Grapevine Canyon (Summary Page)

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This page last updated on 10/11/2017

(Fig. 01)

Note: To learn more about the history of this site, the cultures who used it and how religion and the practice of shamanism explains many of the images found here, scroll to the sections “Site Occupation and History” and the “Relationship between Rock Art and Religion” at the bottom of this post .

Site Overview: A study of Grapevine Canyon by the Nevada Rock Art Foundation for the National Park Service back in late 2009 recorded nearly 300  panels. The site's challenging topography and geology, extreme height of many panels, and the fact that many large panels contain dozens of very densely packed, complex, abstract designs, all combine to make this one of the most intriguing rock art sites found anywhere. Just standing in Grapevine Wash, elevation 2,395 feet, looking up towards the canyon from its base (Fig. 01), one is confronted with dozens of large boulder surfaces on both the south (Fig. 02) and north (Fig. 03) sides of the outer canyon walls that collectively contain dozens of panels with hundreds of individually pecked petroglyph images, some estimated to be more than 1,200 years old. Being careful not to damage any of the panels, climbing the east facing cliff (Fig 04) on the south side of the canyon will reveal many glyphs, seen in the collage in (Fig. 05), that are barely visible from the ground below. Could the image in Figure 5-1 be some type of centipede? Could the two etchings in the upper left corner of Figure 5-2 be representative of humming birds? Are the two zoomorphs in Figure 5-1 & 5-5 bighorn sheep?

(Fig. 02) (Fig. 03)

(Fig. 04)

(Fig. 05)

The cliffs on the north side of the canyon are even more densely packed with dozens of distinctive rectilinear, symmetrical and geometric design forms, including "I" shapes, patterned lines, "H"-like motifs, and internally decorated rectangles. It is hard not to be overwhelmed by the sight (Figs. 06 thru 09) of these panels. The fact of the matter is that this is only the "tip of the iceberg". Hiking further into the canyon the walls on both sides of the canyon reveal hundreds more images (Figs. 10 & 10a) and (Figs. 11 & 12). In addition, hiking and climbing the east facing cliffs and hills on on the north side, reveals dozens more smaller panels, many hidden from view when walking along the sands at their base, a few of which can be seen in the collage in (Fig. 13). In fact, excavations have revealed that some of these Petroglyphs protrude 40 to 50 feet below the current sand level in the wash, as evidenced by (Fig. 14). These are some of the first known petroglyphs and have been buried for hundreds of years.

(Fig. 06)

The heavily incised boulder (Fig. 06) is just outside a ceremonial cave that has been dubbed, "shaman's cave." Several images can be found inside this small cave including a sheep-like zoomorph, a snake, star burst, etc. Jimsonweed (Datura wrightii), which abounds in the wash that runs through the canyon, can be found growing nearby the cave. This hallucinogenic plant may explain the plethora of so-called entoptic designs. Hunter-gatherer shamanism is anchored in institutionalized altered states of consciousness sough by shamans. To achieve ecstatic trance states, shamans typically resorted to techniques that ranged from non-chemical practices such as drumming, dancing, and sensory deprivation, to the use of psychotropic drugs. Much of the iconography found here suggests that Datura may have been employed as a hallucinogenic catalyst for altered states of consciousness.

(Fig. 07)

(Fig. 08)

(Fig. 09)

(Fig. 10) (Fig. 10a) There is a very distinct PBA (Pattern Body Anthropomorph) in the center of (Fig. 10) with a rectangular body and faint suggestion of arms and legs. It has been suggested that the figure to the left may be opposing arrowheads inside rectangle symbolizing “warefare”. On the right there are a series of circles, a bighorn sheep, and a starburst.

(Fig. 11) (Fig. 12)

Clicking (Fig. 11) to enlarge you can more easily see several representations of atlatls, an ancient tool used by the Anasazi (Puebloan) cultures, 1,500-800 years ago, before the invention of the bow and arrow. Atlatl is an Aztec Indian word for spear thrower. It was a shaft which was used as a lever to increase the power imparted to a spear or dart, allowing them to be thrown further and with greater speed and power. Click here for more information on the atlatl ... The Atlatl. The view in (Fig. 12) contains numerous meandering dots and lines and two bear claws (upper left). During vision quests, shaman would evoke animal images as spirit guides, omens, and message-bearers. The bear was known to be one of the most powerful spirit animals in touch with the earth and the cycles of nature, and a powerful guide to physical and emotional healing.

