Overview

The Mt. Irish Archeological District is a large area with many boulder piles and low bands of cliffs covered with petroglyphs. Paiute Rock is one of the major public petroglyph sites in the district.

Presented here are details of Site 5, which includes one east-facing wall. Most of the rock stories are on the right side of the wall, but there are a few to the left. The main item here is the Happy Man petroglyph. Given that nobody knows what the petroglyphs mean, we can each make up our own story. To me, the Happy Man is out fly-fishing, and we can see his fishing line flung to the right and dipping into the water where trout are rising to feed on insects on the surface of the lake (note the four rings). We know that he is happy because he caught seven trout, which we see as the seven circles laid out by his feet.

From Site 5, the trail continues west to Site 6, but note that hikers can shortcut through the boulders to Site 8

While visiting this site, please take care of the area and leave it as you found it for the enjoyment of future generations.