The conclusion, and one of the highlights of our visit to the Lava Beds National Monument was Petroglyph Point. One reason why this is such a special place to contemplate cultural history is that it contains two types of rock art, or rock imagery— carved petroglyphs and painted pictographs. All of the monument’s rock imagery is located in the traditional territory of the Modoc people and their ancestors. In my first post about the Lava Beds, I mentioned this being a land of historical turmoil. It was the location of the Modoc War (1872) and I am not going to elaborate on the ugly. I chose to focus on the extraordinary- this ancient art.

The cliff behind us use to be an island. The Modoc would boat to it to write their stories.
There are over 5,000 symbols carved upon the face, making this one of the largest rock art concentrations in North America.



Unlike rock art in other areas of the West, images here seem to be dominated by geometric patterns instead of depictions of people and animals.



The cliff face is also a roosting place. We were entertained by the flutter of wings and the cries of hawks. The crevices held treasures if we just looked hard enough. What a treat.
Flowers, butterflies, caves, miles of hardened lava, ancient Native American art, history and birds. What a diverse and enchanting place the Lava Beds National Monument was and so worth exploring. We absolutely loved this day.