Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve

About this event

Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve

Step into Arizona's ancient past! Home to the largest concentration of petroglyphs in the Phoenix area, this preserve lets students walk among rock art created by Indigenous peoples hundreds, even thousands, of years ago. A powerful, hands-on connection to the history of our desert home.

Program Details

• Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2026

• Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

• Location: Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve, 3711 W Deer Vly Rd, Glendale, AZ 85308

• Grades: Pre-K through 12th

• Educational Focus: Social Studies

• Cost: $34 per student and $10 per adult

• Drop-Off Option: +$65 (limited to 5 students)

Educational Focus by Grade Level This program explores Arizona's Indigenous history, ancient rock art, and the basics of archaeology, all intentionally aligned to Arizona State Standards. Here's how the learning connects at each grade level:

• Pre-K–K: Seeing ancient drawings and the desert around them aligns with the Arizona Early Learning Standards and Arizona State Standards for early social studies.

• Grades 1–2: Learning about Arizona's first peoples and how we learn about the past aligns with Arizona State Standards for primary social studies.

• Grades 3–5: Indigenous cultures, archaeology, and Arizona history align with Arizona State Standards for elementary social studies.

• Grades 6–8: Analyzing cultural artifacts and historical evidence aligns with Arizona State Standards for middle-grade social studies.

• Grades 9-12 : Archaeological evidence, Indigenous history, cultural interpretation, and the relationship between people and the Arizona environment align with Arizona State Standards for high school U.S. and Arizona history, historical inquiry, and social science.

What's Included

• Preserve admission and access to the interpretive trail

• A guided tour of the trail

• A hands-on welcome activity led by Discoveries in the Desert

• A standards-aligned education packet, specific to each grade band

• A small-group, well-supervised experience

What to Bring

A refillable water bottle, sun protection (hat, sunscreen), comfortable clothing, closed-toe walking shoes, and a small snack (if desired).

Safety Is Our Top Priority

Your student's safety comes first at every Discoveries in the Desert program. Allie is personally present at every single field trip, holds a current Level One Fingerprint Clearance Card, and keeps every group small and closely supervised. For students enrolled in the drop-off option, a photo ID is required and checked for every adult at pickup — no student is ever released to anyone not listed on their registration. Full safety and program policies are available on our FAQs page.

Family Participation Model

This field trip follows a family participation model. Unless you select the drop-off option (additional fee applies), a parent/guardian or designated adult is required to attend and chaperone their student for the full program. Depending on the venue, there may be a fee for adult participation (see program fees above).

To reserve as much space as possible for students, we limit attendance to a maximum of one adult per child. Can't attend yourself? You're welcome to arrange for another participating parent to chaperone your student for the duration of the program. Just a note on the registration form telling us who will be responsible for your student if it's someone other than you.

To register:

• Register online through this page. For single programs, one registration form is required per family. If booking a Discovery Pass package, one registration form is required per student.

• Select your payment method when you register. We will email you an invoice with payment instructions. • ESA payments — select the ESA option on your registration form. We will email you a detailed invoice which you can upload and pay directly through ClassWallet .

• Parents and non-ESA payments — accepted payment methods include major debit and credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Choose your preferred payment method on your registration form and we will email you an invoice along with payment instructions.

• Make your payment to secure your spot! Please note, we will only hold your spot for a few days after your payment invoice has been sent to you. You will receive an email letting you know your payment has been received and you are confirmed.

Questions about payment, ESA/ClassWallet, what's included, or how our programs work?

Drop-Off Option Available

Prefer to drop your student off? Every field trip offers a limited drop-off option , where your child stays with our owner, Allie, and our small group for the full program while you go about your day. Space is limited to 5 students per field trip , and an additional fee applies. At pickup, a photo ID is required and checked for every adult. Students are released only to the parents or authorized adults listed on their registration.

Save with a Discovery Pass

Booking more than one field trip this fall? Bundle your programs with a Discovery Pass and save:

• 4-Pack — save $15

• 6-Pack — save $30

• 8-Pack — save $50

• 10-Pack — save $75

All programs in your pass are booked at the same time. See the full fall schedule →

Program Policies

Click here to read and review all program policies.