(Fig. 13)

As was often the practice, a cross representing a star was emphasized by surrounding it with concentric lines, bottom center of (Fig. 13-4). This same symbol can be found on at least three different panels at this site. Could this south-facing star perhaps represent Sirius, the brightest star in the sky.

(Fig. 14)

Though the vast majority of petroglyphs found here are nonrepresentational geometric motifs, several engravings contain zoomorphs (Fig. 15) such as deer or bighorn sheep and snakes, as well as a limited number of stylized anthropomorphs (Fig 16). After doing a lot more searching and hiking for panels on my last visit, I found several more panels containing rare zoomorphs that could be bighorn sheep, or possibly elk or deer (Fig. 17).

(Fig. 15)

(Fig. 16)

(Fig. 17)

As you can see by many of the pictures above, the varying degree of the patina color and intensity of many etched images suggests the possibility that some of the images may have been reworked. The following was noted by Quinlan & Woody in 2009, …

“Many designs appear to have been carefully reworked or refreshed over a long period, attesting to the enduring cultural significance of this place and its art. These "refreshing's" often exhibit great care to respect the outlines of the design being enhanced; the dense packing of designs on the same boulder and superimpositioning also were done in a way that suggests enhancement not obliteration. The emphasis on abstract designs and the fact that representational imagery is only a small component of the total motif assemblage can be argued to be indicative of a form of symbolism that was restricted in terms of those who had access to its meanings and authorized to provide exegeses of it.”

Because many of the petroglyphs panels at this site are on rock faces that high up on the canyon walls, they are difficult to see without ‘zooming’ in on them. In order for you to get a better feel for the panels natural setting as well as have a better opportunity to observe the many individual element within the panel, I have created some images that combines both the distant shots with their close-ups. Click here to view these … More Grapevine Canyon Petroglyph Pictures.

Site Occupation & History: The vast number of rock art panels on this site make it apparent that it has had a long history of use. Dating from early Patayan cultures up to the late eighteenth century. The term Patayan is used by archaeologists to describe the prehistoric Native American cultures that inhabited parts of modern day Arizona, California and Baja California, including southern Nevada and areas near the Colorado River Valley. These prehistoric people appear to be ancestral to several Yuman and Numic speaking tribes from this area, including the Mojave, Hualapai, Yavapai, Havasupai, Quechan, Pai Pai, Maricopa, Chemehuevi and Southern Paiute. “Numic” is a branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. It includes seven languages spoken by Native American peoples traditionally living in the Great Basin and Colorado River basin. Today, it still remains culturally significant to modern Indian Peoples living in the region. Mohave (or Mojave) is the name given to a Native American people indigenous to the Colorado River in the Mojave Desert. The Mojave peoples held lands along the river that stretched from Black Canyon, where the tall pillars of First House of Mutavilya loomed above the river, past Avi kwame (Spirit Mountain), the center of spiritual things, to the Quechan Valley, where the lands of other tribes began. Translated into present landmarks, their lands began in the north at Hoover Dam and ended about one hundred miles below Parker Dam on the Colorado River.

Relationship Between Rock Art and Religious Beliefs: Even though modern day Mojaves have been unable to provide specific glyph interpretations of the many designs found at Grapevine canyon, they have offered a general setting from which to interpret the drawings.

“The drawings depict Creation Mythology. Every Indian nation possessed a similar Creation Mythology and these societies held it of higher importance than anything in life. For the Mojave, their Creation Mythology depicted the story of such powerful gods as Matavilya and Mastamho who shaped the world, fought off evil spirits, and taught men and women how to survive off the land.” (1)

Traditional Yuman beliefs are characterized by a creation myth and belief in a supreme creator.

