Mellen Hill Rock Art, CO

From the trailhead you will see a deep draw off to the right. Along the opposing cliff wall there are a series of four caves over the next mile and a half to the west. About 20 feet north of the highway follow the foot trail west until you find a suitable trail to the north thru the deep gully. It will take some agility to make the crossing. Ahead you can see a huge cave. Down and up the gully to the first cave. Use your soft eyes observing for rock art among the vandalism.


Once you enter the cave and look up you realize the front section of the cave has broken away from the mountain creating a natural bridge/ arch. There have been many cave ins from this soft rock and while it's pretty obvious to assume that it was used for habitation at some time. However there is no evidence other than the rock art. It did appear that someone had done some digging in the rear of this first cave.After exploring, exit this cave to the east and explore the overhang right around the corner from the large cave. Here you will find the largest concentration of rock art. It's rather unusual, perhaps petroglyphs later updated with paint.

From here you can return the way you came or continue to the west on one of several trails to the next big cave. Look hard beyond the graffiti for any rock art, then continue to the west to another large cave hidden from view. A large snake and figure are on the left side of this cave. You can continue westward to find yet another cave. By this time you are probably ready to return to the trailhead. Find a way across the draw and hike uphill back to your vehicle.

2018-10-04 AZLOT69