NOTICE: December 14th, 2006
DUE TO SEVERE FLOODING IN JANUARY 2005, THE ROAD THROUGH RAINBOW CANYON IS CLOSED TO PUBLIC USE AFTER THE FIRST 10 MILES. CLOSURE COULD LAST THROUGH FALL 2008.

History:

Ten thousand years ago people were living in Eastern Nevada, seeking out well watered oasis like Rainbow Canyon. Distinctive cultures, today known as the Desert Archaic, Fremont, and Southern Paiute, were visiting Rainbow Canyon and using Etna Cave as a temporary home. Their lifestyles were organized around the hunting of bighorn sheep, deer, rabbits, and the gathering of pinyon nuts, the seeds of Indian Rice Grass and other local plants. Unlike the earlier Desert Archaic people the Fremont, and Southern Paiute grew crops, perhaps planting small fields of corn, beans, squash or sunflowers in the flood plain of Meadow Valley Wash.

They also carefully crafted pottery, stone tools, hide moccasins, and baskets. A large number of perishable artifacts, including sandal fragments and herb bundles, have helped archeologists to date when these different groups were using the natural resources of the canyon. Rock art, appearing as petroglyphs (carved or pecked) and pictographs (painted), offers clues to the beliefs and artistic concepts of these people.

By AD1300, the Fremont had disappeared from the archeological record of Southern Nevada, perhaps a result of long-term droughts or other, as yet, unknown factors. Early 19th century Anglo-European explores reported finding only small groups of Sounthern Paiutes, who still followed the age old hunting and gathering practices of the first visitors to Rainbow Canyon.


Stop 1: Etna Cave. (4.9 miles from junction of HWY 93) Park on the right shoulder and walk under the train trestle. Follow the sandy wash through a small tunnel. Continue along the wash for about 400 feet, then look to your left on the tan cliff face for a series of red-orange pictographs. The pictographs were painted by unknown prehistoric artists, using hematitie, an iron oxide pigment which may have been obtained from the nearby cliffs. Hundreds of artifacts excavated document a 5,000 year sequence of prehistoric occupation by different groups.

Stop 2: Grapevine Canyon. (9.7 miles from Stop 1) Watch for a left turn-off, just after passing under a railroad bridge. Follow the dirt road for about .6 mile. Park at a grove of trees. Rock art can be viewed by walking about 100 feet back along the road from the parking area, then follow a well traveled foot path up the slope to a rock overhang. There are pictographs and petroglyphs, with more petroglyphs found along the cliff face on the south side of the canyon.

Stop 3: Tunnel No. 5. (2.7 miles from Stop 2) Just past the railroad bridge look for a dirt road on the right side. Park here and walk north along the road for about 400 feet towards Tunnel No. 5. Look west and uphill before the tunnel at the darkly stained rocks (desert varnish) strewn along the hillside. Several of these blocks have petroglyphs of bighorn sheep, and possibly elk, carved on the sides and tops.

Stop 4: Petroglyph Boulder. (1.9 miles from Stop 3) Park on the right shoulder of the road (mile marker 39) and look for a boulder covered with petroglyphs. Is this doodling?
End of Pavement: 1.9 miles from Stop 4.


Rock Art Etiquette

To explore the Rainbow Canyon Art Site (as well as other sites in Nevada), you will need a comfortable pair of walking shoes (hiking boots or sneakers are preferable), comfortable clothes, sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat. Also, keep a watch out for rattlesnakes. Never put your feet or hands where you cannot see them (ie., in deep nooks and crannies of rocks and boulders while climbing). Most importantly; always bring water. Even though you may only plan to go for a short hike, be sure to always have water with you.

When examining rock art, please be sure to observe the following; Do not ever touch rock art and do not ever walk on it. The rock art is very fragile and the application of any material, including water and especially oil from your skin, can cause irreparable damage. If you yourself see any vandalism taking place, please call the Bureau of Land Management's resource protection hotline (1-800-722-3998). Always exercise courtesy while visiting archaeological sites and do not disturb any artifacts you may find.


EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: Leave What You Find, Leave No Trace and Tread Lightly

Leave What You Find means retaining the special qualities of every wildland area for the long term. One of the most exiting aspects of traveling through America's deserts is coming upon relics from the past. The arid environment preserves human history and you often find rock art, potsherds, corn cobs, and ruins tucked up in canyons or spread across the mesas. Discovering such evidence of earlier cultures is exhilarating. Cultural sites add to the mystery and allure of the desert, but take care when you come upon a site. Watch where you walk and try not to touch anything. There can be no compromise if we wish to protect these irreplaceable and fragile treasures. Visit cultural sites with care, respect, and impeccable Leave No Trace techniques. Leaving such things as we find them helps us to pass the gift of discovery on to those who follow.

If you detect any vandalism, suspicious activity or desire further information please contact the Ely District office at HC33 box 33500, Ely, Nevada 8931-9408. (phone 1-800-633-6092, 775-289-1800). Also please remember that excavation, collection, damage or destruction of archeological resources (pottery, chipped stone, rock art and other resources) is prohibited under the Archeological Resources Protection Act (43 CFR Part 7). Please enjoy your visit.

Always remember to practice Leave No Trace skills and ethics and Tread Lightly minimum impact camping techniques.