“According to the Mojave creation myth, the oldest spirit was Matavilya, made from the mating of Earth and Sky. Matavilya had two sons, Mastamho and Kaatar, and a daughter, Frog. Matavilya committed an unwitting indecency that offended his daughter, who then killed them. Mastamho directed the cremation and mourning ceremony for his father and, when completed, strode up the Colorado River Valley. When he got to the top Mastamho created the river by plunging a cane of breath and spittle into the earth, allowing the river to pour forth. Riding a canoe down the waters to the ocean, he created the wide river bottom by twisting and turning the boat. He returned from the ocean with his people, the Mojave, taking them in his arms to the northern end of Mojave country. There he piled up earth, creating the mountain Avlkwa'ame, and built himself a house on it. There too Mastamho plotted the death of Sky- Rattlesnake, an evil spirit and the source of dark powers. Mastamho killed Sky-Rattlesnake by cutting off his head, with his spilt blood becoming noxious insects. Mastamho then gave land to the different tribes and taught them to farm. Finally, Mastamho turned himself into a fish-eagle and flew off into oblivion.” (2)

Though much of the detail about these beliefs has been lost over many subsequent generations, the Mohave have passed on their faith through traditional narratives and songs. The religious beliefs for these, and many other western cultures, were practiced by shamanism, a form of worship that was centered around a shaman (medicine man) and their personal interaction with supernatural spirits. By fasting and ingesting hallucinogens during a “vision quest”, a shaman would enter a trance state, throwing himself into the invisible world where all these ancestors of the modern human-people remained imprinted on the fabric of the spirit realm.

"Immediately following a vision quest, the shaman would pray and concentrate on the vision he had received. When moring came, he would paint or engrave his vision on rocks at his vision quest site. The art created by a shaman was meant to preserve his visionary images for posterity; if a shaman forgot his vision, it was believed he would sicken or die. Shamans sometimes returned to the site of their first vision quest to revitalize the memory of that first trance, to renew their power, and perhaps t reenter the supernatural world for additoinal powers and spirit helpers."(2) “The importance of this cosmogenic myth to rock art is two folds. Known as the "Shaman's Tale," it was precisely this myth that the shaman "dreamed" to obtain his supernatural powers: In Yuman fashion, the shaman was believed to re-experience and witness these mythic events of creation in the supernatural world and, from them, obtain his power. It is at the foot of Spirit Mountain that the important Grapevine Canyon petroglyph site is located; that is, Grapevine Canyon is Atastamho's House, where the Mojave shaman went to witness, in his dreams, the creation of the world.(2)

“In looking at the Grapevine Canyon petroglyphs with this setting in mind, it becomes possible that the individual glyphs were ideograms or symbols that either captured a specific event in this four-fold evolutionary process or signified at what point in this four-fold process a specific event was taking place. That is, the petroglyph designs were the mythological stories in chronological form expressed through ideograms by the Mojave people or their ancestors. As an ideogram, each glyph was infused with meaning on its own, but that meaning was amplified when placed in combinations with other glyphs. Glyphs were either geometric, based on permutations of circles or extensions of lines, or representational, based on humanoids, therianthropes (part-animal, part-human), or animals. At Grapevine Canyon, some of the glyphs can be readily identified with Creation Mythology while others are more difficult to comprehend. The more obvious ones include: Creation: circles, rayed circles, spirals; God-people: amorphous humanoids with accouterments (ie: solar crowns, snakes); Animal-people: semi-humanoids with horns or tails; Modern Human-people: male and female genitalia, the squared-cross denoting the sacred number 4 or the idea of completion. There is still much work to be done by scholars in regard to the interpretation of these complex symbols. Fortunately, scholarship in recent years, when faced with the insurmountable evidence that the same glyphs reappear on rocks thousands of miles from one another, has gone beyond the suggestions that the designs on the rocks were indiscriminate doodles.” (1)

This fact is evidenced by the petroglyphs found at Keyhole Canyon located about halfway between Las Vegas and Searchlight, outside the town of Nelson in the Eldorado Mountains. For pictures of Keyhole Canyon Petroglyphs go to this page … Keyhole Canyon Petroglyphs.

