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.