Over the past decades I have enjoyed Three Rivers Petroglyphs.\u00a0\u00a0In the early days of my visits\u00a0it was an\u00a0unknown place, not a BLM Park\u00a0and\u00a0mostly unbothered\u00a0by those who would steal national treasures.\u00a0 There was considerable vandalism, graffiti\u00a0chipped into the petroglyphs by ad-lib “rock artists” and\u00a0lots of evidence of midnight beer parties.\u00a0 It was a great place to enjoy\u00a0a “cob of cannabis” and\u00a0goofing\u00a0on incredible stone art for hours, a natural gallery…<\/p>\n
As Three Rivers\u00a0became better known there was a period of serious theft of the petroglyphs.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Many of them were destroyed as thieves would attempt to remove them by chipping them off of larger rocks and many of the smaller\u00a0petroglyphs\u00a0were simply hauled away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One memorable morning I was there\u00a0to\u00a0enjoy this wonderful spot and watch the Sunrise over Sierra Blanca.\u00a0\u00a0It was and\u00a0still is quite the meditation spot.\u00a0 Upon arrival I noticed the\u00a0dirt parking lot and primitive trail-head bore the tracks of wheel barrows and evidence of a major theft overnight.\u00a0 I was distraught and very pissed off,\u00a0my meditation changed to violent fantasy.\u00a0 How\u00a0I hoped the thieves would come back and I would take them out one by one in Rambo\u00a0style justice.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0…fortunately no\u00a0such justice\u00a0was to be had that day….<\/p>\n
Today the park has been secured, more or less.\u00a0 There are\u00a0a few RV spaces, an\u00a0improved campground, toilets,\u00a0a host, an office.\u00a0\u00a0All of this\u00a0takes away from a\u00a0once little known place of\u00a0meditation and occasional early morning violent fantasy, but for now at least it isn’t being carted away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0The BLM\u00a0overhauled the\u00a0site some years ago and took out many bogus petroglyphs though many still remain.\u00a0 There is evidence of old and new vandalism, modern graffiti, but it’s still a delightful and picturesque\u00a0place.\u00a0\u00a0Three Rivers Petroglyphs provide numerous\u00a0opportunities to photograph ancient images with the breath taking\u00a0backdrop of Sierra Blanca at 11,973 Ft..<\/p>\n