“While it is unknown who carved the petroglyphs at Keyhole Canyon, scholars do agree that the Mohave, the Paiute, and the Anasazi/Pueblo were the main groups in the region thousands of years ago. Keyhole Canyon is a unique site because of the unusually large, round, geometric glyphs that cover several rock faces. These glyph symbols match up perfectly with other glyph patterns in the Southern Nevada region. As with Grapevine Canyon, many archaeologists interpret the mysterious symbols as stemming from the Creation Mythology of the Native Americans who lived in and around the region. In this case, that would mean the Mojave, Paiute, and Anasazi/Pueblo. By using this Creation Mythology as the general setting for understanding the meaning of the rock art, the following tentative explanations can be given: The Circle: The source of everything, the highest level of spirit; The Bisected Circle: When in combination with a male phallus, this is a female glyph symbolizing the separation of the human-people into man and woman. When in combination with astral glyphs, the notion of the feminine takes on a cosmic level. In Pueblo mythology, the twain worlds, or two, are created before the terrestrial world. That is, the first manifestation from the empty circle, or spirit, is dual, or the bisected circle. In Mojave, Paiute, and Pueblo mythology, the Grandmother of Many, who preceded Coyote, is one of the earliest god-people; The Cross within the Circle: As already noted, the circle represents highest spirit. The four arms of the cross correspond to the Native American sacred number 4 or completion. For example, the number 4 consistently appears: 4 worlds or ages, 4 Old Men, 4 directions, 4 solstices/equinoxes, 4 migrations, 4 colors, 4 divisions of night, 4 sacred mountains, 4 daughters of Coyote, 4 times for Coyote to repeat an action before he is finished. In Creation Mythology, what is being completed is the evolution of the human-people. Therefore, the cross within the circle symbolizes highest spirit evolving and completing itself through the separation of the human-people into male and female.” (1)

At any rate, the petroglyphs found at both these locations are not mere doodles or idle recreation. On the contrary, these labor-intensive carvings undoubtedly represent the visionary re-creation of mythical or otherworldly dimensions. Obviously, we may never fully know their true meanings.

(1) - by Don Shepherd, 17 January 2011.(2) - David S. Whitley, A Guide to Rock Art Sites: Southern California and Southern Nevada (Missoula, Montana: Mountain Press Publishing Company, 1996), p. 128

Trip Notes for 10/16/2014 (Sacatone Canyon)

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(Fig. 01)

(Fig. 02)

10/16/2014 Trip Notes: Because I have made several trips to Grapevine Canyon and the surrounding area, I am always looking for some place new to hike. On 01/31/2013 Harvey and I hiked up the canyon wash (route in yellow in Fig. 2). Having been told on a previous visit that there were some petroglyphs in the hills south of the wash, we hiked west, headed to the top of the visible ridgeline (just left of center in (Fig. 04) in the hopes of finding them. Though it seemed steep at times, the elevation gain from the bottom of the wash was only about 250 feet. Near the top of the ridge is a granite outcrop that looks like “snoopy” lying on his back (head to the right) as seen in (Figs. 05 & 06). After reaching this spot we turned south and hiked the top of the ridge all the way back to Grapevine Canyon where the rest of our group had been hiking. Refer to the green line in (Fig. 02). (Fig. 03) Even though we were unable to locate any petroglyphs on this hike we enjoyed some interesting geology and some beautiful views (Figs. 07 & 08). At one point we came across the remains of a barrel cactus that appeared as though someone had sliced it with a sword (Fig. 03). We also found a large, and quite healthy chola cactus (Fig. 09) near the top of one of the ridges. In total, this hike ended up being about two miles by the time we reached Grapevine Canyon Wash. It was just a perfect day for hiking, mid 80’s, sunny with a slight breeze.

