Grab your walking shoes for a tour of the outdoor Louvre! Here's an opportunity to discover ancient and not-so-ancient rock art. You can collect photos of petroglyphs amid lava beds and pictographs that were once part of a lake! Who knows-- maybe this trip will inspire you to create your very own rock art at home.

Rustle up your parents and tell them it's time for another ZiNjoid Vacation-- Just remember look don't loot!

Click on a state below to see ZiNj's rock art picks of the U.S. Or contact your state's visitor's bureau to find out if there's rock art in your state.

Arizona

Canyon de Chelly National Monument
3 miles from Route 191
Chinle, AZ 86503-0588
(520) 674-5500/01

The rock art of Canyon de Chelly is different from rock art at other sites because side-by-side are prehistoric and historic carvings and paintings. Some of the rock art was done by the prehistoric people called the Anasazi and some was done by the Navajo. You can see both petroglyphs and pictographs at Canyon de Chelly! Petroglyphs are the main form of rock art found, but the variety of colored clay that is all around this part of Arizona gives the pictographs a very different look than that of rock art in other places. While you are there you can participate in the Junior Ranger program at Canyon de Chelly to help keep the monument free from vandalism.

HOURS: The Visitor Center is open 8:00am-5:00pm from October to April, and 8:00am-6:00pm from May to September. The inner canyons cannot be reached during the winter months.

FEE: There is no entrance fee. Permit fees and an authorized Navajo guide are required for hiking and driving (4-wheel drive vehicles only) within the canyons. $10 per hour is the fee for either hiking or driving.

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE: Some of the overlook areas are accessible.

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California

Maturango Museum
Little Petroglyph Canyon Tour
100 East Las Flores Avenue
Ridgecrest, CA 93555-3654
(760) 375-6900

ZiNj KiDs who are 10 years of age or older can check out an educational tour featuring the spectacular rock art of the Coso Range. The canyon walls display bighorn sheep, deer, mountain lions, coyotes, and sheep-hunters with bows. You will learn the importance of the bighorn sheep (the Coso people thought bighorn sheep brought rain), as well as a respect for the Coso people and their way of life. Bring plenty of water and sunscreen! When you have completed the tour you can walk through the Exhibit Room and the Art Gallery in the Maturango Museum.

HOURS: Tours into the canyon are scheduled for Saturdays and some Sundays each month. The tour lasts all day so wear good walking shoes! Call to reserve by phone, or to receive a reservation form. reserve well in advance - this a popular tour.

FEES: $20.00 for the regular tour, $10.00 if you are a museum member (call the number above for information about membership). There is an extended tour which begins at 6:00am instead of 8:00am which is $40.00, but worth it for the chance to take exceptional photographs.

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE: No because of the trek down into the canyon.

Lava Beds National Monument
Petroglyph Point and Symbol Bridge
Tule Lake, California
(916) 667-2282

Petroglyph Point was created when a cinder cone erupted from the floor of ancient Tule Lake and formed an island. Early people paddled out in canoes to carve pictures onto the rock/island. Because of wind there are many cracks in the rock so many birds call this home. Over 5,000 symbols are carved on the cliff face, as well as on nearby rocks!

Take the flower covered trail to Symbol Bridge to see the pictographs under the bridge.

HOURS: Open everyday except Thanksgiving and Christmas, 8:00am - 5:00pm. Hours are extended to 6:00pm in the summertime.

FEE: $4.00

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE: The Visitor's Center, the Fleener Chimneys picnic area, and a reserved site (until 4:00pm) in the campground are all handicapped accessible.

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Hawaii

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Petroglyphs at Pu'u Loa
30 miles SW of Hilo or 95 miles SE of Kailua-Kona off of Hwy 11
The area of Kilauea, Hawaii
(808) 967-7311

A mile out in the fields of the Hawaiian flora and fauna, off of Chain of Craters Road, are Ki'i pohaku (that's Hawaiian for petroglyphs) left by the Polynesian settlers. Ki'i pohaku range from symbols, to human and animal figures. You can also see all of the natural rock art of Hawaii -- LAVA!! You might even see Kilauea erupt! So, tell your Dad that now he has the perfect place to wear that Hawaiian-print shirt you bought him for Father's Day.

HOURS: The park is always open. The Kilauea Visitor Center is open daily from 7:45am to 5:00pm.

FEES: $5.00 per car or $3.00 per person.

