Trippin' Again: Stories in stone at Three Rivers

Editor's note: As we begin to see COVID-19 in our rear-view mirrors, travelers are cautiously returning to the roads. This series offers destination options for eastern New Mexico-area residents looking to get away for a few days.

It's said nothing is set in stone. That's wrong. Check out the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site.

The site is one of the few in the Southwest set aside simply for its rock art. It is a prominent example and preservation of prehistoric Jornada Mogollon rock art. It is also one of the few sites that allow guests to access the rock art in such close proximity.

While many overlook Three Rivers Petroglyph Site on their way to Ruidoso or the White Sands, it still remains a treasure to history and culture.

Its story began between about 900 and 1400 AD. When the Jornada Mogollon people flourished in archaeological culture during the archaic period, they depicted various images on the rock formations around them. Using stone tools to remove the dark patina on the exterior of the rocks, they were able to keep their art, and history, alive within our culture.

Since then, the rocks are alive with the past, allowing guests to peek through the veil of time. There now remain over 21,000 glyphs throughout the site. The art contains images of birds, humans, animals, fish, insects, and plants. There are even geometric and abstract images that stretch over 50 acres of the New Mexico Chihuahuan Desert.

Foundation of life:

A slight excavation of the site occurred in 1976. This revealed the foundation of three prehistoric buildings: a small pueblo building, Sierra Blanca towers, and the Three Rivers campground. The Magollon lived in a pithouse and adobe structure that was similar to the Anasazi, their agriculture cousins. The residents are believed to have continued their ancestors' lifestyle of hunting and gathering, or had fled to pueblos in northern New Mexico.

Activities:

You can hike, camp, picnic and join in on prehistoric interpretation when you visit Three Rivers Petroglyph Site. A half mile trail begins at the visitor shelter and links many of the petroglyphs. There is another trail beginning on the east side of the picnic area that leads to the remains of a Mogollon village. This location was most likely inhabited by the artists of these artifacts.

Where is it:

The Three Rivers Petroglyph Site is about 3 hours and 50 minutes southwest of Clovis. It is 17 miles north of Tularosa. The address is Las Cruces Field Office 1800 Marquess Street Las Cruces, NM 88005.

Hours and admission:

It's open year round to visitors. From April to October it is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m .; it closes at 5 p.m. from late fall to early spring. Day use is $5 per vehicle, $15 per bus. Camping is $7, RV hookup per campsite is $18, and group sites are $50.

Origin of the name:

The site is called Three Rivers because Indian Creek, Golondrina Creek, and Three Rivers came together near the site. Much like present and past flows together at this site, these bodies of water merged their currents.

More information:

Call (575) 525-4300 or visit online: http://www.blm.gov/visit/

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