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LITTLE BLACK MOUNTAIN PETROGLYPHS SITE

LITTLE BLACK MOUNTAIN PETROGLYPHS SITE

Difficulty Level: Easy

Distance: 1 mile

TRAIL SUMMARY

The Little Black Mountain Petroglyph site is located south of St. George on the Arizona Strip and features an easy hike around sandstone boulders covered in ancient petroglyphs. The hike is easy and short making it great for those who want to get out of the city without getting too dirty or being gone too long.

TRAIL DETAILS

DIFFICULTY LEVEL

Easy

ROUND TRIP LENGTH

1 mile

AVERAGE HIKE TIME

1 hour

GPS COORDINATES

36.982827, -113.503066

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

BLM

DISTANCE FROM ST GEORGE

13.9 Miles (30 minutes driving)

RESTROOM FACILITIES

Vault Toilets at Trailhead

HIKERS ALLOWED

Yes

DOGS ALLOWED

Yes, on 6 ft leash

BIKERS ALLOWED

No

EQUESTRIAN ALLOWED

No

HIKE TYPE

Out & Back

BEST TIME OF THE YEAR TO HIKE

Spring, Fall, Winter

BEST TIME OF THE DAY TO HIKE

Morning, Afternoon, Evening

GROUP LIMIT

No Limit

PERMIT INFORMATION

No Permit Required

COST

No Cost

WATER SOURCES AVAILABLE

No Water Sources Available

CAMP SITES

No Camping Available on Trail, Dispersed Camping Available

TRAIL CONDITIONS

Dirt Single Track

SUN EXPOSURE

Full Sun Exposure

TRAIL MAP

Download Map

LOCAL SERVICES

DIRECTIONS TO TRAILHEAD

Directions to Trailhead. Follow River Rd. South until it turns in to a dirt road. Follow the dirt road for about 1/4 mile until you see the sign on the left that says “Black Mountain Petroglyph Site”. Turn left. Follow the main dirt road for about 3 miles. Around 3 miles in you will see a dirt parking lot with a picnic table and an outhouse. This is Little Black Mountain. Be sure to stay on the main road and do not follow the many ATV and 4WD roads that jut off from the main road.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Plants: Typical plant life for Southern Utah lowland hiking.
Animals: Typical animal life for Southern Utah lowland hiking.

TRAIL REPORT

I made the short drive out to Little Black Mountain at the end of May and by then it was pretty hot. Be sure to bring plenty of water. There is no water at the site but there is a picnic table and bathroom.  The drive wasn’t long, the road was a little rough but my 2wd truck didn’t have any problems. I even saw a mini van out there. I arrived at the dirt parking lot sooner than I planned. The mountain itself is a small mesa with crumbly sandstone boulders breaking off of it. A lot of these are covered in petroglyphs, some very well preserved.

There is a groomed path for most of the area but I wouldn’t say it’s well maintained. Strollers and wheelchairs will have some difficulty out there. The area is a BLM property so it’s federal land but it is free to get in.

I camped near the site and took a bunch of night photos. If you go just past the parking lot you will see a few free campsites. They are not maintained but have fire pits which people have built and are relatively quiet.

Overall this is a cool little hike. It’s not intense and you can easily do it in an afternoon plus it’s a great opportunity to learn a little about the area’s previous people.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tim LeBaron

HikeStGeorge is a project that began as a seedling for Tim LeBaron in the early part of 2008, but really didn’t begin to blossom until the latter part of 2011. The original idea behind the site was to bring to light all of the harder to find, or “less known” hidden gems of the area. It was more of a pet project than anything. As excitement about the site began to spread, there was more of a push to develop information about all hikes in the Southern Utah Region.

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HAVE YOU HIKED THIS TRAIL? TELL US ABOUT IT!

8 replies
  1. Patty
    Patty says:

    Found this on 10/15/22
    https://www.blm.gov/visit/little-black-mountain-petroglyph-site

    Little Black Mountain Petroglyph Site
    ******* The state has leased land for a gravel pit within the main access road to Little Black Mountain Petroglyph Site. For visitors’ safety, the route coming in from the Glitter Mine side is recommended. See directions at left for more information. Be warned the Glitter Mine’s direction doesn’t hold up as well in rains and is completely impassible during heavy rain. *******

    Reply
  2. Saundra
    Saundra says:

    Thank you for your comments. It helped us know we weren’t the only ones confused by Google map directions. There is a road on the left, shortly before you come to the construction site road (the one that Google incorrectly leads you to , that has a sign (brown wood, white writing, about 3 1/2′ across) that shows the road to the petroglyph site. The sign is off the road and we only saw it because we pulled off to find another place to hike. The road is dirt and rocky with some deep ruts. It’s not impassable but our low to the ground, front wheel drive car was risky. We were concerned with getting stuck or damaging our car so didn’t go far before turning around.

    Reply
  3. Fred
    Fred says:

    I went out today. I followed Google maps and ended up on the road Rc theobold was talking about. It still says closed and it is for travel to the site. On the way back to Utah on road BLM 1069 I noticed a small sign that said “Little Black Mountain Petroglyph Site.” It is only about 200 yards from the road that Google maps tells you to turn on. You follow that road and it takes you to the site.

    Reply
  4. Rc theobold
    Rc theobold says:

    No signs. Zip. Nada. No Arizona strip sign. No petroglyph sign. The road about a quarter mile in is for a gravel pit, and posted as closed. It you look carefully you’ll see a tiny BLM 1069 to tell you you’re on the dirt extension or a River Road. Frustrating. And the local number posted on this site doesn’t help either.

    Reply
  5. Faith
    Faith says:

    Fantastic sight – thank you!! We will be visiting soon, from the east coast. Are these trails open at night? If so, are they safe then and can you recommend a good one for night sky viewing? A short one please!

    Reply
    • Tim LeBaron
      Tim LeBaron says:

      Thanks Faith! Yes, these trails are all open at night. This is one of the best areas for night viewing, because your light pollution will be limited. Other areas that would be good to check out are Pine Valley and Gunlock.

      Reply
      • Randy Thies
        Randy Thies says:

        Sure would be nice for non locals to get consistent directions. BLM says take exit 10 off highway 9 (which it seems obvious they mistyped it, then follow a frontage road driving S for 4.2 miles, then turn right on “a road” and go around the ranch, then right on BLM 1124 2.3 miles to the site. (so basically coming in from the south east side of the mountain. Whereas your directions of coming in from “River Road”. Google maps calls it east river road north of the highway 7, and calls it BLM 1069 south of highway 7, as well as the mileage and turns don’t seem to match anything visible on google earth.

        Reply

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