AT MUMMY CAVE IN CANYON DEL MUERTO ON THE MORNING OF MARCH 7, 2026.

Searching For Sacred Sites Part 2 — A Spring 2026 Rock Art Trip


Prologue…

This blog covers the second half of my Spring 2026 Rock Art Trip, which I spent with my friend Richard from Lacrosse, Wisconsin.  Part One of this blog, which begins on Monday, March 2, 2026, covers the first week of this trip as I traveled solo from my home in McQueeney, Texas until I met up with Richard at Chinle and Canyon de Chelly on Friday, March 6, 2026.  I hope you enjoy this informal account of our travels in search of sometimes elusive rock art.  

Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8, 2026 —  Canyon de Chelly and Canyon del Muerto


When Richard and I first began planning this trip, he recommended that I purchase a copy of Canyon de Chelly —  Its People and Rock Art by Campbell Grant. I had visited Canyon de Chelly once before, but did not take a tour, whereas Richard had visited twice before, each time taking a guided tour.  I relied on Richard to decide who we would hire as our guide, and what sites we would attempt to see while in the canyons.  From looking at Grant’s book, I realized that there was much more rock art in the canyons than I had imagined.  Richard managed to hire the owner of Beauty Way Tours, Leander Staley, as our guide for our two days in the canyon.  Instead of a chronological recounting of the sites we visited, I have decided to list the sites, linked to a gallery page that also discusses our visit to the site.  But first, a few generic photos from our time in the canyons  — it is my hope that these photos will give you some idea of the beauty of the monumental landscapes we visited on our journeys into Canyon del Muerto and Canyon de Chelly.  

EACH MORNING LEANDER WOULD PICK US UP AT OUR MOTEL AND WE WOULD PROCEED TO THE TRIBAL OFFICE WHERE RICHARD AND I PAID OUR DAILY FEE TO ENTER THE CANYONS.
RICHARD WITH OUR GUIDE LEANDER STALEY, OWNER OF BEAUTY WAY TOURS.
SPIDER ROCK, A SACRED PLACE IN CANYON DE CHELLY FOR THE NAVAJO.
LEANDER AND RICHARD DISCUSSING THE LOCATION DETAILS FOR ONE OF THE SITES WE WANTED TO SEE.
AT MUMMY CAVE, WHICH ARCHAEOLOGIST EARL MORRIS EXCAVATED IN THE 1920S.
AN INTERESTING SHADOW ON ONE OF THE CANYON WALLS NEAR MUMMY CAVE. DOES IT LOOK LIKE A SILHOUETTE OF GEORGE WASHINGTON TO YOU??
RICHARD, LEANDER, AND LEANDER'S FATHER HEADED FOR A ROCK ART SITE.
GREAT WEATHER AND GREAT SCENERY IN THE CANYONS FOR OUR VISIT.
OFTEN THERE WAS FENCING AROUND PRIVATE PROPERTY WHICH PREVENTED US FROM GETTING CLOSER TO THE ROCK ART.
WE DID PLENTY OF WALKING WHILE IN THE CANYONS.
SOME OF THE MASSIVE VERTICAL WALLS OF THE CANYONS WERE BREATHTAKING.
ON THE AFTERNOON OF THE FIRST DAY WE RAN INTO LEANDER'S FATHER, WHO WAS LEADING A DIFFERENT TOUR.
THE LARGEST PETROGLYPH PANEL IN THE CANYONS IS "THE WALL", ALSO KNOWN AS NEWSPAPER ROCK.

Day One Sites, Primarily Canyon del Muerto:

1.  First Ruins  CDC – 47

2.  Big Hand Ruin  CDM-37

3.  Antelope House Ruin  CDM – 10

4.  Standing Cow Ruin  CDM -4

5.  Blue Bull Cave  CDM – 263

6.  Sheep Point   SHP – 11

7.  Big Cave Site  CDM – 155

8.  Crack-in-Rock Site  CDM – 201

9.  Many Cherry  MCC -11

10.  Purple Men Ruin  CDM – 237

11.  Shield Panel  CDM – 237

12.  Ear Cave  CDM – 123

13.  Ute Raid Panel  CDM – 6

14.  Ceremonial Cave  CDM – 88

Day Two Sites, Primarily Canyon de Chelly Main Canyon:

