Three Rivers Petroglyph Galleries

Three Rivers is the first large petroglyph site I ever visited.  It is located 17 miles north of Tularosa, New Mexico, on U.S. 54.  I have made three visits to this magnificent site, and hope I get to visit there many times in the future.  It is the kind of place that, no matter how many times you have been there before, you are always captivated by the beauty of the place and you always see something new.  Here is a little information about the site, from the BLM website:

“The Three Rivers Petroglyphs are outstanding examples of prehistoric Jornada Mogollon rock art. The basaltic ridge rising above the Three Rivers Valley contains over 21,000 petroglyphs, including masks, sunbursts, wildlife, handprints, and geometric designs. The number and concentration of petroglyphs make this one of the largest and most interesting rock art sites in the Southwest. A rugged 0.5-mile trail begins at the visitor shelter and links many of the most interesting petroglyphs. Another short trail begins on the east side of the picnic area and leads to a partially excavated prehistoric village.

The Three Rivers Petroglyph Site is one of the few locations in the Southwest set aside solely because of its rock art. It is also one of the few sites giving visitors such direct access to petroglyphs. The number and concentration of petroglyphs here make it one of the largest and most interesting petroglyphs sites in the Southwest. More than 21,000 glyphs of birds, humans, animals, fish, insects and plants, as well as numerous geometric and abstract designs are scattered over 50 acres of New Mexico’s northern Chihuahuan Desert. The petroglyphs at Three Rivers, dating back to between about 900 and 1400 AD, were created by Jornada Mogollon people who used stone tools to remove the dark patina on the exterior of the rock. A small pueblo ruin is nearby and Sierra Blanca towers above to the east. A detailed petroglyph guide is available at the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site.”

Here is a description of Jornada Mogollon rock art from Polly Schaafsma, recognized as the pre-eminent rock art expert in New Mexico:

“Like Mimbres pottery designs, Jornada Style rock art is characterized by life-forms, frequently delineated in outline with emphasis on heads that are show with facial features.  Rock art elements include a variety of highly stylized animals, birds, horned serpents, trapezoidal or rectangular figures with huge eyes, both naturalistic and formalized anthropomorphs, and faces and masks as independent elements.  In addition there are cloud terraces with rainbows as the base and large formal abstracts that incorporate step frets and mazelike elements, some of which represent textile or pottery designs.”

The first of my three visits was in August of 2015.  I made my second visit in August of the next year, 2016.  I visited again in December of 2017.  After going through my pictures while making this post, I decided that I am far overdue for another visit!  I have grouped the galleries into the three different times I visited.  As you will see, each visit had a little different focus, so hopefully you will not find them too repetitive.  I hope you enjoy my photos of this special place!

Galleries From My August 8, 2015 Visit

My first visit to Three Rivers was on the afternoon of August 8, 2015.  Dorothy and I had planned a much longer trip than we ended up taking because, early on the morning of our second day, I cut off about a half inch of my left index finger.  We had driven to Cuba, New Mexico on August 5, 2015 and spent the night in a motel there.  Early the next morning I got up early to take a hike and I had an accident trying to hook up my trailer.  We were headed to the Pecos Conference in Mancos, Colorado and drove on up there after a doctor sewed me up in Farmington, New Mexico.  That night I was able to attend a pre-party for the conference and interview Dr. Steve Lekson.  I was writing a paper about the theory contained in his book entitled The Chaco Meridian, and I wanted to ask him some questions, which I was able to do.  (By the way, I made an “A” on my paper!).  Anyway, that night my finger and hand began to really hurt as the anesthesia from the surgery wore off, so we headed home early.  For my blog post that includes this visit to Three Rivers, look here.  On the way home we  stopped at Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque and then at Three Rivers.  We only got to spend a few hours there, and started my visit by hiking the traditional main trail.  We did not make it to the end, because we ran out of time.  Here are some of the photos I took that day.

Galleries From My August 7, 2016 Visit

In August, 2016 I attended the Pecos Archaeological Conference held in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest near Alpine, Arizona.  On the trip home I stopped and spent a day at Three Rivers.  On this visit, I hiked to the far end of the basalt ridge and started working my way back to the trailhead and campground.  As a result, much of what I saw that day I had not seen on my previous visit.  To see my blog post about the trip that includes this visit to Three Rivers, look here.  Here are some of my photos from that day.

Galleries From My December 4, 2017 Visit

After my sister Molly passed in late November, 2017, I took a little rock art trip to help me grieve and rejuvenate.  I stopped at Three Rivers on my way home on this trip.  This time I wanted to find a particular petroglyph that Margaret Barrier had posted pictures of on Facebook.  I had a pretty good idea that if, instead of following the main trail, I explored the western talus of the ridge, I would find the petroglyph I was looking for.  Sure enough, I ended up finding it, and, as was the case in my second visit, I saw a lot of petroglyphs I had not seen before.  For my blog post of the trip that includes this visit to Three Rivers, look here.  Here are some of my photos from that visit.

Galleries & Photos From My September 20, 2024 Visit

My next visit to the Three Rivers site was on September 20, 2024, on the front end of a rock art trip with my friend Dr. Richard Romeyn. While the primary purpose of this trip was to find sites that had evaded me over the years, I decided to stop at Three Rivers and take some photos with my D500 and a new lens I had recently purchased.  Here are a few photos I shot in RAW format and processed with Lightroom Classic….

I also took some cell phone photos on this trip to Three Rivers, hoping I might get some new perspectives on  some old friends, or perhaps meet some new ones.  My cell phone photos are in the gallery below.