(Fig. 04)

(Fig. 05)

(Fig. 06)

(Fig. 07)

(Fig. 08)

(Fig. 09)

Sacatone Canyon – Inside Bridge Canyon Wilderness Area

(Fig. 01)

(Fig. 02)

10/16/2014 Trip Notes: My latest trip to the Bridge Canyon Wilderness Area resulted in a hike between the Sacatone Canyon and Grapevine Canyon. Instead of adding info and pictures for this hike here, I decided this time to create a separate page. Click here for additional information and pictures on this hike  ... Trip Notes for 10/16/2014 (Sacatone Canyon). 01/31/2013 Trip Notes: The plan of the day was to skip grapevine canyon and hike up to the top of Sacatone Canyon, about a 2.5 mile hike from the road (Fig. 01) with an elevation gain of nearly 1,000 feet. Both of these canyons cut through the Newberry Mountains – with the top of Sacatone Canyon reaching a altitude of 3,145 feet. Shortly after the start of the hike we came upon several rock depressions that still contained pools of water (Fig. 03). Unfortunately less than halfway up we ran into a very narrow area (Fig. 04), with twenty foot sides, that resembled a waterfall like area where the rocks were worn so smooth (Fig. 05) that they prevented us from climbing up any further. Refer to map in (Fig. 02). We then backed up a bit and took a rather steep hike up the north side of the wash (Fig. 06) that would have eventually allowed us to circumvent this area. However, by the time we reached the top of this area, we decided we didn’t have enough time to make the detour and the rest of the climb to the top. Disappointed in not getting to the top, we still enjoyed the hike up this wash and some of the views it provided. The view northeast across the valley below is seen in (Fig. 07). In the very center of the view south (Fig. 08) you can just barely see a section of the Colorado River (click to enlarge). The two rows of mountains behind that are actually in Arizona. Click here to see two images from here that I converted to black and white ... Black & White Images of Sacatone Canyon. We never did find any of the petroglyphs reported to be in this canyon – maybe they were higher up. Still having a little time left when we returned to the van, we spent the last 45 minutes hiking the wash on the south side of the road towards the Sacatone Spring. Even though this area of the wash started out relatively open (Fig. 09), the sides were soon covered with Cholla Cactus (Fig. 10) and the center of the was became so clogged with heavy brush, reeds and trees (Fig. 11), that is was impossible to navigate. We had to climb up out of the wash and hike along the sides. Unfortunately, we ran out of time and had to return to the van before we reached the actual spring. I think this might be a good hike in the spring when the trees and vegetation would be more in bloom from the winter rains.

(Fig. 03)

(Fig. 04)

(Fig. 05)

(Fig. 06)

(Fig. 07)

(Fig. 08)

(Fig. 09)

(Fig. 10)

(Fig. 11)

Play a Slide Show Clicking the picture-link below will open OneDrive in a new window and a folder containing 16 pictures taken of trip to the Mojave National Preserve. To view the show, click on the first picture in the folder and you will get the following menu bar: Clicking the "Play slide show" will play a fullscreen window of the slide show. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ___________________________________________________ Note: Every attempt is made to provide accurate information, but occasionally depictions are inaccurate by error of mapping, navigation or cataloging. The information on this site is provided without any warranty, express or implied, and is for informational and historical purposes only. Go Back to the previous page ... (LINK).

Grapevine Canyon Hikes - Inside The Bridge Canyon Wilderness Area

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(Fig. 01)

