Why is it hard to see some of the pictographs today?
Moisture from the ground comes through the rock, and as the water evaporates it leaves a layer of minerals behind on the rocks surface. This layer of minerals covers the pictographs and as more layers form on the surface, we're not able to see the original images as clearly. Sadly, a pond built many years ago by ranchers on the cliffs above the cave caused even more water to flow. The pond is gone now. New methods are being explored to find a way to remove the mineral deposits without damaging the pictographs underneath.

The caves at Pictograph Cave State Park are still forming. The work of water percolating down from the surface of the sandstone is natural. However; a stock pond built by the ranchers who own the land surrounding the park seems to have accelerated the cave forming process in Pictograph Cave. The ranchers built the pond in the 1960s by creating a simple earthen dam in the V-shaped notch to trap water. Certainly, they were not aware at the time of the damage it would cause to Pictograph Cave. Since then, the park and the ranch owners have worked to eliminate the pond. From: Ken Oravsky Tour Content