This view is looking west toward Painted Rock toward an alcove that is home to a variety of prehistoric rock art and other natural features.

Archeological evidence indicates the Native American population utilized the Carrizo Plain from 4,000 to 800 years ago and that earlier populations may have also used the region approximately 9,000 to 10,000 years ago (BLM, Bakersfield Field Office, 2010).

However, the rock art at Painted Rock is "abstract polychrome (painted)" attributed to the historically more recent Chumash and Yokot American Indian tribes who used the site for ceremonial activities while living off the locally abundant plant resources and wildlife attracted to the Carrizo Plain in wet times (Grant, 1971). Grant (1971) suggests that the polychrome art at Painted Rock is probably not very old for a variety of reasons including the low degree of paint degradation, the lack of superposition of styles of rock art, and the association with datable artifacts known with painted caves in the region. Dates from selected archeological sites in the Carrizo Plain region indicate ages within "Late and Final Pacific periods (A.D. 500-1769)" (Chartkoff and Chartkoff, 1984).