Public Rock Art Sites
Why am I doing this?
When I started our other web site in 2001, I did it out of frustration at not being able to locate any useable information for my research about petroglyphs in southern Nevada. I found the usual Valley of Fire, Red Rock Canyon, and the big sites in Utah, but nothing in concentration dealing with southern Nevada. So along came http://www.forsythlv.com . Our web site is now being used by researchers from all over the world, as well as educational institutions in the U.S. and Canada, and others that are just interested in petroglyphs.
I will continue working on our "Southern Nevada Petroglyph" web site, but at the same time I'll be working on our new venture - this site, "Driving Directions to Public Rock Art Sites in Nevada".
As with our first web site dealing with Rock Art in Southern Nevada, I am doing this web site out of frustration at not being able to locate without a massive amount of research information dealing with Public Rock Art Sites in Nevada. What I hope to accomplish over the next couple of years is to give the "General Public" a central place to go where they can get all of the necessary information to visit the Public Rock Art Sites in Nevada. This site will be an ongoing project and will be refined as we get feedback from viewers.
Please Note: All information appearing on this web site pertaining to the location of any Public Rock Art Site is taken from public records, official agency web sites, PBS TV (online), published map books (such as Delorme map books, Nevada Road & Recreation Atlas, Nevada Map Atlas) and books on Rock Art Sites in Nevada.
Take responsibility when a visiting a site:
There are a few things that you should keep in mind when visiting an archaeological site of any kind. Be watchful where you and other members of your party - including pets - walk, camp, target practice, climb, dig and place your hands. If at all possible, keep on established trails and use only designated camp sites. If you can't use a designated campsite, please be mindful of where you build your camp fire. Last year I came across an old camp fire that was built directly under a ledge that contained pictographs. The pictographs had been destroyed by the smoke and heat of the fire. Another thing that many of us have seen in the field are the bullet holes in petroglyph panels, usually caused by target practice. Unknown to the hunter, the crack in the rock that he was using as a target was part of an 800 year old petroglyph that now has been destroyed.
Please remember the act of carelessness took only a second, but destroyed something that has endured for possibly a thousand years. Most of the damage to sites is not done maliciously, but accidentally. The examples above were accidental, and many times the damage can never be repaired. To see deliberate vandalism go to: "Little Red Rock Vandalism" .
Enjoy what you are seeing, and leave with only photographs, memories, and whatever you brought in with you. Leave everything else in place for the next person to see and enjoy. Please visit "Leave No Trace Principles" . Also please see our short blurb on Rock Art Etiquette .
Know your limits:
The most important thing, especially if you are new to the desert, is to "know your limits". For more information, please see our section entitled "A Few Tips for Hiking in the Desert".
If you need to find me, send e-mail to:
