Climbing the Muddy Temple and Visiting Petroglyphs in Pinto Valley Wilderness in Nevada

Join me on a favorite hike up a scenic peak in the Pinto Valley Wilderness in Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada. I cross a very narrow ridge and take a detour to visit some petroglyphs, then return through beautiful badlands.

[@llanitedave]

I had to leap at this as soon as I saw it on my feed! Pinto Valley is my favorite landscape in the Northshore area, and they're all beautiful. I've taken the Cottonwood Creek route into Pinto Valley several times, it's pretty all times of the year. It was even flowing intermittently one year. I've never done the Muddy Temple, though, I always skirted along the base on an old jeep trail that left the wash and passed over a low ridge into the Pinto Valley drainage. Those petroglyphs are new to me (although they're old!), I never stumbled across them. Don't tell me where they are, though. Maybe I'll look for them myself. Now I have a hankering to go back there, despite the fact that it's now a 4 hour drive for me! The petroglyphs I've seen were on the east end, and not so weathered. I encountered them hiking from Redstone picnic area heading for Boulder Wash, which took me all the way down to the lake. It doesn't matter which direction you take into Pinto Valley, the whole place is sublime! You pick the best hiking places!

[@StudioHoodoo]

Glad I could take you back there! It’s a special place for sure. I’ve seen petroglyphs from different eras throughout the Wilderness. I’ve spent many hours out there hiking, painting, backpacking & climbing peaks. For the most part, it’s still relatively unknown by many people. I didn’t see any people on this day.