1.  Flute-player Cave  (CDC – 6)

2.  Petroglyph Rock  (CDC – 139)

3.  Sleeping Duck Ruin  (CDC – 34)

4.  Pictograph Cave,  (CDC -78)

5.  Wild Cherry Ruin,  (SC -1)

6.  Big White Men Panel  (CDC – 120)

7.  White Chain Site   (Unknown Site #)

8.  Back To Back Petroglyphs  (Unknown Site #)

9.  White Splatter Cave  (Unknown Site #)

10.  The Wall  (CDC – 16)

It took quite a bit of effort for me to review my photos and figure out which sites they came from.  I am not sure the lists and gallery listings above are completely correct, but they represent my best effort to correctly identify the sites we visited and show photos from the site.  Part of the problem was that our guides did not know all the sites by the names used in Campel Grant’s book.  Another part of the problem is that Grant’s book did not adequately describe and list some of the sites we visited, such as “The White Chain Site”, which is a name I came up with based on one of the elements at the site.  Anyway, I hope my effort is mostly correct.  We saw and photographed number of isolates, which were not assigned a site number or described in the book.  Below are a few photos of some of the isolates we saw during our two days in the Canyon de Chelly and Canyon del Muerto.  

LOCATED HIGH ON A CANYON WALL, WE CALLED THIS ONE "DANCING SHEEP". IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY, YOU CAN SEE SOME OLD PETROGLYPHS BELOW THE DANCERS.
THIS ONE IS CALLED "HORNED MOON" OR "HOGAN MAN". IT IS LOCATED PARTIALLY HIDDEN HIGH UP ON A CANYON WALL NEAR THE STALEY FAMILY HOGAN IN MOTHER EARTH CANYON.
OUR GUIDE LELAND POINTED OUT THIS SOLITARY WHITE HORSE PICTOGRAPH AND SAID IT WAS PAINTED IN 1838 BY THE RENOWNED NAVAJO ARTIST DIBE YAZHI, WHO ALSO PAINTED THE BLUE COW AT STANDING COW RUINS.
WE SAW THIS LARGE PETROGLYPH OF A HORSEMAN WITH A LANCE ON THE HIKE IN TO WILD CHERRY RUIN.

Monday, March 9, 2026 —  A Nice Walk Spoiled —  A Disappointing Day in Chevelon Canyon


On Sunday evening we said our goodbyes to Canyon de Chelly and drove back to Holbrook, AZ, where we would spend the next several days and nights, and checked into our motel.  We were up early the next morning and drove down to a location near Chevelon Canyon where we hoped to see some petroglyph sites that are not well known.  Specifically, we were hoping to add another site highlighted in Tapamveni (McCreery and Malotki) that they call “Jabberwocky” (Foreword, pg. vi).  I was excited at the prospect of experiencing this beautiful site.  I was confident we would find the site, since we had obtained some pretty specific location information.  Turns out this confidence was misplaced.  When we arrived at the trailhead, we were confronted with a steep and unruly appearing trail down into Chevelon Canyon, such much so that Richard decided to stay up top.  I ventured down and, to make a long story short, I failed to make it to the location of the rockart up-canyon.  I had misjudged the amout of water in the canyon this time of year and, after stripping down to my skivies and putting on my water shoe,s and negotiating three sections of canyon where water made normal hiking on dry land impossible, I finally gave up my quest to make it to the site.  In addition to being blocked by water, there was no trail, and the boulder hopping and thicket passages were getting more challenging the further I went.  I hated to turn around, but my better judgment prevailed and that is what I did.  

LOOKING DOWN INTO CHEVELON CANYON ON THE MORNING OF MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2026.
I TOOK THIS PHOTO NEAR THE BOTTOM OF THE CANYON TO RECORD THE LOCATION OF A CAIRN I BUILT TO MARK THE ROUTE BACK TO THE TOP.
THE FIRST WATER OBSTACLE I ENCOUNTERED ON MY QUEST. OFF CAME MY SHOES AND PANTS!
A SAMPLE OF THE TERRAIN I ENCOUNTERED BETWEEN THE WATER OBSTACLES.
I GIVE UP! TIME TO TURN AROUND.

A Little Armchair Redemption…


After my aborted attempt to reach the site via the canyon bottom, Richard and I walked the canyon rim to a point near the site location, hoping we would be able to see the rock art from up top.  Once again, we were not successful.  But, as is my custom, I took a number of photos of the canyon walls for review from the safety and comfort of my armchair back home.  When I enlarged and reviewed my photos, I was able to see one small site that had a Linear Style Basketmaker anthropomorh, a zoomorph (sheep), and a couple of other small elements.  It wasn’t Jaberwocky, but it was something to show for all our effort that morning!

