Road Trip West 4, Crane Petroglyph Site
Richard Rathe, April 2026 (Birds, Flowers, History)
My target for this segment was inspired by a used book I came across while working at my local Friends of the Library Sinagua Sunwatchers
by Kenneth Zoll. At first I had a bit of trouble finding the site online because the name has been changed very recently to better reflect its Native American origins. [The old name was V Bar V
in reference to the now defunct ranch on the property.]
The site itself is well-maintained, about a half mile walk from the parking area.
There are two major petroglyph panels in good condition, and numerous other smaller or degraded areas. This is the most impressive and dense panel…
While I was there the Docent began to reference Zoll's research and displayed photos from the book explaining the hypothetical solar calendar! Very cool. Note in the photo above, the top shadow stone has recently fallen out. 🙁
Nothing is left of the old ranch except a fireplace and a few fences. There was a nice shady area inside an old foundation where I ate lunch. Interesting tidbit: the trees in the distance along the watercourse are Arizona Black Walnut, not Cottonwoods.
They had very active Hummingbird feeders near the Visitors Center.
And of course many spring flowers were in bloom.
(click any image to view or advance)
