Black Canyon Pictographs

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 700 feet
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 6588 - 6634 feet
Cellphone: 0 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: 34.39702, -110.63151
Fee: none
Attractions: pictographs, petroglyphs

Black Canyon is located west of Heber, Arizona in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. Within the canyon there are 2 well known sites that have pictographs that the Forest Service has designated as Site #2 and Site #3. This post is for Site #2 which has the largest and best set of pictographs. Site #3 is the Black Canyon Rock Shelter.

For turn-by-turn directions enter 34.39702, -110.63151 into your driving app. Entering 'Pictograph Interpretive Site' works as well. From Heber you will be directed onto the Black Canyon Road which you will follow for about 3.4 miles to where the site will be on your right at the side of the road.

The short trail starts out paralleling the road. It's important to know that there are pictographs in 2 different places. Both places are visible from the road but you will want to get closer to them for good photos.

To get close to the higher set of pictographs follow the well worn trail as it climbs a short distance up the side of the hill. The trail passes by on the left side of a prominent spire of rock. Immediately after passing this spire go to the right.

Look up to the left at this point and you will be able to spot the pictographs beneath an overhang.

The pictographs are better seen from below the overhang.

Most of the images are anthropomorphic figures and animals that look more like dogs than anything else.

One of the small figures has been stuck with a couple of atlatls.

All the way on the right there is a whole group of figures that sadly are disappearing as the rock is being eaten away.

Here there is a figure on the right that has an animal head. To the left is a figure whose body is only half painted red.

To get to the other set of pictographs you can either try to pick out the trail from the first set or go back down to the road and head back toward town for about 50 feet or so until you can look up and see them. Once you spot them you can scramble up for a closer look.

There are 2 small sets of images.

Here you can make out a snake amongst some other faded images.

There are also some thin lined petroglyphs on the cliff just past the first set of pictographs. While some of them appear to be authentic we couldn't tell what their origin may have been if that was true. Most of them look like stick figures. As far as the pictographs go they are well worth having a look at if you happen to be in the area. Of course, we drove almost 500 miles to see them and we weren't disappointed at all. If you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.