THE ROCKSHELTER IN THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THIS PHOTO CAUGHT MY ATTENTION AND WHEN I EXAMINED THE PATINIZED SURFACES BELOW AND TO THE LEFT, I FOUND SOME PETROGLYPHS.
IN THIS ENLARGED VIEW YOU CAN SEE THE FAINT PETROGLYPHS, THE ELEMENT ON THE RIGHT IS A VERY OLD ARCHAIC "RAKE STYLE" ANTHROPOMORPH (SEE PG. 16 OF TAPAMVENI FOR DETAILS OF THIS STYLE OF ART).

We Stop By The Highline Site…


On our way back to Holbrook, we decided to stop off and explore the area around the highlines north of IH-40 near exit 277.  We had seen a notation about this area on one of David Daniel’s old photographs.  We didn’t find anything spectacular, but we did find a few small panels.  Below are a couple of the photos we took at what I decided to call “The Highline Site”.  For a more complete collection of my photos from this site, look here.   

LIKE MANY SITES LOCATED NEAR MAJOY THOROUGHFARES, THIS SITE HAS SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE AND GRAFITTI.
THIS PANEL FEATURED UNIQUE ZIPPER ELEMENTS.

Tuesday, March 10, 2026 —  Along The Little Colorado — Singing Bat, Doggone Bay and Another Disappointment


Tuesday morning we left our motel and headed south toward Woodruff Butte where we hoped to see the Singing Bat Site.  In short order we parked and made the hike to the site, and what a beautiful site it was in the golden morning sun.  Mike O’dell had first mentioned this site to me many years ago, and I am glad I finally got to see and experience it.  There was a large amount of rock art all along the small cliffside and Richard and I enjoyed our time exploring and photographing the area.  Here are a few photographs from that morning.  For a more complete gallery of photographs from this site look here.  

YOURS TRULY AT THE MAIN PANEL. ANY IDEAS ABOUT WHY IT IS CALLED SINGING BAT?
RICHARD, STANDING NEXT TO THE PANEL TO THE RIGHT OF THE MAIN PANEL AT SINGING BAT.
THE MORNING SUN WAS A LITTLE MORE FAVORABLE WHEN i TOOK THIS PHOTO OF THE MAIN PANEL AT SINGING BAT.
I CALL THE MAIN ELEMENT AT THIS LITTLE PANEL "JUMPROPE MAN".
MORE PANELS NEAR THE MAIN PANEL AT SINGING BAT.

After finishing up at The Singing Bat Site we headed s short distance north to the Doggone Bay Site.  This site is probably best known because of an element that features four “directional dancers” positioned around a large concentric circle.  There is also an armless man flanked by two staff bearers directly below the directional dancers.  I was not real happy with my photos since I hiked down to the river and the site with the wrong lens on my camera.  Heavy trees and brush with confusing braided trails made the going difficult, so I choose not to hike back up to get my long lens.  In addition to the main panel, Doggone Bay also has three small single element panels nearby.  Below is one of the pictures I took of the main panel.  For a more complete gallery of photos I took at this site, look here.  

THE MAIN PANEL AT THE DOGGONE BAY SITE ON THE LITTLE COLORADO RIVER. THE DIRECTIONAL DANCERS ARE IN THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THE PANEL.
A LITTLE CLOSER LOOK AT THE DOGGONE BAY MAIN PANEL.

Another Disappointment…


We left Doggone Bay and drove south to look for another site that we had location information on.  This site was also supposed to be located on the Little Colorado, but south of Woodruff Butte.  To make a long story short, we were unable to find the site.  All of the information checked out (where to turn, where to park, where to access the canyon, etc.) but we simply failed to find what we were looking for.  Richard stayed up top and hiked the rim of the canyon while I scoured the bottom, especially the area where the item we were looking for was supposed to be.  I did find four small non-descript panels during my search, but they were nothing to write home about as you can see from the photos below.  While disappointed, it was still a wonderful day to hike in a beautiful landscape!  

THIS WAS THE MOST INTERESTING OF THE FOUR SMALL PANELS THAT I FOUND ON THE LITTLE COLORADO RIVER SOUTH OF WOODRUFF BUTTE.
I GUESS YOU CAN CALL THIS A PANEL!
THIS SMALL PANEL WAS VERY CLOSE TO THE GROUND AND OBSCURED BY BRUSH. I WALKED RIGHT PAST IT TWICE BEFORE I SAW IT!
LIKE I SAID, NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT!

