How to Visit Respectfully

Take These Steps to Visit with Respect

  • Greet the landscape

  • Look but don’t touch

  • Leave all artifacts

  • Enter sacred spaces with good intentions

  • See archaeological sites as living landscapes

  • Pack out what you pack in

To read full tips from Tribal elders and leaders on how to visit cultural landscapes respectfully, visit the

Grand Canyon Trust.

 
 

Help protect and honor this fragile landscape by visiting with respect. Photo: Dawn Kish

Respectfully visit the following places to experience the Great Bend of the Gila firsthand


 

Painted Rock Petroglyph Site. Photo: Andy Laurenzi

 
 

Painted Rock Petroglyph Site and Campground

The Painted Rock Petroglyph Site and Campground is located approximately 90 miles southwest of Phoenix, Arizona. Visitors can see thousands of petroglyphs covering nearly 600 boulders. (Please do not climb on the boulders!) Overnight camping is allowed at the adjacent campground.

Additional Information:

 

Gillespie Bridge. Photo: Skylar Begay

 
 

Gillespie Dam and Bridge

Constructed in 1927 and restored in 2012, the Gillespie Dam Bridge is located approximately 55 miles southwest of Phoenix, Arizona. Visitors can learn about the historic dam and bridge at the educational interpretive center.

 

Saddle Mountain. Photo: Dawn Kish

 
 

Saddle Mountain

Saddle Mountain is easily seen and reached from I-10 near Tonopah. Located just south of the Interstate, this isolated mountain offers good opportunities for day hikes. The area is small and somewhat isolated, and can see heavy visitation. Please practice leave-no-trace principles and access the bajada and interior areas by foot, rather than by vehicle.

 

Banner image: Dawn Kish