This petroglyph at Signal Hill in Saguaro National Park West is a visual reminder of the ancient people known as the Hohokam.

Doug Kreutz / Arizona Daily Star

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One day — maybe 600 years ago, maybe 1,000 or more — someone carved a design on a rock atop a hill west of Tucson.

It's still there today — a stone etching known as a petroglyph.

That spiral-shaped design and many other petroglyphs were pecked into boulders on Signal Hill by ancient people known as the Hohokam.

Officials of Saguaro National Park West, where the hill juts modestly from the surrounding desert, say the petroglyphs date roughly from A.D. 200 to 1450. They depict lizards, snakes, game animals, humanlike figures and geometric shapes.

A quarter-mile trail leads to the site from the park's Signal Hill Picnic Area.

"It's pretty cool. You can actually distinguish what some of the animals are," said Tucsonan Stan Gordon, who hiked to Signal Hill recently with his wife, Linda Abrams. "These things have endured. It's a real tribute to the ancient cultures that were here before us."

Information panels along the trail trace the history of the area, and they note that the meaning of the petroglyphs is far from certain.

"They could have religious or ceremonial significance," reads one panel. "They may be solstice markers, clan symbols, decorative motifs, or simply ancient graffiti."

The trail, which includes some steps where it crosses an arroyo, leads to a viewing area at the top. It's important for two reasons to stay behind the railing and not climb on the rocks: You might damage the petroglyphs — and you might encounter rattlesnakes, which are common on Signal Hill.

To reach the site from Tucson, go west out of the city on Speedway, which becomes Gates Pass Road. Follow the road over the pass to Kinney Road. Turn right onto Kinney Road and follow it northwest 3.8 miles to the park entrance.

Proceed to the park's Red Hills Visitor Center, where you'll pay a $10 entrance fee and receive a park map that shows Signal Hill. Using the map as a guide, follow Kinney Road to Sandario Road and then turn onto Golden Gate Road. Drive about 1.4 miles on Golden Gate to a signed left-hand turnoff for Signal Hill.