Round Trip Distance: 0.64 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 4210 - 4236 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 1 hr.
Trailhead: Hole in the Wall
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs
The Hole in the Wall Petroglyphs are located in the Mojave National Preserve northwest of Needles, California. The site includes numerous faint petroglyphs on slowly eroding boulders and at least one rock shelter.
For turn-by-turn directions enter Hole in the Wall into your driving app and choose the Information Center. The site is 19.8 miles north of Interstate 40, Exit 100, on a paved road. If coming from the north it is 34 miles from I-15, Exit 272, with 22.2 miles of paved roads and 15.8 miles of dirt roads.
The petroglyphs are found less than a half mile from the trailhead on the Rings Loop Trail.
This portion of the Rings Loop trail is easy to hike as it travels around the base of the mountain.
The site is at a group of large boulders that is marked with a 'Cultural Signs of the Past' kiosk that explains some of the images being perhaps thousands of years old.
Over those thousands of years the stone has slowly been dissolving away and ruining the images in the process. Be sure not to touch any of the images as the oils from your skin only accelerates the process.
Besides the petroglyphs on the main boulder there are some around a rock shelter and many of the other boulders in the same area.
However faintly they now appear it is easy to recognize the same images that you will find at other rock art sites telling perhaps similar stories but in a different location.
If you would like to see them for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.
