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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
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
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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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. *******
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.
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.
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.
RC, thanks for the info! We haven’t been out on this road in a while. What day did you go out?
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!
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.
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.