A few weeks ago, I made a reservation for a tour of Rock Art Ranch. Yesterday was our day for the tour. We arrived a few minutes early and met the rancher, Brantley Baird. His family bought the ranch in 1945 and he has lived there since. Encompassing 5,000 acres between Winslow and Holbrook, Rock Art Ranch is
a cattle ranch and home to one of the best preserved
and most extensive
collections of ancient petroglyphs in the world.
After touring Rock Art Ranch museum, we started driving across the ranch, first seeing
the ranch buffalo, then stopping to see a centuries old Navajo hogan and a Hopi dwelling.
Our next stop was near a creekbed, to view a map petroglyph, etched in a large slab rock.
The map shows where to find the source of water in Chevelon Creek.
By noon we arrived at Chevelon Canyon. Baird's family built a shelter at the top of the Canyon with a steep natural stone staircase down into the Canyon. We had a picnic of peanut butter and honey sandwiches before hiking down the stairs. The petroglyphs line the canyon walls for over a mile. They are everywhere and they are exquisite!
