This Bizarre Beach In Alaska Is Too Weird For Words
By Casea Peterson|Published February 23, 2016
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Casea Peterson
Author
Casea Peterson grew up archery hunting, fishing, and camping throughout the Pacific Northwest. Motivated by her love for the outdoors she moved to Alaska to attend school and to spend time exploring the last frontier. If she doesn’t have a pen in hand or her nose in a book, she can be found out on a lake or up in the woods around a fire with friends.
This strange beach in Alaska has the highest concentration of petroglyphs in the world, which justifies its name, Petroglyph Beach. The small chunk of coastline in Wrangell Alaska is home to roughly 40 petroglyphs and became a state historic park in 2000. The petroglyphs can mean many things, from land markers and hunting sights, to religious symbols and markings, but unfortunately there is no true way of knowing for sure what these historic etchings may mean. To find out more about Petroglyph Beach and taking a trip there just check out the pictures and information below!
The petroglyphs are thought to be the ancient work of ancestors from the Tlingit tribe, but there is no definitive proof. Of course, there are many speculations about the meaning behind these etches and carvings in stone. From land markers at the base of fishing streams and hunting grounds, to symbols giving thanks to the gods for bringing salmon up stream, there really is no way to determine what the petroglyphs mean just that they strongly resemble Tlingit totemic art.
When you visit the beach you won't actually be able to walk down on the beach since the bedrock and boulders that the petroglyphs are craved in can easily be damaged. Instead, there is a walkway leading down to the water overlooking the beach. There are a few replicas at the end of the walkway for people to make rubbings on.
The bedrock and boulders that the petroglyphs are carved into is metamorphic and easily manipulated. The petroglyphs are located mid-way between high and low tide.
Believe it or not, these petroglyphs are not of much concern to archaeologists considering there is no real way to speculate their meanings or indications. The lack of clarity make these unique historical carvings purely artistic and highly intriguing to visitors of Petroglyph Beach.
