13 Moons Petroglyphs and Star Trails
Star trails above the 13 Moon petroglyph site near Bishop, CA.
“Navajo believe the laws of the land are written in the sky and the stars. [They are] written in the sky for everyone to see.” Tara Chee, Navajo
13 Moons Petroglyphs and Star Trails
The Volcanic Tablelands surrounding Bishop California are home to many Native American petroglyphs. On my way home from the September Alabama Hills Photography Workshop I stopped to photograph one of the more interesting sites called the 13 Moons. It is one of the more remarkable sites not only for its composition, but also for its meaning. Indications are that this site was used as a lunar calendar. There are 13 moons in a given year and 13 moons are clearly chiseled into the rock face along with other symbols carved around each moon which most likely highlight events that took place at different times of the year.
I arrived at the trailhead barely ahead of the dark and made my way with my son, Brandon, to the Sky Rock Petroglyphs. We stopped for a while to photograph the Milky Way above the Sky Rock and then proceeded to the 13 Moons site to photograph the star trails.
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- The Sky Rock Petroglyphs with the Milky Way above. The lights of cars along Highway 395 can be seen in the distance.
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- An enlarged section of the previous image showing the petroglyphs on the top face of the rock.
I first photographed the 13 Moon petroglyphs by painting the rock with a low power LED video light. I placed a half CTO gel over the light to warm up the color. I then turned off the light and proceeded to take 45 2 minute exposures of the stars to blend later and create the star trail effect.
If you visit the area be sure to visit the other petroglyph sites along Fish Slough. You can pick up a map at the BLM office in Bishop that shows where a majority of the petroglyphs can be found. Sky Rock, 13 Moons and the Swansea petroglyphs are not on the map. Many sites are kept secret to protect them from vandalism. If you visit any of these sites please be respectful. Do not disturb or do anything that may damage the petroglyphs.
History of the Bishop Petroglyphs
The Volcanic Tablelands are the result of the eruption of Long Valley over 700,000 years ago, which formed the Bishop Tuff, a red pumice probably best known by rock climbers for its awesome bouldering characteristics.
Geologic faulting eventually tilted some of the flow of lava during the formation of the tablelands, and basalt and andesite leaked up through fumaroles to form darker, exposed formations.
The Paiute-Shoshone Indians chipped away at the dark surfaces of the rock, exposing the lighter tuff underneath, to create the petroglyphs, which can still be seen today.
The art is widely varied—anthropomorphic figures can be made out, as can clear images of bighorn sheep.
Gallery of Petroglyph images:
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- 13 Moon Petroglyphs
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- Sky Rock Petroglyphs
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- Swansea Petroglyphs