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE: The Visitor Center is accessible. Pullouts along Chain of Craters Road offer panoramic views and paths.

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Kansas

Kanopolis State Park
200 Horsethief Road
Marquette, Kansas
(913) 546-2565
(913) 546-2294

If you take the Kanopolis Lake Legacy Trail (by car!) you can see an incredible display of natural rock features like sandstone spheres on rock pedestals. Mushroom Rock State Park (in partnership with Kanopolis State Park and only 8 miles away) boasts 100 million year-old rocks that look like toadstools!

After you have returned from your Alice in Wonderland adventure take a peek in the Visitor Center in Kanopolis State Park. Inscription Rock( yes, there is more than one!), is a 150 feet high bluff that was carved 400 years ago by an unknown people.

HOURS: Mushroom Rock State Park is open 24 hours year-round. The Visitor's Center

FEES: None, just camping fees.

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE: Yes, but the big rock in Mushroom Rock State Park is not accessible.

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Massachusetts
Dighton Rock State Park
Exit 10 off of Route 24
Follow signs at Friend Street and Bay View Avenue
Berkeley, Massachusetts
(508) 644-5522

In the middle of a mud-puddle on the Tauton River used to sit the Dighton Rock. The Dighton Rock is a huge boulder covered with inscriptions that are still a mystery today.Theories about the makers of these inscriptions cover panels within the museum where the rock now sits for protection from the weather. Was it the American Indians, the Phoenicians, the Vikings, or the Portuguese who carved the Dighton Rock? You might be able to solve the mystery if you ask the right questions.

HOURS: April-October, 9:00am - 8:00pm

FEE: Free! But donations are welcome.

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Minnesota

Pipestone National Monument
Just North of the town of Pipestone
Follow signs from U.S. 75, Minn. 23, or Minn. 30
Pipestone, Minnesota
(507) 825-5464


In the Minnesota quarry, Plains Indians carved pipes out of pink stone. They also carved the Stone Petroglyphs which were once located around three large boulders called the "Three Maidens." The petroglyphs slabs were removed in the 1800s by an artifact collector but later returned to the monument after much of their beauty was lost. Today, ZiNj KiDs can see what vandalism has done at Pipestone. The damaged slabs are protected, and on display at the monument.

HOURS: Everyday of the week year-round except Christmas and New Year's days. 8:00am - 5:00pm. Extended hours in the summer.

FEE: $2.00 per person or $4 per family or carload! Ages 16 and under and 62 and over enter free.

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE: The parking lot, visitor center, restrooms, and the self-guiding trail are all handicapped accessible.

Jeffers Petroglyphs
From U.S. Highway 71,
3 miles east on Cottonwood County Road 10,
then one mile south County Road 2
Bingham Lake, Minnesota
(507) 697-6321

Follow a trail through the middle of prairie grass to see carvings of bison, rabbits, wolves, and even turtles on pink quartzite stone. This year marks a new beginning for Jeffers Petroglyphs, they are even looking for a new name! A Visitor Center with hands-on activities such as carving your own rock art on a reproduced panel (it's "look don't touch" on the site), or handling reproductions of tools used by the people who made the petroglyphs.

HOURS: May 1- Labor Day: 10:00am - 5:00pm daily. Same hours on weekends in September.

FEE: Free!

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE: Yes, but the terrain is a little uneven

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Montana

Pictograph Cave State Park
Take the Lockwood Exit on I-90,
then 6 miles south on county road
Billings, Montana
(406) 247-2940 - Winter No.
(406) 245-0227 - Summer No.

Three caves make up Pictograph Cave State Park. They are Ghost Cave, Middle Cave, and Pictograph Cave (which is closed due to falling rock slabs). Along the cave walls are painted pictographs of mighty hunting expeditions created by prehistoric hunters.

HOURS: April 15 - October 15, 8:00am - 8:00pm

FEES: $3 per car or $.50 per person

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE: Yes

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New Mexico

Petroglyph National Monument
4735 Unser Boulevard NW
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87120
(505) 839-4429

Visit the petroglyphs carved among the lava and volcanic cones atop a mesa by the Pueblo Indians. The petroglyph figures include masks, spirals and stars!

HOURS: Both the Visitor Center and the Boca Negra Unit are open from 8:00am to 5:00pm during the winter (except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day). Hours in the summer are extended to 6:00pm (Boca Negra opens at 9:00am in the summertime).

