Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve

This place is fucking boring, the trail is short and dull, I could have walked around in my backyard and could have had a better time.

My review is based on the tour I received (this place doesn’t usually give tours, unless there’s a special event going on OR you have a group and you make arrangements 2 weeks in advance).
Came here on Saturday and it just happened to be on the same days as the Archaeology Festival! We were able to get a tour with Peter who was an excellent guide. Peter pointed out all the different petroglyphs (which we might have missed otherwise) and tell us all kinds of interesting facts. Peter also pointed out the different flowers and vegetation and explained how they might have been used and how some of the plants used back then could be used now! Because of Peter I learned how to spot blister beetles the next day during my hike (and made sure to avoid them). I think this may have been one of the best, engaging and in-​depth tours I’ve been on through all of my travels!

A beautiful Saturday morning… what to do, what to do.
Going here is what I’d suggest.
One thing — you’re either going to absolutely love this place or you’re going to hate it.
Prepare yourself, this isn’t a Las Vegas show — you need to channel your inner geek. A tip, if you have binoculars, bring them. If not, don’t worry you can rent them (cheap). Wear comfortable clothes, especially shoes, and you might want to pack some water. You’ll also be glad you brought along a camera with zoom capability so you can share this piece of history with your family and friends.
The walk isn’t very long and is well marked. As you look at the hillside covered in black basalt boulders you’ll see symbols (petroglyphs), some of which are over 5,000 years old!
If you live in the area and you haven’t visited — shame on you! If you’re a visitor this is a must see; this is truly an Arizona experience.

I got a culture pass and took a Saturday stroll down the trail with my toddler. My review it not based on the Indian artifact though. I went because my son LOVES rocks! We saw all sorts of frogs, squirrels, birds, bunnies, bugs, and oh so many rocks. It’s a pleasent walk with a drinking fountain near the end and there are places to sit along the trail. There is a nice little garden you can walk in the gated area to observe the plants growing.
It’s a great safe trail for kids. My son absolutely loved it and we will be back again for another stroll in the future.

I had a couple of hours to kill with my son in the north valley. I decided to grab a cultural pass from the library and stop by this museum. Yes, it is small but it was pretty good.
My son enjoyed the petroglyph scavenger hunt available from the front counter. It allowed him to focus on the different images to see if they matched those on his paper.
It doesn’t take you long to go through the museum. So, if you are able to get a discount (like the free cultural pass from Phoenix Public Libraries), I would definitely consider this.
The inside of the museum looks nice with some good, informative displays. Although some of them can be a bit wordy, especially for young kids.
I would visit again, but I would go earlier in the day when it is easier to see many of the petroglyphs.

The trail is amazing and I saw a bunch of petroglyphs and amazing desert with its natural wildlife! It was beautiful, definitely a must to see if you are an Arizonian or out of stater!!!

Ekkk not impressed!!! Very small and far! It was clear and educational though I would go here for a field trip! I went for free for this free arts of Arizona event and there was a Native American festival going on so there may have been more excitement than usual. It was just a little too small for me to be called a museum. Bathrooms were outside. Lots of parking and its free and for you avid museum goers they have these free passports you can get stamped and embossed from all the museums fun!

I was setup for disappointment on account of the false advertisements. I actually read reviews before I went here. They are way off. The ads said there were thousands of petroglyphs here, even suggesting to come at 10AM when the sun shines on the glyphs and to bring your own binoculars. On top of that, the website said that there is a butterfly exhibit in Feb. that was part of the «tour». Sounds awesome, right? And I’m a pretty good photographer too.
So I get here. The visitor’s center is nice and informative. However, the price is a little steep for what you get. I walk through the back gate and enter the trail. It’s a flat, pebbled trail, only a ¼ mile long. There is no «tour guide», nor a «tour». There was no butterfly exhibit. I’m there at exactly 10AM and there are not thousands of petroglyphs. Even with the binocs, they are hard to find and faded. For just $ 6 parking, you can see way more glyphs at South Mountain Park on the Kiwanis Trail.
The most exciting part about this tour was that a large squirrel approached us (see attached photos) and was really, really curious about us. You reach the end of the trail and that’s when you figure out that you’ve been duped. If it wasn’t government run, it would have been shut down a long time ago.

I enjoyed my visit here. I don’t get to see Petroglyphs and to get to see them in the middle (kinda) of the city is cool. It is a bit expensive to get in, but I think it supports a greater good, so it’s worth it.
The information center is small and well laid out. It was good for adults and children.
The walk out to the Petroglyphs was easy. They images are faded (they are really old) and are easier to see when the sun is not directly on them, which is later in the day.
The visit at the museum does not take very long. It is good for kids (and adults) with a short attention spans. They even give a little game for the kids to play (I think it was trying to find the various images) and if they find them all they get a little prize.

