The Keyhole Canyon area is located outside of the town of Nelson, about halfway between Las Vegas and Searchlight, NV. Access to this location is rather easy and it’s a popular camping location. Unfortunately, there’s also some graffiti on the canyon walls. Keyhole Canyon has a lot to offer in a small area (it’s a box canyon)…amazing ancient waterfall, petroglyphs, pictographs, shelters with rock art and cupules/grinding stones. While there’s some disagreement on which group left the rock art, many experts agree that the Zunis, Paiute, Mohave and Anaszi/Pueblo all traversed this area at some points in time. Something else I discovered that I find interesting is that one of main pictograph designs is exactly the same as what I found in the Pahranagat Wash, over 125 miles away!
Please click the images below (NOTE- there is a 2nd gallery with enhanced pictures, below this gallery):
Jon Harman, Ph D, developed a program called DStretch to help digitally enhance faded pictographs. The gallery below include enhanced pictures using DStretch:
Every third Sunday in September, the Masonic lodges of southern Nevada have an open air initiation ceremony at Keyhole Canyon. The keyhole shaped entrance opens into a naturally formed lodge. with a large boulder serving as an altar. The mountains are patrolled by Tylers Masonic Guards during this ceremony. September 1978 Nellis lodge Masonic pamphlet shows just a small Directions keynote for directions to Keyhole Canyon, is says follow masonic signs, on the turnoff. Also In the late 1940’s, some aztec artifacts were found here.