Today started out cool and damp from the cold front that moved through yesterday so I decided to take any easy trip over to the Painted Rock Petroglyph Site. It is located on the eastern edge of the Painted Rock Mountains and about 18 miles northwest of Gila Bend, Arizona where I am now staying.
The Hohokam people once lived and farmed here from the late Pioneer Period (AD 350-AD 550) and Early Colonial Period (AD 550-AD 700). Many well known events in Arizona history occurred near the Petroglyph Site, including the expedition of Juan Bautista de Anza that founded San Francisco, the Mormon Battalion and the Butterfield Overland Mail.
The drive was easy with good paved roads with a 1/2 mile dirt road leading to the site. There is also a picnic area and campground that visitors can use. A gravel path takes you around the site where you can enjoy this ancient art. It should take you less then an hour to view everything. While the site is not big it is well worth the time to stop in and enjoy this unusual area.
You can view more photos of the Painted Rock Petroglyph Site in the Photo Album.
We saw Newspaper Rock, very similar to this, in the Petrified Forest (there are no trees there
). LOVE this part of the country.