It all started with an article called “20 Truths About Nevada You Never Would Have Guessed“. I knew quite a few of them having lived in Nevada for 19 years now. But I never knew about the petroglyphs that were so closed to where I lived. They intrigued me. I had to see them. What a great part of history that was so easily accessible and fascinating. I had convinced my dad and boyfriend to go with me.
It was out by a dry lake bed named Winnemucca Lake. We knew this well as it was on the way to our antelope hunting location. There was no exact location given online or anywhere, I’m thinking because they wanted to keep them somewhat preserved. I had looked at photos online and videos to try to make a landmark idea of where they would be.
We drove past them at first, not sure which rock outcropping would contain them. We turned around and went back to a parking spot we’d seen next to a large outcropping. Walking up the road and around to the top of a little hill, NO TRESPASSING signs were posted all around. It had to be them. Moving forward along the road, we started to see carvings. They were absolutely breathtaking. So much detail. So much artistic work. It’s amazing to me that these people even knew what a lot these things were. You can find the history of these petroglyphs here.
Even the tufa rock formations were a sight to see. The way they hold themselves together, as well as how they evolved and shaped themselves.
After we explored the area, we decided it was time to head back home, but not without stopping to check out a door in a mountainside we had seen on the way out there. Turns out that there were 3 total doors, which we believe are to a mine shaft.
Our final stop was a scenic history point on the road from Wadsworth to Nixon.
All around, it was a fun trip and a great history lesson for the state of Nevada. I can’t wait for the next adventure we end up on. Hopefully it will come soon!
Adventure Is All You Need 