Wednesday, March 11, 2026 —  A Stop in Lithodendron Wash On The Way to Our Silver Creek Explorations


First thing Wednesday morning we left our motel in Holbrook and headed east on IH-40 toward Petrified Forest National Park.  Our target was a petroglyph in Lithodendron Wash called the Golden Fleece —  another petroglyph that is featured in McCreery and Malotki’s book Tapamveni.  We parked right near the wash, on the road that takes you to the Ranger Cabin near PFNP.  We hiked toward the area where we thought the petroglpyh would be found and in short order we were standing in front of it.  The light was not great, but we did our best to take acceptable photo images.  We also found several other petroglyphs in the vicinity of the Golden Fleece, including a figure that some call “Man With A Hole In The Head”.  Below are a couple of photos from our visit.  For a more complete gallery of pictures from this site, look here.  

THE GOLDEN FLEECE PANEL IN LITHODENDRUM WASH.
THE MAN WITH A HOLE IN HIS HEAD PANEL IN LITHODENDRUM WASH.

We finished up at Lithodendron Wash and headed south to do some exploring on Silver Creek.  We decided to start with Tenmile Wash, since the Albert J. Levine manuscript (which I had examined at the Museum of Northern Arizona earlier in the trip) stated that “Probably the greatest concentration of petroglyphs and the best preserved pictograph in the area may be found in Ten Mile Draw”.  We soon found ourselves entering the Tenmile Draw on the upper end and almost immediately began to find a few small petroglph panels.  It was easy going at first, but when we reached a small dam, it became apparent that water was going to be a problem.  I was able to climb up and bypass the dam but Richard decided to retrace our steps and hike along the rim of the draw.  I followed the draw until passage was blocked by deep pools of water, at which point I turned around.  Unfortunately, I did not make it to the area Levine referred to as “The Box”, which, from my review of the Levine materials, was the area that  contained some of the nicest panels and antenna figures.  While in the areas of the draw I was able to access, I saw a good number of petroglyphs and some were very interesting.  From the rim, Richard was able to get some nice shots that were not available to me down on the floor of the wash.  While disappointed that I was not able to walk the entire length of the draw, I am glad that I got to experience what I did.  Below are a few photos from our visit to Tenmile Draw.  For a more complete gallery of photos of this site, look here.  

THE FIRST PETROGLYPHS WE SPOTTED IN THE UPPER END OF TENMILE DRAW.
RICHARD STANDING ON THE ROCK DAM IN TENMILE DRAW. BELOW THE DAM BUT NOT VISIBLE IN THIS PHOTO IS A LARGE POOL OF WATER.
ONE OF THE FIRST NICE PANELS I SPOTTED AFTER I MADE IT PAST THE ROCK DAM.
INTERESTING PANEL THAT HAS A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING, INCLUDING TWO NICE ANTENNA MEN ELEMENTS.
A NICE LITTLE PANEL THAT FEATURES TWO ANTENNA MEN FIGURES.
THIS PANEL IN TENMILE DRAW LOOKED VERY OLD AND WELL USED.
RICHARD TOOK THIS PHOTO FROM THE RIM AFTER I HAD CLIMBED UP FOR A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS SMALL PANEL. THANK YOU RICHARD!
ANOTHER PHOTO RICHARD TOOK FROM THE RIM, POINTING OUT THE TOP OF A ROCK THAT HAD AN INTERESTING PANEL ON IT.
RICHARD WAS ABLE TO GET A NICE SHOT OF THIS PANEL FROM THE RIM.
NEAR THE END OF MY ABILITY TO HIKE IN TENMILE WASH.

From Tenmile Wash we headed down the road to Fivemile Wash.  When we arrived, it was disheartening to see a family was there for target practice.  I just assumed they would leave when they saw us arrive, but my assumption was wrong.  Their son, who looked like he was about 9 or 10 years old, was doing most of the shooting.  Although they paused their shooting while we were at the canyon’s edge taking some photos, before we finished up they moved a little further down the canyon edge and continued firing away.  When it was apparent they weren’t leaving anytime soon, any thoughts I had about climbing down into the canyon vanished.  Such a shame that the locals treat this site like this.  While we took a few photos from the rim, I would have liked to explore in the botton but I guess it was not to be.  Look here for a small gallery of photos I took at our disappointing visit to Fivemile Draw on Silver Creek.  

ONE OF THE MAIN PANELS AT FIVEMILE DRAW THAT IS VISIBLE FROM THE CANYON'S EDGE. A BEAUTIFUL PANEL DESPITE ALL THE GRAFITTI AND DAMAGE.

From Fivemile Draw we drove into Snowflake so we could get to the east side of Siver Creek where Canoncito Draw is located.  Canoncito was our last scheduled stop for the day and I was once again disappointed.  While we were able to drive very close to the junction of the draw with Silver Creek, when we got there, there was no obvious way down into the very steep canyon (where most of the petrgolyphs are located) and we didn’t have the time or energy to look for one. We did photograph a couple of small sites in the draw and one anthropomorphic figure located on the west side of Silver Creek that was visible from the Canoncito pour over point.  