Area Description: The Grapevine Canyon area, lies to the south of Spirit Mountain, the highest peak in the Newberry Mountains, and contains a spectacular assemblage of petroglyphs pecked into a ridge of hard granite at the mouth of Grapevine Canyon, making it the biggest petroglyph site in southern Nevada. It is located inside the boundaries of the Bridge Canyon Wilderness Area, just south of the Spirit Mountain Wilderness Area in southern Nevada. Spirit Mountain, to the north, rises to an elevation of 5,639 feet above sea level. It and its surrounding canyons are considered sacred grounds for the Yuman speaking tribes of the lower Colorado River. The Mojave Indians had called this site their homeland for thousands of years, yet it is unknown whether the Mojaves or their Paleo-Indian / Desert Archaic ancestors created the petroglyphs at the site. The mountain plays a prominent role in the religion and mythology of these people. They believe the mountain (called Avikwame by the Mohave people and Wikame by the Hualapai) is the spiritual birthplace of the tribes. Their creation story says ... "At one time all people belonged to one tribe, but they began to quarrel. The Creator, Mutavela, settled the dispute by dividing the great land into four sections, the North peoples, the South peoples, the East peoples and the West peoples. The Mohave were the west people and occupied the land along the Colorado River from what is now Black Canyon to the Bill Williams River." Spirit Mountain and its surrounding canyons collectively have been named a "Traditional Cultural Property" and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of their significance to the Yuman speaking tribes which include Mohave, Hualapai, Yavapai, Havasupai, Quechan, Pai pai and Maricopa. This area is still sacred to the members of these tribes. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 15, 1984. The Grapevine Canyon Petroglyphs: As is usual for other Colorado River locales, representational or figurative motifs are rare at the site being heavily outnumbered by geometric designs defying interpretation. Determining the exact age of the petroglyphs found here is difficult. Evidence from recent research projects indicates that the age of the etchings spans a time period from as recent as 150 – 200 years ago to more than 1200 years ago. Even though the majority are complex combinations of geometric forms almost impossible to interpret, there are some familiar motif types present at the site such as sheep and occasional human “stick-like”  figures as well as a few "patterned-body” stylized human figures. Many who have studied these engravings question whether these more recognizable motifs represent Yuman Petroglyphs or instead were created by non-Yuman shamans. Because Spirit Mountain is sacred to the Native American tribes in this region, it was widely renowned as a place of great supernatural power. It is entirely possible that shamans from different cultures came here for their own types of vision quests, adding their own unique engravings. For more petroglyph pictures, view the slideshow below and visit the following link ... Grapevine Canyon - Site Petroglyph Photos.

(Fig. 01a)

03/12/2015 Trip Notes: Even though this was my fifth visit to this area, it was my most productive in terms of petroglyph finds. I spent the entire time climbing and hiking the cliffs on both sides of the canyon with my hiking partner Blake Smith (Fig. 01a). This climbing around allowed me to locate literally dozens of panels that I had never seen before. As a result, I created a whole new page to show the many panels and glyphs that I have located here. To view pictures and learn more about the area, who may have created them, and how the religions of ancient tribes as practiced by Shaman, click here … Grapevine Canyon - Site Petroglyph Photos. Even as dry as it has been, Blake and I were both pleased to see the sprouting of dozens of wildflowers as we hiked up and down the wash and around the base of the canyon. I put together the following collage (Fig. 01c) with some of our more colorful finds.

(Fig. 01c)

10/31/2013 Trip Notes: Because I had been here on several previous visits with the rock-hounds from the Henderson Senior Facility, I did not hike to the petroglyphs or take any pictures other than the one below (Fig. 01d). As often happens, I am always looking for rock formations that remind me of something -  to me this one looked like a sheep lying down. The majority of my pictures today were confined to our stop at Hiko Spring … Hiko Spring Rock Art Site.

(Fig. 01d)

11/01/2012 Trip Notes: As I hiked other areas on this particular visit, I do not have any new pictures to add to this location. However, be sure to read on and visit links to more pages showing some of the many petroglyphs found at this location.

02/09/2012 Trip Notes: The rock hounds from the Henderson Heritage Park Senior Facility spent the majority of the day hiking Grapevine Canyon, with brief stops at Sacatone Wash and around some of the areas’ huge monolithic-like granite outcrops. This being my fourth trip to Grapevine Canyon, I have captured nearly all of its outstanding petroglyphs as well as having hiked up three quarters of its length. As a result, I really didn’t get very many new photographs on today’s visit, though I did find a couple of rock faces high up that contained a few petroglyphs (Figs. 02 & 03) that I had missed on previous visits. I also got a couple of pictures of a Western Chukwalla (Figs. 05 & 06) sunning himself that several people in our group spotted (Fig. 04) high up on a ledge.

(Fig. 02)

(Fig. 03)

(Fig. 04)

(Fig. 05)

(Fig. 06)

10/13/2011 Trip Notes: This visit was on a hike with the rock-hounds from the Henderson Heritage Park Senior Facility. Even though this was my third visit to the canyon, I had never climbed all the way to the top of the canyon and decided that I would leave most of the group behind and make the effort this time. I entered the wash next to the parking lot and headed west towards the mouth of Grapevine Canyon. The picture in (Fig. 07) below shows the view you have as you make the 1/4 mile hike up the sandy, dry wash to the base of the canyon.

