Piles of great boulders mark the canyon's entrance on either side as if nature intended to set them as sentries. Those ancient sojourners must have thought the boulders significant, for they troubled to etch every available surface with enigmatic symbols called petroglyphs. Although time and rushing waters have all but erased some of the rock writing, the entrance to Grapevine Canyon remains one of the Southern Nevada's most important rock-art sites. Visitors recognize pictures of animals important to the native people such as the bighorn sheep, but less obvious symbols remain to be deciphered. Return to the main gravel road and follow it north in front of the mountains.
Nature provides attractive places just off the road for informal picnics.
Bring your own water and trash bags for disposal of picnic refuse at home. The road then becomes more primitive as it climbs over the Newberry Range through Christmas Tree Pass to rejoin U.S. 95 south of Searchlight. Margo Bartlett Pesek's Trip of the Week column appears Sundays.