Kern River Painted Rock
Pictograph Site
(Tübatulabal of the Kern River Valley)
A fantastic panel of rock art that sits up above the Kern River in the Lake Isabella area. People running the river in rafts float by these pictographs all the time, and they are well known to many residents of Lake Isabella and Wofford Heights. Yet even though the art is easily seen from Highway 178, most motorists speed by it completely unawares of the incredible archaeological wonder nearby. This incredible site is best seen when floating down the river in a raft, otherwise you need to pull off to the side of the freeway and scramble down to the river bank to get a better view. There is no public access to the pictographs from the opposite side of the river, as it is through private property that is fenced in and monitored, and off limits to all with the exception of guests staying at the Painted Rock Lodge.
Pictograph Images from the Kern River Painted Rock
The main panel in the cliff above the river is shown in the top row. Some unusual polychrome pictographs that are visible nearby are shown in the lower left, and some petroglyphs not too far from the cliff are shown in the lower right.
