Coyote Hole is an area I've been avoiding. On the one hand, I've heard that there are many petroglyphs to be seen in the area, which is obviously a plus. But there are major downsides. The area is only about a mile from downtown Joshua Tree. It is well known by locals, and frequently visited. These are big negatives in my view. Over the years, there's been extensive graffiti. The best post I've seen that documents this was written by my friend Pat Tillett, and can be seen here. But be forewarned: It's depressing to see all the graffiti in this beautiful area. Pat also posts about the areas beauty and the petroglyphs here.
It was early May with temperatures already reaching into the '90s. I had a free afternoon, so granddaughter Lilly and I headed out to find Coyote Hole and hopefully find some Native American rock art. I did no research prior to the hike, so I had no idea where to find the petroglyphs.
Lilly and I find some faint petroglyphs on the rocks as we hike up the sandy wash.
More petroglyphs as we continue up the canyon. These are interesting, and some are clear while others are faded.
As we follow our way up the wash, the above two photos are more example of petroglyphs. These are the ones I'm spotting, but I have the distinct impression there are many others I am missing.
This hill of boulders is loaded with petroglyphs! I guess you'll have to take my word on this, but if you magnify the image and look closely, you can see multiple petroglyph panels all the way up to the top of the rocks. I wonder how Native Americans got up there to peck out all the petroglyphs? Truly petroglyph paradise. To photograph them, I would need to climb up on the rocks, and that wasn't an option today with my granddaughter. I hope to get back to this spot sometime to climb these boulders and photograph the petroglyphs.
As we reached the large, smooth boulders that surround the Coyote Hole area, we were totally AMAZED to see a trickle of water flowing down the rocks!
Ya, it wasn't a flowing stream, but any water in the desert (especially on a hot day like today) is worthy of celebration. And I can only imagine, back in the day when rainfall in the area was more plentiful, this area might have provided a reliable water source. The smooth stone surfaces are a sure sign of water flow. So it's not surprising the Native Americans valued the area and left their marks. This might be a good time to mention the "Coyote Hole" name. Where Lilly is standing is where, according to legend, the coyotes come to dig for water. I can totally believe that. In fact, I've seen many holes dug in desert sand over the years in areas that look like there may be moisture. Also interesting, according to legend, is that men stood on the ground to carve out the petroglyphs up on the high rocks. Over the years, water has eroded the canyon and made it deeper and deeper, so now those carved rocks are high up off the ground. If this theory is true, it might also indicate the oldest pictrographs are the highest, and those close to the ground would be more recent.
“Chief Francisco Patencio of the Palm Springs Indians tells of hieroglyphics, on the south side of Twenty-nine Palms Valley, along the rock walls of the canyons are many of the sign painted figures that the Indian people all knew and understood.
At the time when Sungrey, one of the Five Head Men of the Fifth People, settled in the Twenty-nine Palms country, he left his people to go all about. Along the edges of the rock hills are the signs he made for his people. Some are paint signs, and some are cut in the rock. One place, called Coyote Holes on the map, the rock painting is very plain to see. The white people call this Coyote Holes, but they are not holes –no. The canyon is small and narrow, with a level sand wash floor. On entering the canyon there are on the left cliff, very plain to see, but very high, the first signs. All along the way are the sign marks. There are many of the snake sign, meaning water. Some are nearly faded away, but they have lasted through time–lasted as long as the Indians had use for them…
All about the canyon is the sign of Indian life. Parts of the broken rock, and bits of pottery. At one mile, perhaps a little longer, the canyon walls close. The way stops in a circle of bluffs, water-worn. In wet winters some waste water may make a fall in the end of this canyon, but not for long.
There is not any water to be seen there, no, none at all. There is no water for many miles up and down the valley from this place. But it is at the very end of this little canyon, in the dry white sand at the foot of the bluffs, that the coyotes come to dig. Always there is good cool water there. This gave the place the name of Coyote Holes, but all animals, men too, come to scoop out a shallow pool for the pure, sweet water…
Now these sign marks are very high in the cliff walls, but when they were first painted by the head men they stood on the ground to do it…they were very large men–very tall…but the ground is washed away during much time, until it is much lower than when the signs were made. And so does the ground get lower. Always, everywhere, all the time.” ~Stories and Legends of the Palm Springs Indians, by Chief Francisco Patencio, as told to Margaret Boynton, 1943.
I told Lilly she could a little climbing as we headed back down the wash.
Just past where Lilly is doing her gymnastics, you have this view down at the canyon. Very pretty!
Heading back down the canyon, I'm explaining to Lilly that you usually see petroglyphs clustered in the same area, and often facing the same direction. Which means we should look most closely on the east wall of the canyon (where we saw the petroglyphs as we were hiking in). At almost exactly that moment, Lilly points to the opposite wall of the canyon and says "Look, Papa, more petroglyphs!" I felt pretty stupid. Here's a closer look. What a nice find! As we near the end of our hike, photographer Lilly takes a photo of me in front of this cool little cave we find. I was so pleased that there were few if any signs of graffiti on the rocks. A huge THANK YOU to Friends of Coyote Hole, who have spent a tremendous amount of time cleaning up the area, and keeping it clean.
Almost back to the Jeep, we find this large paper bag bush (also called bladder sage). It's an unusual and interesting plant, with blue flowers and purple "bags" that surround the seeds. When the bags dry up and fall off the plant, they cover large areas of the ground. When the wind blows them, and the seed rattles around in the bag, they make an amazingly musical sound. The first time I heard it, I sat for a very long time, carefully listening, until I figured out what was making the sound!
Thanks for joining Lilly and I on our hike to Coyote Hole.
Stay safe & stay healthy!!
