Take a Trip Off the Beaten Path to Hidden Petroglyphs in Colorado's Hicklin Springs

On a rough and dusty dirt trail, south of John Martin Reservoir in Southeastern Colorado, a mystery is waiting to be solved. There, in the plains, where the grass is short and brittle, and Native American tribes once roamed, there are remnants of a culture dating back as far as 1000 B.C.

Although many people know and visit Picketwire, Picture and Vogel Canyons in Southeastern Colorado, very few know or have heard of a site some call Hicklin Springs. It's not in any tour book, and you won't read about the site, or how to get there in any magazines. That's because the site itself isn't part of the protected canyon lands, it's privately owned, and locally protected by secrecy.

The rock art or petroglyphs at this location are some of the most remarkable in Colorado and have remained largely untouched. There is evidence of vandalism in some areas, but if you're willing to crawl between the crevices of the rocks, you'll be rewarded. Among some of the first and most noticeable designs are the more recent carvings known by some as "cowboy art." These images, and often names were carved and dated by those passing through or living in the area in the recent past.

Although some of the images are faded, many are clearly visible and well preserved, including the "hand" design from 1931. You can read the names of people from the past, and it's fun to think about the time frames when these people lived in or traveled through the area.

Just beyond the walls of cowboy art, and interspersed, you'll find Native American Petroglyphs. A lot of these are from the Plains Indians. They are clearly visible, and the designs range from simple to complex animals and other symbols. These carving date from 1350 B.C. to the present. The older designs are "pecked" into the rock, meaning that they were formed by the outer surface being chipped away rather that scraped or worn away like the more recent designs.