Joshua Tree National Park is well-known for its rock formations and the climbing opportunities they offer. Some of the same fantastic formations that attract modern rock climbers also held meaning for Native Americans, and this conflict is clearly seen in places where rock climbers have damaged or destroyed pictographs.
Alister’s Cave is one area where climbing interests and cultural artifacts collide. Even though it is signposted by the National Park service, warning that it is closed to climbing due to the Federally protected pictographs, there is still evidence on the internet of climbers who disregard these signs, and the formation bears the talc patches from climber visits.
