Many forms of visual representation made on natural rocky surfaces are classified as rock art, including pictographs, petroglyphs, geoglyphs, and intaglios. Sometimes created thousands of years ago, this imagery is significant not just for its visual interest, but for what it can convey about the cultures and lifestyles of those who produced it.

Rock art in Nevada spans the state, from the petroglyphs of Grapevine Canyon near Laughlin to the “pit and groove” rock art forms of Grimes Point. The imagery ranges from non-representational lines and shapes to the recognizable forms of bighorn sheep. 

Many of these sites are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and are accessible via trails developed by the Bureau of Land Management. Although appreciation of these sites has grown, the threat of vandalism and destruction has not disappeared. The Nevada Rock Art Foundation formed in 2002 to promote the protection of prehistoric rock art in Nevada and surrounding areas.

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VIDEO

Hidden Cave, a documentary produced by the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center at the University of Nevada, Reno