Picture Canyon is a popular name when it comes to rock art sites that gets used over and over again. This particular Picture Canyon is a petroglyph site that is in the Dead Mountain Wilderness Area on the California/Nevada border just west of Mojave City, Arizona. If you start from there you can travel in 3 different states in a very short distance. The route that we are going to suggest actually begins at Arrowhead Junction, California so we will be sticking to just one state. The hike is slightly shorter to the main panel of petroglyphs if you start on the Nevada side but starting on the California side will take you through more of the canyon.
To get there, drive north from Arrowhead Junction on US-95 for 7.6 miles and turn right onto the Homer Mountain Trail, BLM NN029, and continue for 5.2 miles. This part of the route appears to be in the Mojave Trails National Monument and it will take you almost to the Nevada border. BLM NN029 parallels the Dead Mountain Wilderness boundary (NN029 might transition into NN030 before you reach the trailhead). After parking hike south on an old 4WD track that is a branch of the Mojave Road. The main area of petroglyphs should be at the 2.4 mile point but there should be other petroglyphs throughout the canyon. The main panel of petroglyphs is a well known site that is marked on topo maps.
Included with this post is the GPS file and map that we plan to use for our first visit. If you don't want to wait for us to get around to it feel free to try the GPS file and map for yourself. With no guarantee, of course, but they most often prove valuable for us.
Download GPS planning file:
