5 Indigenous Rock Art Sites to See in California

With new Indigenous museum openings like Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center and recent wildlife sanctuary designations on reservations, California celebrates its ancient and present Indigenous cultures. But you can see just how long these tribes have survived and embraced traditions at historical sites across the state, some dating as far back as 12,000 years!

Rocks on which this art was made has preserved these pieces for thousands of years, giving us glimpses into the past while also appreciating the descendants who live today.

Whether you love history, wish to honor ancient Indigenous art or simply want to enjoy a unique day out in nature beyond the typical sites, make for these five Indigenous rock art sites in California.

Petroglyph Point © Siskiyou Economic Development

Petroglyph Point

Located at Lava Beds National Monument, you’ll find one of California’s largest collections of rock art. Lava Beds National Monument alone is situated in the traditional territory of the Modoc people, featuring pictographs and petroglyphs as old as 6,000 years. But to see one of the highest concentrations of rock art in North America, make for Petroglyph Point, featuring a tremendous 5,000 geometric and abstract petroglyphs.

Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park

Hike up a short trail in this park in the traditional lands of the Barbeño Band of Chumash Indians to a cave filled with walls covered in black, white and red paintings dating back to the 17^th century. The meaning behind the images remains unknown, but the art remains an important touchstone for the Chumash.

Blythe Intaglios

Just north of Blythe are huge desert drawings stretching as long as 171 feet. These massive geoglyphs are hard to spot from ground level, but they depict animal and human figures when seen from above, with some, according to the Mohave and Quechans, representing Mastamho, the Creator of all life. They date between 450 and 2,000 years old.

Carrizo Plain National Monument © Bob Wick

Painted Rock, Carrizo Plain National Monument

See pictographs from the Chumash, Yokuts and Salinan tribes at Painted Rock, found outside of San Luis Obispo. This horseshoe-shaped landform features ancient artwork with vibrant reds, geometric shapes and animal figures. Take either a self-guided or immersive guided tour.

Pictograph Trail, Anza Borrego Desert State Park

Up for a hike? This 2-mile, out-and-back trail includes a large boulder adorned with red abstract symbols said to have been created by the ancestry of the Kumeyaay people.