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20181203_FS_R3_AZ_Kaibab_Keyhole Sink_001

U.S. Forest Service

Feb. 8, 2024 | 5:03

Keyhole Sink, Williams Ranger District, Kaibab National Forest. Kaibab National Forest archaeologist Neil Weintraub led the hike and discussion of the significance of Keyhole Sink. Keyhole Sink Trail provides the visitor with an easy to hike pathway to a scenic box canyon where prehistoric residents left their marks carved into the canyon's gray volcanic walls. Roughly 1,000+ years ago, some ancient artisan or artisans pecked images into the dark basalt using another rock for a tool. These images are called petroglyphs. The message that they portray suggests that the area was important to that ancient communicator as a hunting ground. One of the petroglyphs is a dramatic depiction of a deer herd entering the canyon. Even today, the area is an excellent place to encounter wildlife. The trail traverses easy terrain through a lovely ponderosa pine forest. During the winter, the trail is popular with cross-country skiers, as the route is marked with blue triangles in the tops of trees in order to easily define the path even when there is snow on the ground. While you're visiting the Keyhole Sink Trail, please respect the irreplaceable traces of the past that you find along it. Leave them undisturbed so that others may enjoy them as you have.