The petroglyphs at Ginkgo State Park look nothing like the signs say, and I think the signs are wrong

Mason Fisher · 2026-09-24T06:15:05.284934+00:00

I hiked the trail at Ginkgo State Park near Vantage last Saturday and spent about two hours at the petroglyph wall. The signs there tell you the carvings are 2,000 to 4,000 years old and were made by native groups. I stood there looking at them and something felt off. The peck marks on several of the figures look way sharper than the ones on other rocks nearby, and a few of the lines have this dark patina that the older carvings just don't have. I'm not an expert, but I've been photographing rock art around the Columbia Basin for six years and the difference is hard to miss once you see it. I think at least a few of those pieces are much newer than the signs claim, maybe even historic era. The park seems to push the old dates because it makes the site feel more important. I get that, but it bugs me that nobody seems to question it. Has anyone else looked closely at the pecking style there and noticed the same thing?

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The petroglyphs at Ginkgo State Park look nothing like the signs say, and I think the signs are wrong | Archaeology Discoveries - Topic Shares