East Mojave Desert Petroglyph Safari, Revisited - Nevada — Abandoned Places, Gold Rush & Route 66 Travel Photography

Re-Explor Date: October 5 of 2025

Two years after my first visit, a return trip was needed. Upon returning home from the first safari, one of the coolest petroglyphs in the area was totally missed by the inept exploratographer assigned to the excursion (me). Thankfully, that faux pas has been rectified. And what do you know, there were a number of other cool p’glyphs that were discovered that were missed previously. And with over 700 p’glyphs in the area, I’m sure a future trip will reveal more mysterious

Along the way to the canyon that holds most of the petroglyphs, there are some very cool Joshua Tree National Park-esque Jumbo Rocks. I especially liked the balancing boulders off in the distance.

Would be fun to see what this area looks like during a heavy rain, as the wash at this point is very wide.

It was another great day to be out in the Nevada desert. Fantastic weather, amazing scenery and the lure of undiscovered petroglyphs. Unlike my previous trip, no interstellar visitors were abducting lizards, but that’s a story that will have to wait for its time to be told.

The above two images show some p’glyphs that were new discoveries. It’s amazing the variety of subjects: animals, people, geometric designs, tools, spirals. And yes, some that look like aliens. My favorites are the big horn sheep, I’m glad I found this little panel of two. Afterall, that’s the main reason for this visit, as you’ll see in just a bit.

It’s always fun to find Coyote melons whilst out hiking. They’re not good for eating as their pulp is bitter and inedible. But the seeds are supposedly a treat and a good source of protein. Dried gourds can be used for rattles, decorations, containers and why not, juggling.

By the way, clicking on any image should open up a new window with a larger picture 😊.

And there’s the one I was searching for. After my last trip, I saw an image of this panel on another exploratographer’s site and realized, “dang, I missed that one!”

But all is well, all is well. Let’s see what the next trip finds, it’s always an adventure.

Hope you enjoyed the adventure, there’s more to see on my YouTube channel, please check it out.