15 Must See Petroglyph & Pictograph Sites In The USA

In 2021, we traveled across the United States, visiting archeological sites around the country. These are the 15 best ancient rock art sites that we saw on our adventure. Enjoy!

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Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:40 Hemet Maze Stone
2:36 Celebration Park & Map Rock
3:58 Judaculla Rock, North Carolina
4:50 Track Rock Gap, Georgia
5:30 Seminole Canyon, Texas
6:29 Hueco Tanks, Texas
7:42 Los Lunas Decalogue Stone, New Mexico
8:41 Petroglyph National Monument, New Mexico
10:00 Chaco Canyon, New Mexico
10:46 Mesa Verde, Colorado
11:37 Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
12:15 V Bar V, Arizona
13:21 Palatki Heritage Site, Arizona
14:27 Joshua Tree, California
15:25 Chalfant Valley Petroglyphs, California

Drone disclaimer:
We are operating our drone under an FAA Commercial License Part 107. All footage was captured while operating our drone from permitted locations.

Useful LINKS on these 15 must see sites:

Hemet Maze Stone, California

Celebration Park & Map Rock Petroglyphs

Judaculla Rock, North Carolina

Track Rock Gap, Georgia

Seminole Canyon, Texas

Hueco Tanks, Texas

Los Lunas Decalogue Stone, New Mexico

Petroglyph National Monument, New Mexico

Chaco Canyon, New Mexico

Mesa Verde, Colorado

Petrified Forest, Arizona

V Bar V, Arizona

Palatki Heritage Site, Arizona

Chalfant, Chidago & Red Rock Petroglyphs - Bishop, CA

[MS-ijud]

Thanks for the great video, it was very informative. Also thank you for respecting the tribe's privacy.

[margaretstclaire]

For those in the Phoenix area, I'd recommend Petroglyph Falls, near Apache Junction. A 1.5 mile hike to a small waterfall with many petroglyphs.

[AwakenedVibration]

After capturing lots of photos of petroglyphs taken from Arches National park, I began searching for research on the symbolism online and haven't found anyone talking about this. There is soo much of it. it's amazing!

[patriciapalmer]

Was this a race and nobody told me ? It drives me INSANE when fascinating pictured items are flown by in lightning speed accompanied by audio descriptions spoken in the same manner. You tell us how interesting they are, the majority without funds to visit them and a tantalizing touch on then is frustrating and maddening. I left rather quickly, very dissappointed. It was like somebody saying, isn't this great ? Love ta show ya, no time, take my word for it, they're terrific. Loved it ! Hope ya go sometime.

[GrandmaBev]

Did you notice the hands on New Mexico, had six fingers? I've found six finger hands in Arizona too. Also, there are many sights that have been blown up by the Calvery, to try to erase their existence.

[Sedonalegendhelenfrye]

Hey you two, finally had time to watch this, super cool! As always thanks for sharing such great work and love the narration!

[auntronnie]

I never knew we had such sites so close to us. Great detail and I feel inspired to explore.

[thebeautifulhobo]

I have been to the Bishop sites and was treated with great suspicion & animosity when I stopped in the Park office to get a map. Perhaps his attitude was understandable considering vandals had removed a portion of rock wall which was later recovered from the living room of some local native americans.

It is believed some of the petroglyphs are road markers and maps depicting water sources and information for hunting or fishing for those who followed the herds and seasonal food sources. Different sites were for specific purposes, perhaps the stone for health during pregnancy and birth, cooking sites have yet different depictions. One of the Universities in Nevada tested the map hypothesis and actually discovered a buried water source.


Fascinating! It is as if peoples are reaching out from 10, 000 years ago to say the elk will be here when there is snow on the opposing White Mountains! Depicted a hunter with an atladel, deer, and pointed mountains peaks which, when looking up are located directly across the valley!

[tkfimyi]

You didn't include a single site in Utah. That's crazy. Utah has some of the best pictograph and petroglyph panels.

