Three Rivers Petroglyph Site
455 3 Rivers Rd, Tularosa, NM
Tularosa, NM
A long basalt ridge carrying thousands of ancient carvings, birds, faces, animals, and masks, looking out over the white dunes and the Sacramento Mountains.
Three Rivers is one of the richest concentrations of ancient rock art in the Southwest, a long ridge of dark basalt carrying thousands of petroglyphs pecked into the stone. The images crowd the boulders along the ridgeline, faces and masks, birds and bighorn sheep, fish, insects, handprints, sunbursts, and geometric patterns, an astonishing gallery scattered across a mile of desert.
The carvings are the work of the Jornada Mogollon people, who lived and farmed in the Tularosa Basin roughly a thousand years ago, and who left this ridge covered in imagery over generations. A rocky trail climbs the ridge and threads among the boulders, letting visitors walk slowly from image to image with the wide basin, the white dunes, and the snow-capped peak of Sierra Blanca spread out beyond.
What Guests Love
- Thousands of petroglyphs concentrated along a single walkable ridge
- The astonishing variety of images, from animals and birds to masks and geometric designs
- Wide views over the Tularosa Basin toward White Sands and Sierra Blanca
- A quiet, remote site where you can take your time with the carvings undisturbed
Worth Knowing
- The trail along the ridge is rocky and uneven, so wear sturdy shoes and watch your footing
- There is little shade, so bring water, sun protection, and a hat, especially in summer
- Never touch, chalk, or make rubbings of the petroglyphs; the oils and pressure damage them
- This is desert country with rattlesnakes and cactus, so stay on the trail and watch where you step and reach
Details
Tularosa, NM
Learn about Three Rivers Petroglyph Site
The Jornada Mogollon and their images
The petroglyphs were made by the Jornada branch of the Mogollon culture, ancestral Puebloan farmers and hunters who occupied the Tularosa Basin and surrounding country from roughly a thousand years ago. They pecked and scratched the images through the dark, weathered surface of the basalt to reveal the lighter rock beneath, working over many generations to build up the vast assemblage seen today.
The range of subjects is remarkable, animals such as bighorn sheep, deer, fish, and birds, along with human and masklike faces, handprints, footprints, sunbursts, and abstract geometric forms. Many likely carried spiritual or ceremonial meaning, tied to hunting, water, or ritual, though their exact significance is known only in part. To Pueblo peoples of today, whose ancestors include the Mogollon, such places remain culturally significant and are treated with respect.
Walking the ridge
A trail leaves the small visitor area and climbs onto the basalt ridge, running along its spine for about a mile among the carved boulders. It is a rocky, uneven path, more of a rough scramble in places than a graded walk, and the reward is the sheer density of images, with new ones appearing on almost every dark rock as you go.
Because the site is remote and lightly visited, it is often possible to have long stretches of the ridge to yourself, moving at your own pace and finding carvings that reveal themselves only on a second look. The open, exposed setting means sun and heat are real considerations, so water, a hat, and an early or late start make the walk far more comfortable.
The Tularosa Basin and its long view
The ridge stands like a natural viewpoint over the Tularosa Basin, a wide desert valley walled by mountains and holding, at its heart, the great gypsum dunes of White Sands. From the carvings you look west toward that pale sea of sand and east and north to the Sacramento Mountains and the high, often snow-capped peak of Sierra Blanca.
That commanding outlook was surely part of why the ridge mattered to the people who carved it, a raised place above the basin where they lived and farmed. Standing among the petroglyphs with the basin stretched out below makes the connection between the images and the land they overlook feel immediate.
Preserving the carvings and when to go
Petroglyphs are fragile and irreplaceable, and even a light touch transfers oils that speed their decay. Chalking, tracing, or making rubbings, and of course any scratching, cause real and permanent harm. The site asks visitors to look and photograph only, and to stay on the trail so the surrounding surfaces and any buried features are left undisturbed for the people who hold this place sacred.
Fall, winter, and spring bring the most comfortable weather for the exposed ridge, with mild temperatures and clear desert light that makes the carvings stand out. Summer is hot and best tackled early or late in the day. Whenever you come, the low-angle light of morning and evening sharpens the shadows in the pecked lines and makes the images easiest to see and photograph.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Tularosa
White Sands National Park
About 35 miles southwest
A vast field of glistening white gypsum dunes, one of the great natural wonders of the Southwest, visible from the ridge.
Tularosa
About 17 miles south
A historic village with an old plaza, adobe church, and roses, and a base for exploring the basin.
Valley of Fires Recreation Area
About 40 miles north
A young lava flow with a trail across the black rock, another striking landscape in the Tularosa country.
New Mexico Museum of Space History
About 40 miles south, in Alamogordo
A hillside museum tracing rocketry and spaceflight, fitting for a basin that helped launch the space age.