The Blythe Intaglios
CALIFORNIA
in·tag·lio noun a design incised or engraved into a material; verb engraved or represent by an engraving
I love the idea of forgotten things, and you really can’t get more forgotten than the Blythe Intaglios, so much so that non-Natives didn’t even know they were there until some dude saw them from a plane in 1932. Hidden 15 miles from the California town of Blythe lie six massive carvings, the largest a whopping 171 feet long, basically lost to the sands of time and almost destroyed at the hands of the ignorant.
Before You Go
Not much is known about the people who created these carvings. There is a lot of questions and not many answers but according to the Bureau of Land Management, the sites are believed to be between 450 and 2000 years old. Local native American tribes claim they were already here and used for ceremonial purposes by them. They identify the figures in the carvings as the Creators of all life and the animal figures as those who helped in that creation. These sites were most likely used in an ancient ceremony to commemorate that.
Getting There
If you’re traveling between Arizona and California, you’re most likely traveling the I-10 which runs straight from L.A. through Quartzite to Phoenix before turning south. The two states are separated by the Colorado River, with Blythe on the west bank and Ehrenberg on the east. Exit the freeway and head north for about 15 miles. You’ll see a small BLM placard on the left hand side of the road indicating that you have arrived. There is one very bumpy dirt road that leads to two different fences to view three of the figurines. The other ones are across the plain to the south and do not have a direct access road.
The Intaglios
About a quarter mile down the dirt road, you’ll come upon your first pull out on the right hand side. Through the fence are the two first intaglios, one of a human like form and one of an animal form. You’ll notice that both are fenced in because the images have been severely damaged due to people driving over them. They are now fully enclosed.
First two intaglios off the BLM road, Blythe, CA.
The next pull out on your right leads to the second human like intaglio.
The second area of fenced in Intaglios along BLM road, Blythe, CA.
The road continues on down the road to an OHV area but does not lead to anymore intaglios.
*Pro-tip: if you do not have access to a drone, take the OHV road to the end of the trail and then walk the rest of the way to the top of the bluff. This is by far the highest and best view of the intaglios from the naked eye.
The remaining cluster is south of the plain a few hundred yards away and does not have a direct access road. It’s is quite aways but there are some footpaths if you’re interested in walking it.
Set of intaglios separate from BLM access road.
According to the BLM website, there are six specific intaglios, all human like forms, two in a cluster with an animal. Believe me when I say I scanned the hell out of the area and could not find that last dude. I have no idea where it is, or if it even still remains. From my research, other people have also only been able to locate the five.
If you’re out that way and decide to check them out, drop me a line and let me know what you think, or if you find that sixth dude!