[fathomtheundertaker]

Great work, we have some awesome petroglyphs in Western Australia on the Burrup peninsular near Karatha. There are images of long extinct animals like the "Tasmanian Tiger". I found a small stone there that was not from the area, it was possibly used to make some of the petroglyphs 10's of thousands of years ago, I left that rock there, maybe it has some weird voodoo, mojo stuff I don't need

[AprilsRedeemedAndSetFree]

I lived in southern California for the first 17 years of my life. I saw so many. Used to live in yucca valley/ Joshua tree... So the native culture forever left a beautiful mark in me

[Leyenda]

You totally missed Alamo mountain near Hueco Tanks. Its way out of the way on BLM land with close to 10000 petroglyphs. When I was stationed at Ft. Bliss a couple of years back me and a buddy made several trips out there. Incredible but only found about 200 of them. I even saw a petroglyphs of a fish which led me to believe the land had water at the time....maybe?

[owenbarnes]

thanks gents - that footage is awesome

[scottbaker]

Best Petroglyphs I've ever seen are 20 miles north of Ridgecrest CA on the gunnery range of China Lake Naval Air Station.
The Maturango Museum has infrequent tours of Little Petroglyph canyon on Wild Horse Mesa.
it's a long drive and you have to be on the guided tour - several guard gates - south of Junction Ranch
Pannel after pannel of shamen, solar calendar spirals in flat table rocks, Vs, Antiquated spears, atl-atl, bows, and even one gun shooting person with a hat on a horse.
the spirals and Vs are coverd by 4000 years of desert patina, newer bighorn sheep, with atl-atl have less patina, there is a line of people going to the mountain pass, and a canoe - it's hundreds of miles to any river. The canyon hike is several miles of petroglyphs until it dumps off the mesa. Better than Mesa Verde.

[robertmclean]

McConkie Ranch by Vernal, It has a Panel called the Three Kings that was on the Cover of National Geographic in the 60s. Fremont Indians.

[nibiruresearch]

Thank you for this video. I can explain a few things about these petroglyphs. Very important is the square cross at 9 min. 20 sec. This symbol can be found all over the world also on cylinder seals from Sumer which are at least 5, 000 years old. At 2 min 16 sec we see a square cross with in it a swastika. The square cross within a circle, the spiral and the square cross as at 9 min 40 sec right below and the figurines with hands up are all referring to the crossing of the ninth planet in our solar system. That event occurs every few thousand years and causes a terrible flood and many more unpleasant effects. Many people and animals die. The people with hands up are frightened when they see the planet appear in the sky. During the time that the planet 9 or Nibiru approaches our sun and its planets, the shape or appearance varies depending on the distance. Very far away we see only a spiral, later it appears as at 16 min 50 sec and when it is closer we see the square cross. We find this on a petroglyph in the Mojave desert. All drawings must be at least 2000 years old but most probably nearly 6, 000 years old. To learn much more about planet 9, the recurring flood cycle and its timeline, the rebirth of civilizations and ancient high technology, read the e-book: "Planet 9 = Nibiru". This book answers many of your questions about ancient history. It can be read on any computer, tablet or smartphone. Search: planet 9 roest

[patrickkelley]

U guys should check out picture rocks in southern Arizona near tucson

[isaiahmartian]

I found this state park after following the Missouri River back to its “head” waters. Noticed it’s a state park called keyhole state park. The squirrels made a neat out of a rock there known as keyhole rock. How did they chew the tunnels? What happens if you play a Native American style flute into the holes in keyhole rock. I googled the state park and found these petroglyphs resemble the “bird’s eye view” that the satellite images of keyhole state park. So maybe the petroglyphs were designed by ancient man to guide is to the head waters of the Missouri River. This is also where crazy horse was rumored to have his birthplace.

[Just.A.T-Rex]

Amazing to see humans leaving their mark with the hands were also right handed.

[jaysnerdrefuge]

"An elk jumping over an interdimensional portal"? um, okay, Rick C-137 - I think you might be reading a little TOO MUCH into a scribble on a rock. I think the 'elk' hypothesis is probably accurate (or really close), but... an interdimensional portal?? I'm not sure the natives of that time had the same concept of spatial dimensions as you and I do... I'm saying that part of it might be a BIT of a stretch....

But please don't take that one criticism to imply that I dislike the video or anything - I thought this was a great video, truly, and the sites look incredibly interesting and you did a great job with the descriptions, presentations, and the footage. It was a very worthwhile watch. Thank you for bringing this to all of us - I hope that some day I can see at least some of these places in person, but until then, I'm grateful that you brought them to us virtually.