Grimes Point and Hidden Cave

Stillwater Field Office BLM

(map link)

I passed right by Grimes Point on the way out to see the annular eclipse, which quite definitively closes my circle through Nevada that started with the Pony Express and other ruins. (There's an introduction at the Lassen overlook, but that's in California, so that doesn't count.) I wanted to stop this time because there are petroglyphs. These aren't just any petroglyphs, either. Estimated to be at least 8000 years old, they're some of the oldest in the state. There are some that are probably at least 10,500, perhaps 14,000, years old, so they're not the oldest.

One of a few information signs at the highly developed Grimes Point Trailhead which includes toilets, covered picnic tables, paved road access, and more information signs.

My plan for the visit was to take a turn around the interpretive trail that visits some of the petroglyphs in the area, then head up the Observation Point Trail. There were some geocaches in the area that met my standards, so I figured I would stop by them. (After I decided to find them, I noticed one of them had no recorded finds, so I might get a coveted "First To Find" on it.) Then I would head over to Hidden Cave for the interpretive trail there. There's signs to guide the way and a very well established trail. In fact, I wasn't even the only one on it. It's only a few steps to the first of the petroglyphs and the rest of the steps are quite surrounded by them as one loops around.

Trail and a petroglyph.

This first rock is actually a younger style, but it's still probably at least 3000 years old. It is the more common Great Basin Pecked style found at this site. That's still suitably old to call old.

Shadowing more petroglyphs as another group exits.

The boulder above contains both Great Basin Pecked style and the older Pit and Groove style, as described on the nearby interpretive sign.

My fellow wanderers seemed a little disappointed because these are so hard to see. I do agree these are hard to see, but when I look upon something that is still bright and full of contrast in the dark rock, I tend to wonder if it is truly old. These leave no question and they are pecked with such determination that there is no question of the meaningfulness either. I'm happy to see these where the desert varnish has reclaimed the area almost completely.

Having a look around. The bulge on the right is the actual Grimes Point.

More of those very oldest marks. The pits are distinctly sized.

More long ago etched boulders and an etched metal sign to help understand what is known about it.

Boulders marked by humans (petroglyphs) and nature (white tufa) near a sign pointing out there has been lake here at various times.

I continued around, reading the frequent signs and pondering the even more frequent art.

A sunny newer piece.

A rainbow. Or not.

There is no denying these are hard to see.

Another mixture of old and older.

At the end, the trail splits to either take a very short return to finish off the loop or cross to the overlook trail. There's more petroglyphs along the connector trail, but that's the last I saw for a while.

Onward and upward past very dark boulders.

Some of the views to the south.

Getting up high certainly got a lot to look at, including the jets taking off and landing at the Naval Air Station. Taking off is really loud and far more sustained than the one boom that happened as well.

It's a lot easier to see the old Lake Lahontan levels in the landscape from here.

Pair of jets coming home.

Wheels down, ready to land.

The trails at the top were well established and I wasn't the only one using them, either. A runner came by to tag the same high point I did. I located the geocaches I was after. That one that had never been found took a little effort to find, then more to retrieve and return, but I signed a blank log. Poking around for it helped me to notice the tufa. It's everywhere. Once this high point was a shallow part of the lake.

Trail along the top.

White calcium carbonate encrusts the rocks: tufa from the long gone Lake Lahontan.

Caves? Just overhangs? ahead in the volcanic rocks.

Into the sun across Eetz Mountain.

I found I was coming onto another system of trails, so followed along the ones I was on to connect with them. This passed even more interesting tufa along the basalt edges.

Tufa everywhere. Tufa cements these rocks together, then encrusts them in rounded structures and dripping structures.

A closer look at the encrusted portions of tufa.

There's cave spaces. Some very large pieces have come off the tufa in the past and are in the ground nearby.

More of the tufa along this cliff.

Heading down to the other trail, I found a bench and a sign. I had found my way to the Hidden Cave Interpretive Loop Trail without having to drive over. The signs here are frequently about the geology, but often with a human element.

A sign describing how Lahontan Valley was once Lake Lahontan and the dunes in the valley were important for pre-contact people.

I continued on around, taking spurs when they presented. First up happens to be Hidden Cave. I wouldn't be seeing it today.

The entrance to Hidden Cave, which was excavated in 1980 and left unburied but very locked so that tours may go through.

So I just had to continue around the loop to the other two caves that were mentioned on the sign back at the Grimes Point parking.

Another cave like place that's not one of the named spaces.

Burnt Cave isn't much deeper, but there is a small chamber through that hole at the end.

The sign at Burnt Cave mentions there's pictographs in it. There are two locations where paint can still be seen, although "partly obscured by modern vandalism".

I can find some faint paint.

I continued around to the trailhead. It has pictures of the excavation of Hidden Cave and the information about the tours. I had plans for Saturday and I was pretty sure it was the 3rd one, but I checked anyway. Indeed, no tour for a week. There's also a bathroom and parking and picnic table.

These cliffs with Burnt Cave at the far left get a call out as raptor nesting area.

The trailhead at Hidden Cave is a little less elaborate and doesn't have paved access.

There was a surprise on the way to Picnic Cave. Another rock of petroglyphs and these in a third style is present.

There is a much more representational petroglyph. These are much younger, estimated to be 500-2000 years old.

The lichens get a call out.

Picnic Cave is along the ledge I had been ogling for its tufa formations on the way down. It is on a small loop excursion from the main trail, but there is a sign to point the way.

Coming to Picnic Cave.

It is another shallow space in the rocks. The rounded calcium carbonate is from algae that lived on the ceiling.

So I continued around the loop until where I'd started.

There's lots of little cave and people have really been crawling all over the ledge.

More calcium carbonate structures embedded in the ground.

I decided that since it was late, I'd take the more direct route back and took a trail down to the road, then back along it. It was certainly straighter and flatter, but I'm not sure it was better.

Grimes Point from the road.

State Historic Marker beside the Grimes Point parking area.

All that was left was to find a place to camp. These are day use areas, but there are areas of typical BLM rules to the east. They get used for quite a bit of target practice, unfortunately. All these spaces I was hiking were wrestled from being treated similarly. And it's a good thing they were! It is an extraordinary space to let the public come and see.

The next day would be sunny again, but it was reserved for getting back over the mountains before the big storm hit the following day. It was time to leave Nevada behind.

*photo album*




©2023,2024 Valerie Norton
Written 27 Feb 2024