The Coso Petroglyphs: North America's Greatest Rock Art
Near Ridgecrest, California
Hidden in the volcanic canyons of the Coso Range, north of Ridgecrest, is the largest concentration of rock art in North America. More than one hundred thousand petroglyphs are pecked into the dark basalt here, images that people carved over thousands of years, with some believed to be more than ten thousand years old. In one canyon alone, called Little Petroglyph Canyon, or Renegade Canyon, researchers have documented roughly twenty thousand images.
The dominant figure is the desert bighorn sheep, which is among the most common images, joined by deer, antelope, and haunting human like figures that scholars connect to rain shamans and ancient hunting ceremonies. The site was named a National Historic Landmark in nineteen sixty-four. There is a catch, though.
The entire district sits inside the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, on active military range. You cannot simply drive up. For decades the only way in was on a guided tour arranged through the Maturango Museum in town, when the base grants permission.
Ancient and off limits, it is the desert's best kept secret.
