Rock Art Ranch is a unique natural wonder about 20 miles southeast of Winslow, that was on my Arizona Bucket List for a few years before I got to it. The highlight is a collection of some of the oldest rock art discovered on Earth. The private 5,000-acre working ranch also features archaeological sites and ancient artifacts unearthed over the years.
UPDATE: In 2025, Rock Art Ranch closed its “doors” to the public.
I checked Rock Art Ranch off my bucket list in September 2019, shortly after my 20-year stint with the same employer came to an end. I took a week off and roamed around parts of Arizona that I hadn’t seen yet. Among them were iconic places like Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly and Petrified Forest National Monument. All of the sites I visited in Northern Arizona were spectacular, but Rock Art Ranch will forever hold a special place in my heart.
What makes Rock Art Ranch special?
Rock Art Ranch is a private, working cattle ranch owned and managed by Brantley Baird and members of his family.
Most people who visit the ranch are led on a personalized tour around the property by Baird. On the day of my visit – a Tuesday – Baird was away from the ranch to celebrate the triple-digit birthday of a family friend. In Baird’s absence, his granddaughter Cori led the small tour group I was part of.
After about 20 minutes of exploring the museum area, Cori led us into an outdoor courtyard of sorts that’s beautifully landscaped with native plants, petrified wood, boulders and other elements native to the local landscape.
Next, we jumped in our vehicles and followed Cori to a preserved ruins site that was excavated and studied by teams of archaeologists over the years. Before arriving at the petroglyphs site, we were shown a couple of hogans – primitive, hut-like dwellings once occupied by native people.
Ultimately, we made our way to the feature for which Rock Art Ranch is named: a beautiful, narrow canyon along Chevelon Creek with rock walls decorated by thousands of petroglyphs. Incredibly, I wound up with the whole place to myself. (Check out the video below to see how it happened.) Never have I witnessed such a spectacular display of rock art.
Enjoy this video tour of historic Rock Art Ranch
What a great find. Thanks! I’ll keep it in mind if I’m in that area again. I used to go around Winslow and Holbrook often and I’ve never heard of this place.
Ya, really cool place. My only regret is I didn’t get to meet Brantley.