Overrated. Having visited petroglyph sites in California, and Nevada, this one is just A-​OK.
Pros:
1. Paved road to the site.
2. Nice visitor center
3. In Phoenix residential area, easy access to I-​17.
Cons:
1. Admission is expensive. Use AAA membership card to get some discount.
2. Petroglyphs are too distant, and hard to see.
3. Petroglyphs are faded
4. There aren’t too many petroglyphs here

Ok, so I only really went because the idea of petroglyphs sounded interesting– plus it’s dog-​friendly and relatively close to where I live.
My dog and I spent a good couple hours on the ¼ mile trail; most of it was spent trying to look for the petroglyphs, going back and forth from the different markers just to see if I could spot any more. My dog had a lot of fun sniffing around and we even spotted a jackrabbit or two.
I didn’t get to check out the exhibit (s) since I had my dog with me, although the front desk person did allow me to walk through the building with my dog since there were hardly any people about. If you go, try to go when the sun isn’t high in the sky– since I did it on a whim, I didn’t really think about the logistics. The petroglyphs are all on a rocky hill, and with the sun’s glare, even with sunglasses on, it was difficult to spot them– especially since a lot of them were at the top of the hill. If you have binoculars, bring those as well. The experience for me was somewhat underwhelming (probably because I don’t care about rocks that much) although since it wasn’t at all busy, I felt free to wander back and forth and spend a couple of hours relaxing outside.
If you’re in the area, an ASU student, and have 30 – 60 minutes to kill, definitely stop by. Otherwise, $ 7 for an adult seems pretty steep, especially if you don’t do a guided tour (although I think they only do group tours?) — all you’re really doing then is looking at a bunch of rocks without the history or context that could bring it to life for you. At $ 4 for a non-​ASU student, that’s not too bad either– since I didn’t know it was free to me and was totally willing to pay the $ 4 student price, I still donated because I already had the money with me.

This place is very cool, but it’s best to bring your own binoculars. Some of the rock designs are pretty high up on the hill and there are no telescopes provided. I thought there would caves and such, but it’s basically carved rocks along a small hill. Still worth it in my opinion.

I’ve been here about 3 times in the last 4 years. Its a fantastic rock art site, but you really have to be into that sort of thing, like I am, to enjoy it. Why only 3 stars then? I think $ 7.00 is too much for this place. Its nicely done, the staff in informative, but it should be $ 3.00 and not any more than that.

I visited the petroglyphs at Deer Valley today; I am sooo impressed! The building is unassuming and looks pretty vacant inside at first glance. But the information in center is really thoughtful, homespun and introspective. It’s also fast moving because the staff knows you want to get outside and see those rocks!
The outdoor path to the basalt rock mound is wide and clear, though a little scary with all it’s «rattlesnake habitat» signs. I’m not gonna lie: the petroglyphs are awesome. There are about 1500 images scattered across the rocky hill, and it seems like they are all facing the same side. It appears that the hill and the the rocks were very important to the people who carved these images and many present day tribes claim symbolism that pertains to their culture is found on the rocks, so maybe it was important for more than one group. My guess is the location was important because it was related to some ancient volcanic activity; that is how basalt is formed.
Anyway, totally rad reserve and museum and clearly i’m a huge geek. the end.

We decided to go as a family one Sunday afternoon, to get outdoors, and do something together. We even took the dogs.
The DVRAC consists of a small building that gives you the info about the history of the area, and what you are about to see outside. Once you exit the other side, you start on a short trail, that includes numbered stops.
Your brochure has information about each stop. Or, you can wait until a tour starts, and have it all explained to you. There are also scheduled demonstrations and talks.
We were the only people there, so we really took our time, and examined everything. It’s amazing how many petroglyphs there are, and so close together. You could spend a lot of time just hunting with your eyes. I did wish I had brought my binoculars, since some of them are a way up the hill.
We too, met Bear, who is actually not a ranger, but is employed by ASU. The property is owned by the company that built the dam, on which the building sits, and the facility is administered by students of ASU’s anthropology, geology, and similar departments.
At any rate, since we were the only people there, Bear was able to spend a good deal of time talking with us. If you would like to meet him, hurry — he is retiring soon.
All in all, the Deer Valley Rock Art Center is a fun, inexpensive, educational way to spend an hour or two outdoors, and isn’t very far away.

For $ 5 a person you get to learn a little of local history.
Did you know there is a large petroglyph and pictograph site right here in Phoenix?
You walk around with a map and locate various rocks and read about the history of the people who decorated the area with the symbols. It’s educational and fascinating.
We had the luck of running into the ranger by the name of Desert Little Bear Gonzales who took us on a personal tour since he wasn’t doing anything at the moment. He told us more history than the literature offered and even pointed out a large owl sitting in a tree. He shined a mirror at it to catch its attention and told us about the wildlife in the area. It was enchanting listening to his stories. You could tell he really enjoyed what he was doing.
I’ve even thought about having him speak in my class.
If you want to learn a little about Arizona, I’d suggest stopping by. It’s cheap (the money goes toward preservation of the area, also), and close by and worth at least one visit.