Where to See Petroglyphs in Southwest Idaho

Longtime Idahoans often take for granted that our state has an amazing collection of petroglyphs less than an hour's drive from Boise. This primitive form of rock art dots the landscape and gives us insight into the hunter-gatherer tribes that created these carvings over 12,000 years ago.

The word Petroglyph comes to us from the Greek word petros (stone) and glyphein (to carve) and are images cut into rock. The petroglyphs of southern Idaho were carved into large basalt rocks, which were deposited along the Snake River after the Great Bonneville Flood some 15,000 years ago. These petroglyphs are a record of journeys to hunting grounds or neighboring tribes, used for keeping track of the weather, denote areas of special religious significance, and other cryptic carvings for which modern man has been unable to decipher.

While these petroglyphs are scattered through the Snake River in southwest Idaho, the largest clusters of petroglyphs seem to follow the river starting at Swan Falls Dam area in Kuna to the Guffey Bridge south of Melba.

Wees Bar is regarded as the largest Petroglyph field in the state, and is located 4-5 miles downstream from Swan Falls Dam, south of Kuna. In this area, visitors can view hundreds of petroglyphs carved in 90 different boulders.

To reach the Wees Bar petroglyphs on foot or by mountain bike, cross over the Swan Falls dam and follow the trail to the right. Cyclists can make the round trip in about 1.5 hours while hikers should plan on at least a full day. The area is deserty and remote, and is best visited while temperatures are cool.

If you are little timid about hiking this area by yourself, an alternative idea would be to join a scheduled tour of the area. During Idaho Archaeology Month in May, the Western Heritage Foundation in Kuna offers guided hikes to the area. For information about tours of the Wees Bar, visit the Western Heritage Foundation's Snake River Birds of Prey Festival home page or call 208-861-9131.

A little more accessible is Celebration Park, located at 5000 Victory Road, south of Melba in Canyon County. Celebration Park is Idaho's only archaeological park and is located down river from the Swan Falls Dam. The site has a fascinating visitor's center with easy walking paths around the petroglyph fields. For more information about Celebration Park, fees, directions, and a listing of scheduled events visit this direct link to the Canyon County Parks department.

Map Rock west of Melba, Idaho is my favorite place to view ancient Indian petroglyphs. This amazing rock is about the size of a car and purports to be an ancient map of the Snake River region. Visitors can clearly see markings that look like rivers, mountains, hunting grounds, and other symbols including a rock carving of a big footed man, who may be the legendary Chief Big Foot, or Nampa, for whom the town of Nampa, Idaho was named.

Map Rock is a fascinating site and definitely worth a visit. To reach Map Rock, take 12th avenue south of out Nampa (also known as highway 45) towards the Snake River. Just before the Walter's Ferry turnoff, turn right on Map Rock road and continue downriver for a couple of miles. Map Rock is on the right of the road, and is identified with a wooden sign.