In Search of the Mountain of Hieroglyphics (Lyon County, Nevada)

About a year ago, I learned of another ancient Native American petroglyph site in northern Nevada called the Mountain of Hieroglyphics. I've spoken with a number of people about it and done a fair amount of research. From everything I've found in my research, the site is on a hill on the western side of Lahontan Reservoir directly across from Fisherman's Point. During the winter months, I did a little exploring in the Jeep trying to find some back roads leading to this remote area, but end up just running into dead end after "No Trespassing" sign after dead end. I thought I would wait for the summer months when the reservoir's water might be warmer and shallower and then float across. However with the record snow falls this past winter, the lake level is higher than ever and it would be quite a trip for a poor swimmer to get across. 

This morning, I decided to take another crack at locating the site in the jeep. Similar to last time, I ended up falling short a number of times on a several different jeep trails, but eventually, I found the right path, though a large sand bar on the route made me decide to leave the jeep behind and to continue on foot. 

I followed what I would loosely call a road for a short distance before heading uphill towards a number of large boulders that might be home to rock art. It's a hot day and I'm concerned about rattlesnakes shading under the bushes and rocks of this hillside, but luckily I don't encounter any. I continue on around along a long steep ridge, but never see any rock art. Unfortunately, I'm on a schedule today and have an event to get to and I so, I'm forced to cut my search short and I'm not able to explore the most likely area for the rock art panels.

As I start heading down the hillside, I notice an obviously man-made wall overlooking a wash below. This was likely a hunter's blind, but I don't have the expertise to be able to even take a guess at the age of this. Regardless of whether it is modern or more ancient, I can imagine hunters hiding behind this wall and laying wait for antelope or deer to pass by below in the wash. After this find, I even more encouraged that there may be more history to be found here, but it will have to wait for another day, as the 1.8 miles I've hiked will have to be my limit today.