O'Dell Hidden Cove Park is Holbrook's best-kept secret, a guided-tour-only petroglyph site tucked into the sandstone country just north of town. It is owned and run by the City of Holbrook, and the only way in is a two-hour guided walk, which is exactly what keeps it so well preserved.
The draw is the rock art: close to 900 petroglyphs pecked and scratched into the stone over thousands of years by Ancient Americans, sacred to the Hopi and Zuni, and so fragile that the rule is simple, look and photograph but never touch. The land holds more than carvings.
You pass the century-old Zuck ranch, where an old windmill, fences, and ruins still stand from the family that raised cattle and sheep and pulled water from Leroux Wash, and a pond and picnic area that draw wildlife you would not expect in the high desert, including deer, lizards, and nearly 200 species of birds, so bring binoculars. Your guide is Darlene Brinkerhoff, a petroglyph recorder and researcher of more than 40 years who reads the panels like pages.
The park carries the name of Michael O'Dell, a Holbrook city employee of 43 years who spent his final working years sharing and protecting this place, and the city renamed it for him in 2022 after he passed. Wear sturdy shoes with ankle support, bring water and sun protection, and plan on moderate walking over uneven ground.
It is $25 for adults and $10 per person for archaeology groups and college classes, kids under 12 free. You meet your guide at the Hidden Cove Golf Course off I-40 Exit 283, where there is free parking and a restroom.
To book, call (928) 288-2420 or reserve online, and if you want a time outside the morning window just ask the guide.
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