Petroglyphs, Caves, and Beautiful Rocks

Fallon Wonderstone

We will be returning to our posts about the Beatty area shortly. But this week we will head to Fallon, Nevada.  There is just so much to write about.  The summer has been full of traveling, playing, exploring, and, as always…rocks.  But, alas, the sun is beginning to set earlier, the nights are beginning to get colder, and fall is in the air.  Birds are preparing for their long journey south, and for many of us, our thoughts are beginning to turn that direction, too.   So as you begin to think about all the wonderful things to do once you get back to Quartzsite, or wherever you are heading for the winter, consider that the journey to get there is half the fun.

Great Basin Pecked Style petroglyphs

If you are heading to Quartzsite from parts north, one interesting route to take is Hwy 95 through Nevada.  There is lots of rockhounding, gold prospecting, meteorite and fossil hunting along this route, as well as 4-wheeling, ghost towns, old mines, and fabulous museums.   It is considered a scenic byway, as well as a historic route.   It’s well worth taking the time to explore some of its sites along the way, and so, for the next several columns in the Desert Messenger, I will be highlighting some of the really cool things to see and do on Hwy 95 as you head south to Quartzsite for the winter.  

One of the first stops south of Reno will be Fallon, from there you will head to Tonopah and Goldfield, and then to Beatty.    Once you get to Fallon, turn off 95 and head east on Hwy 50 just 12 miles out of town to the Grimes Point Archeological Area.   It is worth it to plan on spending a couple of days here.   There are petroglyphs, really interesting caves and archeological sites, and one of the best rockhounding sites in Nevada all in the same location.  It is also a jumping off point to head east on the Loneliest Road in America, or you can just head back to Fallon and continue south on Hwy.95.

 At Grimes Point, the first parking area is at the site of the petroglyphs.  There is a short loop trail that winds through a boulder field.  The petroglyphs here are the Great Basin “Pit and Groove” style and about 7,000 years old, some of the oldest in the desert southwest.  Great Basin Pecked petroglyphs are also found here, as well as some grinding holes.  Take your time walking the trail and look carefully.   There are hundreds of glyphs here, but many of them are faded and weathered, so they are difficult to see at first glance.

A Tufa Formation

A Wall of Tufa 

Further up the road are caves and rockshelters that were formed between 75,000 and 10,000 years ago, and inhabited as early as 9,500 years ago.  These caves were used for storage, living, and burial, and are important archeological sites.  The main site, Hidden Cave, can only be toured with a BLM guide on second and fourth Saturdays,  but the other caves at this location can be explored on your own.  While no artifacts can be found in any of the other caves, many of them contain signs of inhabitation, such as sooty build up left from campfires.  You can schedule a tour by calling the BLM Field Office for the Carson City District at 702-885-6000.  For an interesting insight into petroglyph interpretations, check out this article:  Tales From the Rock: Ancient Stories Written in Stone.

In the 1940’s, “Spirit Cave Man”, the oldest mummy in North America was unearthed in one of the caves here at Grimes Point.   In addition to their archeological importance, the caves themselves are made of fascinating Tufa Formations dating back to geothermal activity  during the Pleistocene Epoch. For more information about Grimes Point, go to the BLM site Grimes Point Archeological Area. 

A Tufa Formation at Grimes Point

Just beyond the caves along the same road, are the Wonderstone Mountains.   The three sites in these mountains produce some of the most beautiful Wonderstone around.  The Wonderstone near Grimes Point is a rhyolite tuff that was altered by silica and pyrite from hydrothermal fluids, the same hydrothermal fluids that formed the Tufa of the Grimes Point caves.  Fallon Wonderstone is formed from volcanic material over 12 million years old, and is some of  the most sought after Wonderstone for lapidary use.  It has alot of color, ranging from purples and reds to yellows and oranges, and because of its high silica content, it takes a beautiful polish.

Wonderstone Mountain

 For more information and photos of Grimes Point petroglyphs, caves, and wonderstone Like Us on FaceBook and check out our photo albums Grimes Point Petroglyphs and Amazing Tufa Formations. And, of course we will have Tufa and Wonderstone from the Hidden Cave area, as well as lots of other cool stuff at our booth in Quartzsite and on our Website.  We will be open in November at Space A37, in Rice Ranch.   Happy traveling and we’ll see ya’ online and in Quartzsite.   In the meantime, remember:  Life is Short.  Go Outside and Play! 

Petroglyphs, Caves, and Beautiful Rocks by Jenn Jedidiah Free is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

                

Stay tuned for more on our travels around Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Alaska this summer. Watch for our upcoming Blog Post about our adventures hunting for meteorites!