Donner Pass Petroglyphs, California
Posted by: Volcanoguy
N 39° 19.033 W 120° 19.243
10S E 730981 N 4355402
The Donner Pass Petroglyphs along Hwy 40.
Waymark Code: WMVZRF
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 06/17/2017
Views: 5
The following come from the Donner Summit Historical Society website (
visit link)
The most accessible prehistoric rock art site is below Donner Pass on Old Hwy 40 between Rainbow Bridge and the Chinese Wall. Look on the flat granite bench just west of the road near the historical marker. This is an extensive petroglyph site that contains over 200 rock art elements. The petroglyphs here are hard to see but fascinating.
Archeologists estimate that the petroglyphs in this area were made 1500 to 4000 years ago. They were created by pecking through the surface of the glaciated bedrock using a tool called a hammerstone. Most are geometric shapes – wavy lines, circles, and zigzags. Human and animal forms, such as stick figures and deer or bear tracks, are less common. Although no one knows what the petroglyphs mean, many people believe they have a spiritual or ceremonial significance.
The rock art sites are exposed to the harsh environment of the high Sierra. The natural process of exfoliation (peeling away of layers of rock due to the freezing and expansion of water) is at work on Sierra granite. This leaves the petroglyphs fragile and vulnerable to destruction.
Visit Instructions:1. You may log as many different waymarks as you wish but you may only log each one once.
2. You must include a close up photo of the pictograph and your GPSr. The pictograph must be recognizable.
3. Tell a little bit about what you learned of the area.