The Volcanic Tablelands Petroglyphs are located north of Bishop, California in the Volcanic Tablelands Wilderness Study Area. Three areas of petroglyphs can be found at the site within about 1 mile of the Happy Boulders trailhead along the Chalk Bluff Road.
For turn-by-turn directions to the trailhead enter Happy Boulders Trail into your driving app. From Bishop you will be directed north on US-6 for a couple of miles to where you will turn left onto the Five Bridges Road. After 1.8 miles the route merges into the Jean Blanc Road. In another 0.6 miles turn left on Chalk Bluff Road. The Happy Boulders trailhead is on the left after another 2.3 miles.
From the parking area cross the road and hike up the Happy Boulders trail for about 0.33 miles. From there aim for a gap in the rim where you can scramble up onto the tablelands where you can pick out a cross country route to the petroglyphs. An handheld GPS or GPS app will make route finding much easier.
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:
