There are thousands of accessible American Indian petroglyph and pictograph sites in the American Southwest, in particular around the canyons and caves of Arizona, Colorado and Utah. There are some (but many less) in the eastern United States that have been developed for education and public access.
The rock art dates typically dates back a few thousand years, from people of the Mesquite Flat Culture (3,000 BC to 1 AD) and more commonly people from the Fremont and Anasazi cultures (600 AD to 1,200 AD).
Useful sites include:
- gjhikes.com – a blog with hundred of US rock art sites, including locations
- Rock Art of the Owens Valley by Bill Petry [PDF] – a detailed guide to rock art sites around the Owens River in eastern California
- Rock Art of Arizona by Bill Petry [PDF] – a detailed listing of rock art sites in Arizona.
It's a short hike to the signposted Red Rock Canyon Petroglyph Wall, where there are both pictographs and petroglyphs at the base of a tall cliff.
- Nevada, USA
- National Park: Red Rock Canyon
- Number of motifs: 15
- Quality: 3/5
- Condition of art: Good
One of the finest examples of easily accessible Anasazi rock art, the Sand Island Petroglyphs panel in Utah contains Native Indian rock art which ranges from 300 to 3,000 years old.
- USA, Utah
- National Park: Bears Ears National Monument, Sand Island Recreation Area
- Number of motifs: 300
- Quality: 4.5/5
- Condition of art: Good
Newspaper Rock is the most impressive petroglyph site in Snow Canyon State Park, based on the quantity, quality and density of motifs.
- USA, Utah
- National Park: Snow Canyon State Park
- Number of motifs: 40
- Quality: 2.5/5
- Condition of art: Good
Sinking Ship Rock is a large and distinctive boulder in Snow Canyon State Park, which has one side covered in petroglyphs.
- USA, Utah
- National Park: Snow Canyon State Park
- Number of motifs: 30
- Quality: 2.5/5
- Condition of art: Good
At the end of a long and tall slot canyon in Snow Canyon State Park is a set of diverse Fremont culture petroglyphs.
- USA, Utah
- National Park: Snow Canyon State Park
- Number of motifs: 40
- Quality: 3/5
- Condition of art: Good
The Temple Mountain Pictograph Panel features significant Native American rock art, including Barrier Canyon Style and Fremont-era figures.
The Chimneys rock art site has pictographs and petroglyphs dated up to several thousand years old. They are located at the base of one of The Chimneys in Big Bend.
- Texas, USA
- National Park: Big Bend National Park
- Number of motifs: 40
- Quality: 5/5
The spectacular Great Galley rock art site in Horseshoe Canyon is a shallow, north-facing rockshelter with numerous Barrier Canyon Style anthropomorphs and quadrupeds, mainly arranged in groups or rows for a distance of approximately 60m.
- USA, Utah
- National Park: Canyonlands National Park
- Number of motifs: 60
- Quality: 5/5
- Condition of art: Good
Multiple panels of Native American rock art high above Utah Scenic Byway 279 (Potash Road) in Utah
The Wolfe Ranch Petroglyph panel is a signposted Ute Indian rock art site, along the Delicate Arch Trail in Arches National Park.
- USA, Utah
- National Park: Arches National Park
- Number of motifs: 19
- Condition of art: Good
The Zion Petroglyph Canyon is one of the best and most easily accessible rock art sites in Zion NP. It's reached by a short (but unmarked) trail from the Zion - Mt Carmel Highway.
- USA, Utah
- National Park: Zion National Park
- Number of motifs: 150
- Quality: 4/5
- Condition of art: Good