5 Awe-Inspiring Destinations To See Ancient Rock Art In The United States

When you're zooming down the highway, seeing billboards, strip malls, and gas stations whipping by, it can be hard to imagine the ancient history of the United States and the people who lived here thousands of years ago. However, if you know where to look, you can catch a glimpse of what came before. On rocky outcroppings and cave walls hidden in parks across the country, you'll find relics of the past in the form of paintings known as pictographs and carvings called petroglyphs.

Whether you're in the mood to lace up your hiking boots or strap on a headlamp, there are plenty of opportunities to explore the ancient world in some of the most beautiful protected lands around the United States. Incredible examples of ancient art can be found painted onto the sandstone cliffs at Dinosaur National Monument, carved into the canyon walls at Capitol Reef National Park, drawn in charcoal deep inside the tunnels of Dunbar Cave State Park, etched into the lava rock in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and chipped into the stone along the frigid beach at Petroglyph Beach State Historic Park.

Around Utah's highest mountain range in Dinosaur National Monument, you'll notice many fascinating historical features in the cliffs. True to its name, you'll find dinosaur fossils, but you can also see many examples of ancient art as you explore the trails. You may spot familiar shapes, like animals and human figures, but there are aesthetic symbols and patterns carved into the stone, too. It is believed that these were created by the Fremont people, a culture that lived in this region for at least 1,000 years, beginning as long ago as A.D. 200. Some of their descendants still live in the area surrounding Dinosaur National Monument to this day. Much of what we know about their way of life comes from the art they left behind.

One of the most awe-inspiring things about this spot is the sheer number of different places to see rock art. If you're looking for a good place to start, however, consider a quick trip to the Swelter Shelter near the Quarry Visitor Center. This incredible site is believed to have been used by different ancient peoples for over 9,000 years. There, you can see both carvings and painted art on the stone. You also won't want to miss stops 13 and 14 on Cub Creek Road. After a steep hike, you'll see large and distinctive carvings of lizards.

The picturesque red rocks at Utah's impressive Capitol Reef National Park are well worth a visit for the scenery alone, but this is also one of the best places to visit in the state if you want to see rock art. The carvings here are believed to have been created by the Fremont Culture and the Ancestral Puebloan people. There is debate about exactly what these images represent; most of them appear like humanoid-looking figurines. They may be depictions of holy stories, images from their lives, or practical tools for learning hunting and farming techniques.

As described to the National Park Service by Paiute Elder Rick Pikyavit, a direct descendent of the Fremont Culture: "With few exceptions, we cannot really be sure what the ancient maker of the petroglyphs had in mind. Among serious students, there are some who consider almost all petroglyphs a form of writing, while others consider most of them to be art, not writing."

Whatever they meant to the people that made them, the angular figures and animals seen carved into the staggering rock cliffs at Capitol Reef provide a rare look into the lives of those who once walked these sandstone canyons. As you explore Capitol Reef, you can decide for yourself what you think the people who made these images were saying. All you have to do to see them is to head to the sheer rock face known as the Petroglyph Panel. Walk along the wooden boardwalks, bring a pair of binoculars, and enjoy as endless ancient carvings seem to emerge from the rocks.

When you imagine cave paintings, you might picture the famous Lascaux Cave, which has depictions of animals that date back to 15,000 B.C. While there's no surviving art from that era in the United States, you can travel 6,000 years back in time when civilization was still in its cradle in Mesopotamia, and humans had just begun to domesticate horses. In the United States, a community of people were drawing charcoal pictographs deep inside Tennessee's Dunbar Cave. These drawings are the oldest examples of American cave art discovered so far.

Today, Dunbar Cave is protected as Dunbar Cave State Park. Those wishing to walk in the sometimes treacherous footsteps of Mississippians across the uneven floor of Dunbar Cave can take a tour of this sacred place. While the oldest artwork is deeper inside the cave, you can see 800-year-old paintings created by a socially stratified farming civilization known as the Mississippian culture. To see their art, you can take the Enter the Underworld cave tour, offered by the state park. For a full hour, by the light of your own flashlight, you can see the charcoal drawings the Mississippians left behind.

Those looking for a truly unforgettable experience in America might visit an active volcano — and there is none quite as impressive as Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano in the world. It is located in the Hawaii National Volcanoes Park (a UNESCO World Heritage site), along with some incredible rock art created between A.D. 1,200 and A.D. 1,450, known as the Puʻuloa Petroglyphs. These carvings are etched directly into the lava rock.

While these images are not as old as some other examples of rock art, what's so thrilling about this particular spot is the sheer number of carvings. There are over 23,000 petroglyphs of people, boats, animalistic figures, and other shapes and symbols embedded in the cooled lava. They are believed to relate to the spiritual beliefs of ancient Hawaiians, possibly around the human lifecycle, childbirth, and new babies.

All you have to do to see this incredible place for yourself is walk along the wooden boardwalks over the rock and look out at the images. Just keep in mind that many of these carvings are more than 800 years old, and this is considered a sacred place. To protect the art, you should never walk on the lava rock. Consider bringing a pair of binoculars to get a closer look at images instead. Indeed, Hawaii is the unexpected state in America where you can find plenty of petroglyphs.

The icy coastline of Wrangell, Alaska, is dotted with carved stones. It's believed that these etchings were likely created by the earliest Tlingit communities, but there's no way to know for certain. It is also possible that 8,000 years ago, another now-unknown ancient people spent time in what is now the Petroglyph Beach State Historic Site.

Many of the images resemble spirals, whales, human faces, and birds, but others are more abstract. The meaning of these carvings is lost in time, along with the stories of the people who created them, but they are still fascinating and beautiful. The best time to see the petroglyphs (especially for photography) is in the early evening, especially when the rocks are wet.

Those seeking out the carvings can walk the boardwalk that looks down on the beach (which is also wheelchair accessible). Although you can't touch the stones, the park has created replicas and installed them on the boardwalk, where visitors are free to get a closer look. Some visitors even enjoy putting a piece of paper over the replica carving and rubbing it with charcoal or a pencil to create a 2D replica of their own.

There are many locations in the United States where travelers can see the artistic expressions of ancient peoples. To choose the best ones, we filtered through dozens of recommendations, from official government websites to personal blogs by hiking enthusiasts. We narrowed down that extremely long list by choosing only those with cave art that's easily accessible to the public.

We chose places that have particular historical and cultural significance, such as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. When possible, we also prioritize parks and regions that are in different parts of the country so that travelers looking to stay close to home know what their options are.

On the other hand, those who want to venture out can put all of these incredible destinations on their bucket lists and have a wide variety of different experiences across the U.S. Finally, we took the reviews of people who visited the parks and monuments in question into account so that we could be sure to only choose places that are truly remarkable.