(Fig. 07)

At the entrance to the canyon (elevation 2,395 feet) you are immediately presented with many of the more than 700 thousand year-old petroglyphs (Fig. 08) that dot both sides of the canyon walls. Excavations have revealed that some of these Petroglyphs protrude 40 to 50 feet below the current sand level in the wash. These are some of the first known petroglyphs and have been buried for hundreds of years. Used by the Mohave people, it is believed that the canyon may have served as a ritual location for summer solstice observations. Due to the number of petroglyphs here, I have created separate pages to present them. Click the following links for more petroglyph pictures ... ... Grapevine Canyon Petroglyphs.

(Fig. 08)

Looking up, there is usually a slow stream of water trickles from the rocks at the base of Grapevine Canyon and runs a few feet before disappearing into the sand, however, on today’s visit it was bone dry. Even though I did find some water in a few small springs located further up the canyon, this is the driest I've ever seen it. The picture on the left is looking up the canyon, and the picture below is looking down towards the wash; both are from a previous visit.













For those who have not made this rather arduous climb, here are a couple of views you might enjoy. The first view (Fig. 09) was looking westward toward the top of the canyon, and shows the “grapevines” spread across the whole width of the canyon. I climbed to the edge of the purplish ridge behind the “huge” cypress tree in the center of the picture before turning back. The next picture (Fig. 10), is looking east, in the opposite direction of the one above, looking back down towards the wash with the Arizona mountains in the background; as is the view in (Fig. 01).
                               

(Fig.09)

(Fig. 10)

(Fig. 11)

At about the halfway point in my hike up the canyon, I was rewarded with this petroglyph of four bighorn sheep (Fig. 11) on a rock that had apparently broken off and fallen from a ledge above. It was amazing that it landed face up showing these beautiful old depictions. As many of the Petroglyphs in the canyon seem rather “cryptic” and hard to decipher, it was a surprise to find one that was so discernable.

(Fig. 12)

Seen in one of the panoramic views above, here is a close-up  (Fig. 12) of the huge cypress tree I found in the middle of the canyon surrounded by a thicket of grapevines. Not only did its size amaze me, but the fact that it was there all by itself made it seem like a real oddity. How did it get there? Who planted it? How old is it? How has it survived the torrents of water that rush down this wash during the occasional monsoon rain storms?

(Fig. 13)

As I have noted in other postings, I often find rock formations whose shape remind me of something. Here is one that I captured that reminded me of a polar pear (Fig. 13). What do you think? In a similar fashion, the picture below (Fig. 14) shows a shadow that I accidently captured that resembles the profile of a human face. It made me feel as though the ghost of the person who may have created these ancient petroglyphs was still watching down over them.

(Fig. 14)

The next series of miscellaneous pictures are representative of the cacti, plant life, springs, catch basins and small waterfalls that I captured along my hike up Grapevine Canyon.

03/30/2011 Trip Notes: I first visited Grapevine Canyon with my wife Connie on a return trip from Laughlin in 2010. My latest visit was on 03/30/2011 when I visited with my cousin John from NY, who met us in Laughlin on his way home from wintering in New Mexico. We spent a lot more time here than I did on my first visit and I couldn't believe how many petroglyphs I had missed on my first visit. They seemed to be just everywhere, many located quite high up on the ledges that line the canyon. Even though John’s telephoto lens (Fig. 15) was much larger than mine, I was still able to capture some nice shots of petroglyphs that were quite high up on the canyon walls (Fig. 16). Again, if you haven’t done so yet, visit the following links for more petroglyph pictures ... Grapevine Canyon Petroglyphs.

(Fig. 15)

(Fig. 16)

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Slideshow Description: The slideshow above contains 53 pictures of Grapevine Canyon, many showing some of the hundreds of petroglyphs you will experience at this site.

[Click here to go back to the Bridge Canyon Wilderness Area page]