After spending the previous day down in a canyon, I spent this day in the relatively flat desert hiking to Point of Rocks. I slept in later than I’d planned and didn’t get up until about 7:00, just in time to witness a great sunrise. An hour later I’d already had coffee and breakfast, packed up, and driven a very short distance to where I started the hike.
Superb sunrise on Sunday
The Henrys and some pinkish clouds
Henry Mountains
Point of Rocks a couple of miles away
Hilgard Mountain
Even though there’s a road leading to Point of Rocks, it looked kind of rough and washed out in the sat imagery and I wanted to hike there anyway just to get some exercise. I wasn’t even sure if the road was legally open but when I arrived at the turnoff where I intended to park I saw the designated route sign and the road looked to be in great condition. So I started driving along it only to find some deep sand a few minutes later. Scrap that plan, back to my original parking spot. I only followed the road on foot for a third of a mile before breaking off and hiking toward a watering trough that I’d seen in Google Earth. There was only the tiniest trickle of water from a nearby spring and the trough had long been in disrepair. Within sight of the trough was a pair of shed deer antlers lying right next to each other!
Road 4345
Point of Rocks
Drifting sand on the road
Henry Mountains
Trough at a spring
Water trough
Barely flowing spring
Pair of shed deer antlers
Pair of shed deer antlers
Some more walking brought me to the first of many small rock outcroppings at Point of Rocks. I spent some time hiking between and around each one, trying to use the most efficient route to hit them all up. It took about three hours to get my fill, checking out nearly all of the little sandstone prominences I could see. The highlights included a metate made from Henry Mountains granite, a Mont Caldwell inscription, a very nice but broken arrowhead, and one spot with some carved glyphs.
Old dozer track
Almost to Point of Rocks
First of the rocks that I inspected
The Henrys again
More Rocks
Henrys through a gap in the Rocks
Henry Mountains and Point of Rocks
Broken metate made from Henry Mountains granite
Broken metate
Mont Caldwell inscription
Pretty broken point
A more promising outcropping
Boulder Mountain and Factory Butte
Between the rocks
Metate
Slight overhang
Stick figures
Stick figure
Ground littered with chert flakes
Grooves
Rady Paulson 1969
Another piece of granite hauled in from afar
Fresh tracks on the road
Lucky Lager can
Another slight overhang
Faint and eroded petroglyph
After looking at the last of the rocks I made a quick pace back to the truck, doing a little cross-country travel where it was shorter but mostly following the road. I had really expected to find more writings on the rocks–inscriptions and/or petroglyphs–but it was still a worthwhile endeavor just for the enjoyment of being outdoors on such a pleasant day.
Those one things again
Following a sandy wash
Walking the road
The truck is in sight
Truck through the heat distortion
Section marker
End of the road
Photo Gallery: Point of Rocks