargain and soon we were headed to Lobo Valley in my truck.  So, thanks to my new friend I was able to find and visit the site, and I had a wonderful time exploring the petroglyphs while my buddy looked for “arrowheads”.  It turned out to be a lovely late afternoon!  Below are a few pictures from the site.  For a more complete gallery of pictures that I took at Lobo Valley, look here.  

After finishing up at Lobo Valley and dropping my new friend off at his home on the way back to Van Horn, I headed for Sierra Blanca where I had booked a room for the night.  I spent a rather unsettled night at a motel that eerily reminded me of the creepy motel in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 thriller Psycho and I was very happy to continue my journey early the next morning, none the worse for wear.

 

Tuesday, March 3, 2026  —   Alamo Dam

 

It was still dark as I headed north out of Ft. Hancock on the County Road that eventually leads to the main petroglyph site at Alamo Dam.  But I was headed for a petroglyph site located near a tank called Little Cunningham to the northwest of the main site.  Although this site is only about six miles from the main site as the crow flies, I had to negotiate about thirteen miles of less than perfect roads to get there.  So I arrived at the site just as the golden hour was waning and began to explore the area.  I found petroglyphs in five different areas and my search required a little bit of climbing and mild boulder hopping. I didn’t find anything that I would call spetacular, but there were several nice panels with some interesting elements.  Below are a few of the photos I took that morning.  For a more complete gallery of photos from this site, look here.  

After finishing up at the Little Cunningham Tank Site I drove over to  the White Centipede Cave site, which was about a three mile drive, although shorter as the crow flies.  Down the slope from the cave is a petroglyph panel that features a large Goggle-eyed deer and a large Pupil-less deer as well as other elements includinge a large anthropomorph with antenna-like protrustions and a smaller headless anthropomorph.

The White Centipede Cave is located up the slope a short distance from the petroglyph panel.  This magnificent cave is stunning —  the ceiling is coated with a black substance with an astounding number of elements painted in white and yellow.  Among the most prominent painted elements are a large white centipede (over 3 meters long), a large head of a mountain sheep, a large waterbird, a winged goggle-eyed figure, a wasp-waisted figure, a line of five crested water birds (perhaps ducks), four sets of twin anthropomorphs holding hands, and a line of twenty four anthropomorphic “dancers”.  There are also other anthropomporhs, geometrics, and zoomorphs painted on the ceiling and walls of the cave. The overall effect results in one of the most complex and beautiful pictographs I have ever been privileged to see in person.  Below are a few photos of the cave that I took during my visit.  For a more complete gallery of photos from the cave, look here.  

On the way out of Alamo Canyon I stopped by the main site located near the dam.  A friend had told me that they had found a bell rock near Jaguar Cave and I had hoped to find it —  unfortunately, I did not.  But it was good to visit old friends at the site, and once again marvel at the depictions of  Shumla style dart points and interesting anthropomorphic figures.  Here are some of the photos I took that evening, and I have added some more photos from this visit to the Alamo Canyon Galleries. 

Wednesday, March 4, 2026  —  Cocoraque Butte and Inscription Hill near Tucson, AZ

After I finished up at Alamo Canyon I drove to Benson, AZ where I spent the night.  I was up early the next morning and was excited to meet a new friend, Caden R. at the Cocoraque Butte site in the Ironwood Forest National Monument. Caden and his girlfriend showed up right on time and we enjoyed several hours exploring some of the boulder covered hills at the site.  Cocoroque is known for its bell rocks and abstract flower imagery and we had an enjoyable morning searching for unique elements.  Below are a few photos I took that morning.  For a more complete gallery of photos from Cocoroque, look here.  

After saying our goodbyes Caden, Kat and I parted ways shortly after noon.  I headed to Inscription Hill, a small site that was also reported to be located in the 129,000 acre Ironwood Forest National Monument.  Unfortunately I relied on Google Maps to get me there and, as sometimes happens,  I was led on an unlikely journey on some very rugged roads that took over two hours to navigate.   I parked about three quarters of a mile from the site, hopped a fence, and meandered over to look at the Inscription Hill Petroglyphs.  It was not a large site, but did have a number of interesting small panels and a myriad of small boulders decorated with petroglyphs.  Below are a few photos I took during my visit.  For a more complete gallery of photos from Inscription Hill, look here.  