A SMALL PANEL IN CANONCITO DRAW, NOT FAR FROM THE DRAW'S CONFLUENCE WITH SILVER CREEK.
LOOKING DOWN INTO SILVER CREEK FROM THE TOP OF THE HUGE POUR OVER AT ITS CONFLUENCE WITH CANONCITO DRAW.
AN ANTHROPOMORPHIC FIGURE IN SILVER CREEK AT ITS CONFLUENCE WITH CANONCITO DRAW. LIKE A LOT OF THE ROCK ART IN SILVER CREEK IT IS PEPPERED WITH GUNSHOTS.

I had high hopes for our visit to Silver Creek, especially after my stop in Flagstaff to look at the Albert Levine Collection at the Northern Arizona Museum.  These hopes were dashed at the end of our day in the Silver Creek area.  If I were much younger and had lots of time I would certainly enjoy revisiting the wonderful rock art to be found in this area — despite the ongoing damage by the locals.  But at my age and station in life I doubt that it will happen.  So I leave you with a more pleasant image —  my faithful Tacoma on the Silver Creek Bridge on Old Woodruff Road.  

THERE ARE REPORTS OF A LITTLE ROCK ART UNDER THIS BRIDGE, BUT I WAS TOO TIRED TO CLIMB DOWN INTO THE CANYON AND TAKE A LOOK.

Thursday, March 12, 2026 —  A Stop At The Geronimo Site and A Return Visit To An Old Friend


Richard and I spent the first part of the morning of Thursday, March 12, 2026, at the Geronimo Site.  I was pleasantly surprized at the quality and amount of rock art we found there. We enjoyed our time at this interesting site.  Below are a few photos from our visit to the Geronimo Site.  For a more complete gallery of photos from this site, look here.  

THE GERONIMO SITE WAS EASY TO GET TO WITH A FAIRLY SHORT HIKE ON A DIRT ROAD. HERE IS RICHARD ON THE WAY TO THE SITE.
tHIS LARGE PANEL AT GERONIMO FEATURES A NUMBER OF STRIKING PALAVAYU LINEAR STYLE ANTHROPOMORPHS.
THERE WERE QUITE A FEW PANELS LOCATED ON SOME OF THE SMALLER BOULDERS AT THE SITE.
THIS IS ONE OF THE PANELS LOCATED WAY UP HIGH AT THE SITE.

After finishing up at the Geronimo site, we headed east toward a small canyon that a friend had told me about several years ago.  Since I promised him that I would not publish the name and/or location of this special place, I am honoring that pledge.  Richard and I first visited this place in September 2024.  During that visit we did not go down into the small canyon, and only took limited photos from the canyon’s edge.  This visit Richard brought a rope which we used to get down to the canyon floor.  We had a very enjoyable afternoon exploring this special place.  

RICHARD USING A ROPE TO SAFELY CLIMB DOWN INTO THE UNNAMED CANYON.
LOTS OF NOOKS AND CRANIES WITH INTERESTING ROCK ART!

Friday, March 13 and Saturday March 14, 2026 —  Heading Home With a Stop At a Pictograph Site and a Stop to Look For Eagles

Richard and I said our goodbyes and parted ways on the morning of Friday, March 13, 2026.  Richard headed to El Mapais where he successfully located the Dittert Site and the “Igor” panel.  I headed for the Laguna Site, where I spent a few hours climbing around looking for pictographs.  

RICHARD PROVIDED THIS PHOTO FROM HIS VISIT TO THE DITTERT SITE IN EL MAPAIS. THAT IS "IGOR" ON THE LEFT. THANK YOU RICHARD!
A PHOTO I TOOK WHILE VISITING THE LAGUNA SITE.

Epilogue….


In spite of a number of disappointments, I thoroughly enjoyed this trip.  I was able to see some beautiful rock art in some beautiful landscapes.  I was able to meet some new friends, from Navajo guides to museum curators.  And, other than a few scratches I earned in Chevelon Canyon, I completed the trip safely, which is no small feat at my age.  I am grateful for my friend Richard —  this trip would not have been possible without his his hard work at pre-trip planning and his patient and cheerful companionship certainly made the trip more enjoyable, and safer, for me.  Thank you Richard!  Let’s do it again soon!

And last, but not least, I appreciate my wife Dorothy, who unselfishly lets me go on these little adventures.  I love you Dorothy!    Tom McC, April 15 (YIKES!), 2026