Petroglyph Beach – Wrangell, Alaska - Atlas Obscura

Petroglyph Beach

Wrangell, Alaska

Low tide reveals 8,000-year-old rock carvings in Southern Alaska. 

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Dating back 8000 years, Petroglyph Beach near Wrangell, Alaska has a series of 40 different rock sketches that are only revealed fully during low tide.

Most researchers who have assessed Petroglyph Beach believe the drawings were sketched by the Tlingit people, who lived in the area many millennia earlier. The drawings include depictions of salmon, whales and crude drawings of faces of the artists and their community. Spread out across the beach, the petroglyphs are some of the most concentrated ancient drawings in the world.

Although piecing together their history is almost impossible, most people think the drawings marked significant areas to the Tlingit, or historical moments they wished to document. While you might not be able to solve the mysteries behind Petroglyph Beach, you can still stroll down the craggy shoreline and commune with ancient native Alaskans from 8000 years earlier.

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January 27, 2012

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