Black Canyon Road to Inscription Canyon
Highlights: You'll drive through a rainbow-colored basin on your way to the Black Mountain area, which has one of the largest concentrations of Native American petroglyphs in the Mojave Desert. Though vandalized, Inscription Canyon has an array of petroglyphs—about 1,000 of them, created over the last 12,000 years—as does Black Canyon. The mysterious figures include drawings of circles, rays, zigzags, wavy lines and other shapes. A common figure is a circle with a line through it from top to bottom. Some contain images of bighorn sheep, deer, reptiles, birds, insects, plants and trees. Others represent stick and solid body images of humanlike figures along with various baskets, masks and shields. Watch for endangered desert tortoises, which venture onto roads.
Note: This route is part of a loop traveling northward up the western side of the Black Mountain Wilderness area, ending at Inspiration Canyon. Refer to our companion trail guide Rock Art on Display to continue further on Black Mountain Road, then following what is now a more practical route (than what has been published elsewhere) returning to the Barstow area. The Fort Irwin military base boundaries have changed since current trail guide maps were published; now extending southward to a point some 6½ miles north of the Inscription Canyon petroglyph site. At that point you’ll encounter a graded dirt road traveling eastward along the new fence which then intersects with Copper City road for the return drive.
Time & Distance: 3 – 4 hours; about 30 miles.
To Get There: From Main Street in Barstow, turn north onto First Street. Drive over the railroad tracks and the Mojave River. Turn left onto Irwin Road. Follow Irwin Road for 5.9 miles. Turn left onto Fossil Bed Road (EF401) [N35'59.004" W116'59.995"], toward Rainbow Basin and Owl Canyon campground. Mileages begin here, so zero your odometer. At mile 2.9 [N3S'00.477" W1l7'02.458"] is the turnoff for the 4-mile loop through colorful Rainbow Basin, eroded sediments noted for fossils of mastodons, early pronghorns, camels and three-toed horses. Taking the loop is highly recommend. It returns you to Fossil Bed Road 0.7 miles farther northwest from the starting point. When you return to Fossil Bed Road, zero your odometer. At mile 11.4 from the Rainbow Basin loop exit (2.8 miles from the well), turn right (north) onto an unsigned road [N35'04.963" W117'14.853"]. (If you miss it, 0.7 mile farther turn right onto road EF373. Follow it north, passing a lone salt cedar tree, for 2.5 miles, then angle right, into Black Canyon.) Follow the unsigned road north for 2.6 miles along the western edge of the wilderness. When you reach a T junction [N35'07.215" W117'15.373'] you'll be at the mouth of Black Canyon. Zero or note your odometer here. Turn right, into the canyon, where you can view terrific petroglyphs on the roadside rocks. The road runs along the western and northern base of Black Mountain. Bear right at the junction [N35'11.086" W1l7'13.391"] about 6 miles from where you entered Black Canyon. At mile 9.1 you will arrive at Inscription Canyon [N3S'11.922' W1l7'11,596'!] The 200-yard-long arroyo is lined with petroglyphs, thought to have been created by Kawaiisu or Southern Paiute shamans.
Source: Guide to Southern California Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails; see also Trails.com Located between Superior and Water Valleys, northwest of Barstow, California, the Black Mountain Rock Art District contains an extensive concentration of petroglyphs. These "rock art" engravings were put here by Native Americans over the past 12,000 years using stone tools. Other images, called pictographs, were made by applying mineral substances to the rock surface. Pictographs are relatively rare compared to an estimated 12,000 petroglyphs in the District sites. Petroglyphs are found here due to the presence of lava rock and minerals suitable for "rock art" activities. Deposits of quartz and other very hard minerals made this a popular area for making stone tools and engraving instruments. The Black Mountain Rock Art District has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places and is protected by federal law against vandalism and the removal of artifacts. See also "Rock Art On Display." Source: Bureau of Land Management Black Mountain Rock Art District
Inscription Canyon has the highest concentration of petroglyphs in the Black Mountain Rock Art District. They number more than 1,000 and contain drawings of circles, rays, zigzag, wavy lines and other figures. One of the more common is a circle with a line drawn through it from top to bottom. Some petroglyphs contain images of bighorn sheep, deer, reptiles, birds, insects, plants and trees. Others represent stick and solid body images of humanlike figures along with various baskets, masks, shields and "hand-shape" designs.