After I finished exploring Inscription Hill I hiked back to my truck, ready to head for Phoenix and a hot bath.  As I mentioned earlier, Google Maps had gotten me to the site through the back door (so to speak) and I intended to use the route I had plotted (basically, north on a forest road, then east on E. Sasco to IH-10, then north to Phoenix) to get me on my way to Phoenix, where I would spend the night.  I made it to E. Sasco Road with no problem, but ended up running into what looked like a creek or river that was flowing across the road.  Being from Texas, I am cautious about entering such areas, and finding no signs what-so-ever that gave me an indication of the depth of the water, and/or whether the road was passable.  I sat for about thirty minutes until four guys in a souped-up dune buggy came up behind me and advised that “they thought I could probably make it if I followed them along the left side of the traverse”.  Against my better judgment, I followed them and made it across.  It was enough excitement to last me for the rest of the trip!

Thursday, March 4, 2026  —  Red Tank Draw and the Museum of Northern Arizona

I spent Wednesday night at a motel in north Phoenix and was up early the next morning headed for Red Tank Draw.  I had a 1:00 p.m. appointment with the Archivist at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, so I figured a quick stop on the way north would work well, and it did.  The Saber Toothed Cat Panel in Red Tank Draw had been on my list for many years and I am glad I got to experience it that morning.  The Draw itself is very rugged and scenic, with a strong flowing creek that passes right by the Saber Toothed Cat Panel.  Below are a couple of pictures from my visit.  For a more complete gallery of photos from Red Tank Draw, look here.  Also, for an interesting YouTube video about this petroglyph, look here.  

From Red Tank Draw I headed north to Flagstaff and the Museum of Northern Arizona.  Several weeks prior I had written the Museum and asked for permission to look at one of the non-public items in their Archives.  (My friend Richard had run across a reference to this “manuscript” and suggested that if I had time to stop at the Mueseum  it might aid us in our explorations the following week.   Richard was certainly right!  The materials I was able to review were amazing!)  They granted my request and we set up an appointment at the Collections and Archives Building of the Museum for 1:00 p.m. on the afternoon of Thursday, March 5, 2024.  I arrived at the Museum complex about an hour early and spent that time looking at the main collections on display at the Museum.  A little before 1:00 p.m. I walked across the street to the Collections and Archives Building where I met with the Archivist.  She laid out the ground rules for my visit and review, and left me to it.  I spent the next three hours engrossed in the fascinating materials, which included a manuscript, maps, detailed site drawings, and photographs.  For more about the the Museum and the materials I reviewed look here.   Here are a few photos from my visit that afternoon.  

Friday, March 6, 2026  —  Exploring the Zuni River and a Drive to Canyon de Chelley

I finished up at the Museum of Northern Arizona Archives and headed west on IH-40 toward Holbrook where I would be spending the night.  I decided to stretch my legs and eat supper in the Historic Route 66 of downtown Winslow —  always interesting people watching in that touristy area.  

After dinner in Winslow I drove to Holbrook, checked into my motel, and had a great night’s sleep.  I woke up early on Friday morning, having decided to explore along the Zuni River before driving up to Canyon de Chelly to meet Richard.  I had gotten some information about some interesting petroglyphs in that area and was looking forward to checking it out.  As I left the motel, I realized it was much colder in Holbrook than it had been in Tucson and Phoenix.  In fact it was below freezing as I left my motel and, after turning south from IH-40 some 54 miles later, I began to encounter some light snow.  

Once I left the paved highway I had to negotiate about 15 miles of dirt roads, which were surprizingly good.  By the time I reached my destination, it was around 8:30 a.m. —  in short order I was climbing up to an area that I thought would be the location of a number of petroglyph panels.  Much to my surprise, I found nothing in the immediate area.  Unfortunately the offline map of the area (with coordinates marked for the petroglyph panels) that I had downloaded was not working, and was no help at all.  Over the next several hours I climbed up and down the three benches in the area and didn’t find a single petroglyph.  Ironically, as I was heading back to my vehicle, I found a solitary petroglyph depicting a footprint on a large boulder —  not much to show for all that effort!

As I drove back to the paved highway, I took my time and using my binoculars scanned a number of areas that looked like good spots for rock art.  About halfway there, my efforts were rewarded as I spotted a small panel not far from the road.  The panel contained a fairly large and well done anthropomorph and a couple of smaller elements.

The drive that afternoon up to Chinle and Canyon de Chelly was pleasant, as bright sun attempted to chase away a few remaining low snow coulds.  I checked into my motel and rested up a bit before meeting Richard for dinner.  Which brings us to the end of Part One of my Spring 2026 Rock Art Blog.