The GCAS’s first field trip of 2026 to an Arenas Valley petroglyph site was an ideal way for folks to stretch their legs and enjoy a clear, cool, sunny day outdoors. Sixteen members and guests carpooled to an informal trailhead which led about one-half mile through Gila National Forest land to the small Picture Rocks site. Almost all the petroglyphs are located on a single panel alongside a small runoff that still had a bit of water in it.
The group discovered a number of petroglyphs that were superimposed on other, obviously older and faded pecked images. The main panel included depictions of frogs, spirals, crosses, and at least one deer. Unfortunately there were also very recent additions of people’s initials scratched into adjacent boulders, but at least these serve as reminders that some carvings on rocks add no scientific, historical, or artistic value to an area. So please, everyone, when visiting a special place like Picture Rocks? Keep your pocketknife in your pocket.
