Petroglyph Trail

The Deer Valley Rock Art Center is a museum, nature preserve and archaeological site with the largest concentration of Native American rock art in the Phoenix Valley. Our handicapped-accessible interpretive trail takes visitors to a place where ancient people marked boulders with thousands of special symbols called petroglyphs.

Located in the Northwest Valley, the center comprises over 47 acres of pristine desert, a hill of basaltic boulders covered in upwards of 1,500 ancient petroglyphs, an ethnobotanical garden, a museum, native wildlife and, in the spring, copious wildflower blooms. Outdoor picnic tables and an amphitheater area offer ideal places for picnicking.

An incredible variety of desert plants are found throughout the grounds and along the ¼-mile trail that winds past the petroglyphs. There are also roadrunners, quail, rock squirrels, ground squirrels, cottontails, jackrabbits, javelina, hummingbirds, great horned owls, Harris hawks and red-tailed hawks.

Signage on the petroglyph trail informs visitors of the archaeology of the site and identifies plant species. Upon their arrival, visitors also receive a trail guide and map that will offer additional information.