FEES: There is a $1.00 parking fee on weekdays and a $2.00 fee on the weekends.

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE: Yes, but Boca Negra is minimally accessible.

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Ohio

Leo Petroglyph
Off U.S. 35, then 5 miles NW of Jackson
Just follow the signs!
Ohio
1-800-860-0144

Leo Petroglyph is off the beaten path, but includes some incredible examples of prehistoric Indian inscriptions.

HOURS: Open year-round during daylight hours

FEES: Free

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE: Not yet!

Inscription Rock
Kelleys Island, Lake Erie
Ohio
1-800-283-8916, (419) 874-4121, Larry Millson

In the middle of Lake Erie lies Kelleys Island where you can see the limestone pictographs carved between 1200 and 1600 A.D. on Inscription Rock.

HOURS: Open year-round during daylight hours

FEES: Free

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Tennessee

Montgomery Bell State Park
Mace Bluff and Mound Bottom
7 miles east of Dickson, Tennessee on U.S. Hwy 70
turn north from I-40 Mont. Bell exit & follow the signs
Burns, Tennessee 37029
(615) 797-9052

Mace Bluff is a limestone bluff named after the baton or mace that is carved on its face. The location of Mace Bluff appears to be no accident because right across the river lies Mound Bottom, a prehistoric earthen temple with surrounding mounds. So, you ZiNjsters can get a glimpse of rock art and see a cool built structure (remember Issue #4!) at the same time!

HOURS: The park is open from 8:00am-sundown year-round. Mound Bottom is a restricted area, guided tour hours are from 8:00am to 4:30pm.

FEE: None

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE: No

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Texas

Amistad National Recreation Area
Panther Cave and Parida Cave
45 miles west of Del Rio on U.S. Highway 90
Del Rio, Texas
(210) 775-7491

These caves are located on the Pecos River so you must travel by boat in order to see the rock art in the caves. If you don't bring your own boat there are boat tours operated by concessionaires, but you need to call in advance. The boat ride is definitely worth it! Rock art figures of animals and humans cover the cave walls. Some reach over 15 feet in height and contain as many as five colors. So turn on your night vision and head for the water!

HOURS: The Information Center is open everyday but, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day, from 8:00am - 5:00pm, on weekdays, 9:00am - 5:00pm on weekends. Call ahead for weather conditions.

FEE: Free!

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE: Not very, since the caves must be reached by boat.

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Utah

Canyonlands National Park
The Needles District
80 miles south of Moab, Utah, or
50 miles northwest of Monticello via US 191 & UT 211
Utah
(801) 259-7164

HOURS: The park is open all year. The Visitor Center is open everyday except Thanksgiving and Christmas from 8:00am-4:30pm with extended hours from April to October.

FEE: $4.00 per car, or $2.00 per person.

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE: The Visitor Center is accessible.

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Washington

Olympic National Park
Lake Ozette - Wedding Rocks
600 East Park Avenue
Port Angeles, Washington 98362
(360) 452-4501

Take one of two trails to the beach, which is a three mile hike around Lake Ozette. Much of the trail is a boardwalk and you can walk along the beach and check out the tidepool life on your way to Wedding Rocks headland. Three hundred years ago the Makah Indians carved petroglyphs into the Wedding Rocks with bone, antler, and metal. Just make sure to leave the tidepool life and the rock art as you found it. Please help to protect the rockart by using only natural light and not your flash when taking pictures!

HOURS: Open everyday except Christmas and New Years from 9:00am-4:00pm. Hours are extended to 6:00pm in the summertime.

FEES: $4.00 per car or $2.00 per person

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE: Call the number above to receive a guide to handicapped accessible areas.

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Wisconsin

Roche-A-Cri State Park
Roche-A-Cri Mound
1767 Highway 13
Friendship, Wisconsin
(608) 339-6881 Summer
(608) 565-2789 Winter

Roche-A-Cri Mound is an example of both a natural and human-made work of art. A sandstone mound towering over 300 feet above the surrounding landscape, the south face of the mound is covered with both pictographs and petroglyphs of crowfeet and arrows made by the Upper Mississippi Indians. The rock art is said to be considered very spiritual, but damage done by visitors and vandals continues to be a problem.

HOURS: 6:00am-11:00pm from Mid-May to the first week of October.

FEE: $5.00 per car for residents and $7.00 per car for nonresidents.

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE: To the kiosk, but the mound is 306 steps.

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