Overview

Rainbow Canyon Archeological Site #1, which includes the Tan Cliff Site and the Etna Cave Site, is a volcanic area of desert canyons and cliffs along Meadow Valley Wash where water flows all year in places.

Water and habitation sites brought ancient peoples to this area starting about 10,000 years ago. Several cultures have come and gone, including nomadic hunter-gathers, ancient farmers, and railroad men. Visiting the two sites is a 1-mile round-trip hike with a bit of steep hiking up to the caves.

The BLM and Lincoln County opened this area to the public, and Lincoln County printed a brochure with information about the site (including GPS coordinates) as part of their Get Primitive tourism campaign. Download the brochure from Lincoln County or snatch a copy here.

Link to Area Map or Site Map.

Getting to the Trailhead

The Rainbow Canyon Archeological Sites are located just south of Caliente (Lincoln County) about 150 miles (2-1/2 hours) north of Las Vegas on Highway 93.

From town, drive north on Interstate 15 to US Highway 93. Exit onto Highway 93 and drive north past Alamo and Ash Springs to the intersection of Highway 93 and Highway 318. Continue on Highway 93 for about 128 miles to Caliente.

On the west edge of Caliente, turn right onto Highway 317 and drive south for 5.0 miles to Rainbow Canyon Archeological Site #1. Parking is a wide spot on the left (east) side of the road just before a railroad bridge on the right.

The Hike

From the trailhead (Table 1, Waypoint Site#1-01), the route (no established trail) runs across the road and under the low railroad bridge. Note that it is considered trespassing to walk across the tracks, so although visitors can park closer to the archeological sites, this is the legal place to "cross under" the tracks.

On the other side of the tracks, the route turns south and heads up the wash. The wash here is constrained between volcanic cliffs on the right and a berm on the left that protects the railroad tracks from flooding. Continuing upstream to where the berm meets the cliff, hikers will find a tunnel (Wpt. Site#1-02) cut through the toe of a ridge to direct water out of the natural channel on the other side of the ridge to this point. The reason for this will make more sense a few yards farther around the corner.

Note: hikers can now (Spring 2021) hike through the tunnel and shorten the route.

Backtracking only 15 yards from the tunnel, hikers will notice a use-trail cutting up the side of the berm. The use-trail crosses the berm, then follows the base of the cliff south and around the corner into a side canyon.

Starting into the side canyon, hikers will see that the canyon ahead is blocked by another berm and that directly downstream from the side canyon the railroad tracks split from one set of tracks to two, creating a siding (Etna Siding). Thus, flash floods coming down the side canyon would damage the gear and tracks, so railroad men tunneled through the ridge to create a diversion where they could better protect their investment and perhaps the lives of railroad workers who might unexpectedly encounter flood-damaged tracks.

Continuing into the side canyon, the use-trail climbs over the berm and arrives at the upper end of the tunnel (Wpt. Site#1-03). When I was there in 2015, most of the tunnel was full of sand and gravel, so I hope the railroad regularly maintains the tunnel.

Continuing up the canyon, the Tan Wall (Wpt. Site#1-04) soon comes into view on a rock wall on the left. Here, native peoples used ocher paints to write abstract messages on the wall.

Returning to the wash, the route continues up the canyon following the base of a cliff on the right. When the cliffs lie back, a gap (Wpt. Site#1-05) between oak trees provides access to a use-trail leading up the steep hillside where the footing is loose in some places.

Near the top of the cliffs, Etna Caves (Wpt. Site#1-06) open like a pair of eyes on the cliff face. Little evidence of human use remains except soot on the ceiling, and even that could have been left by modern campers. Rather, this is a place to sit quietly, listening to the Cliff Swallows during summer, and contemplate the lives of people who called this place home.

When ready, head back down the steep hillside and follow your footprints in the dust back to the trailhead (Wpt. Site#1-01).