Anasazi Valley Petroglyphs (Tempi'po'op)

An easy Santa Clara hike to Land Hill — hundreds of ancient petroglyphs and a 1,000-year-old Puebloan farmstead, one of the best rock-art sites near St. George.

Anasazi Valley Petroglyphs (Tempi'po'op)

Just outside Santa Clara, the Anasazi Valley Trail — also called Tempi'po'op, Southern Paiute for 'rock writing' — climbs to one of the finest concentrations of ancient rock art in the St. George area.

What you'll see

  • Atop Land Hill, basalt boulders are covered in hundreds of petroglyphs — bighorn sheep, spirals, and geometric figures left by Ancestral Puebloan and Southern Paiute peoples
  • The trail also passes a ~1,000-year-old Puebloan farmstead excavated by BYU students
  • Big views over the Santa Clara River valley

The hike

  • About 2.9 miles round trip, easy to moderate with ~330 feet of gain — allow 1–1.5 hours
  • Trailhead: from Santa Clara, follow Old Highway 91 toward Ivins; the signed Anasazi Valley Trailhead is on the left about 2.8 miles out

Tips

  • Never touch the petroglyphs — skin oils damage them; photograph, don't chalk or trace
  • Little shade — go early and bring water
  • For more rock art, the Little Black Mountain Petroglyph Site south of St. George is another BLM-managed option

A short hike with a deep sense of history.

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