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Published: July 27th 2012
Hello! I hope you will enjoy seeing domestic travels as well as international, because believe me there is just so much going on here stateside that just can't be passed up.
Last weekend Mom and I headed south on 93 to see some of the pictographs and petroglyphs that Lincolnd County has to offer (read more here: http://lincolncountynevada.com/images/RockArtGuide.pdf). In case you didn't know, on that boring ass, but beautiful, 7 hour trip to Las Vegas from Elko you can find literally thousands of examples of rock art.
Our first stop, well our first attempt at least, was to find the White River narrows art - if you are thinking of stopping there, seriously I wouldn't waste your time without a GPS. We searched for that site for a long time and didn't find it. So we quickly moved on to the Mount Irish Rock Art and Archeological District. Now this is a site you really must see. Inconspicuously set on a dirt road near Hiko (right before the Y where you will find the roads to Pioche, Tonopah and Lund intersecting), you can find some really amazing art left behind by the Southern Paiutes, with most of it being
in the Great Basin pecked style. We saw symbols of mountain sheep, deer, shields and tried our dangedest to see images of the "Pahranagat man", a possible supernatural being. We didn't quite find him but saw a bunch of other cool rock art, just out there in the desert, unbeknownest to most of us!
From there we went south a bit to a site near the first gas station you will see in Ash Springs as you are heading south. Right after that gas station, on the left hand side there is a dirt road you can go up and find some more rock art. We've literally passed this site a hundred times and never knew it was there! This rock art is by far the most easily accessible, however the art has been severely degraded by the elements. Out of the two, if you have a little time of your trip, pull off at Mt. Irish. If you are short on time head on up to this second site.
What an amazing history we have here in the state of Nevada! Not content with our rock art finds we did a loop and stopped in Pioche for
the night. The town has really put a lot of effort into creating a walking tour where you can read what each historic building is about - oh and the cemetary! The best I've seen before. The old time wooden headstones are just as likely to list the names of the killers as those of the deceased. The history of Pioche is one filled with precious metals and easy violence. I think it is worth a stop and a look around. You can also catch Cathedral Gorge and its beautiful rock formations on the way.
To finish up on the trip we decided to hike in Great Basin National Park and see the Bristlecone Pine Groves. These pines are the oldest living things on the earth and do not disappoint! This is by far my most favorite hike in Nevada. The pines are gnarly, but smooth and the park system has done a really good job of making the experience even more enjoyable by posting factoids about the groves on the trail.
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Elisa
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Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area
by Las Vegas. Have you been there? There is some good rock art there as well. If not you should def. check it out when you get down there.