Thursday – Saturday, February 5-7, 2026
Palavayu, a Hopi term meaning “red river,” is a name applied to several style designations of a kind of rock art that is only found in the middle portion of the lower Little Colorado River area.
After spending a few relaxing days at the bottom of the Grand Canyon at Phantom Ranch, I hiked out and stayed at a hotel in Flagstaff for one night before continuing on east across the colorful Painted Desert so I could spend a few more days searching for rock art sites in the Palavayu, including Petrified Forest National Park, before returning home late on Saturday evening. Over the past six years since our first visit to the Petrified Forest, this area has quickly become one of my favorite places to explore and I look forward to my annual visit each year! I spent the better part of the next three days hiking and searching for new rock art sites, but I also ended up revisiting a few places that I had been to before to see what I had missed the first time. These are just some photos of what I saw this time…
This was a very nice panel of Palavayu Linear Style petroglyphs.
The Genie
Bird Petroglyph
Dotted Anthropomorph & Sheep
Disappearing Panel
Hidden In the Corner
This large design was tricky to get a photo of since it was high up on a canyon wall and kind of behind another tower of rock.
The Tepees
A prominent panel above the wash in a narrow canyon.
Prayer Sticks
Looking down on a large flat slab of stone covered with petroglyphs.
Nice petroglyphs on a dark wall in the corner of a canyon.
High Petroglyphs
Corner Anthropomorphs
A very large potsherd with an interesting design.
Starving Man Boulder
High Five
Long Nose Sheep
A tall hoodoo I passed beneath as I searched the cliffs for petroglyphs.
Although there are a lot of petroglyphs found in this region, it seems that pictographs are much rarer, but this little cove had quite a few painted designs on the wall.
Pictograph Cove
Handprints
Of course, I can’t wander the Petrified Forest and not share at least one photo of some petrified wood.
A nice panel of petroglyphs found under a shallow overhang.
Pinhole Cave Petroglyphs
Nice Flutin’
Lizard Figures
Shaded Panel
Patina Patch Petroglyphs
Two Lions
The design in the upper left was found at many sites in this general area.
The Wastelands
Four Directions Rock
Patch of Designs
This wall covered with petroglyphs has a lot going on.
Bow Hunter
I spent two nights at the Painted Desert Ranger Cabin, but only arrived early enough the first night to get a quick photo at dusk.
Hidden Spiral
This narrow and colorful canyon was a great place to explore.
Big Spiral
Scrambling around boulders in search of petroglyphs…
Here’s an interesting occurrence- on our very first visit to Petrified Forest National Park this petroglyph was found high up on a cliff, but now that part of the cliff has broken away and the petroglyph tumbled down the hillside on a large boulder and is now upside down!
I went for a long walk through these badlands searching a cliff band with hopes that I would find many petroglyphs along the way…
…but all I found for my trouble was this small design on a large boulder. It really wasn’t worth the trouble. You win some and lose some!
Tilted Boulder
Two Birds Rock
Gray Hills
Jitterbug Site
Overlooked Design
The following four photos were taken in an unusual area that was out in the open near a lone pinyon tree where the petroglyphs were carved into small rocks on the ground.
This petroglyph is found on the cover of a Rock Art book about the area, but in that photo there is a bright green stripe of lichen through the face. It seems that the lichen is now gone…
View from the Rim
W’s Potsherd
After walking down a nondescript wash and noticing that there were a lot of small potsherds all over the place, I climbed up the ridge and found the remnants of many structures in the area above.
Birds Panel
The Flutist
Patio Petroglyphs
Line of Sheep
Strange Flying Bird
Ghost Snake Panel
This ghostly figure was one of the more interesting figures I came across during this trip.
Coming across this ancient fetish while looking at scattered potsherds on the ground was definitely a highlight for me! It reminds me of the handle of the ancient mug that I found about eight years ago!
