authentic or hoax?
The Mystery Stone, NM located on a Route 66 alignment on Hidden Mountain, Los Lumas is also known as the Decalogue Stone and Commandment Rock. It was first discovered in 1880 by a young lad, who later took an Archeologist named Frank Hibben to see it in 1933. Hibben was convinced of the authenticity of the stone and that it was ancient. Although he had been known to have some issues with tainting data to prove some of his theories.
Another gentleman by the name of George E Morehouse estimated that the inscription could be anywhere from 500 to 2000 years old. He also added that the rock was continuously cleaned of debris from visitors, keeping it from showing any real patina making it seem like a hoax.
Others say that it is absolutely a fake and the supposed Samaritan mezuzah writing, shows the use of modern Hebrew punctuation and numerous grammatical errors. Also, there is no other physical evidence to show any visitors not native to the area inscribed the stone.
Unfortunately, in 2006 some of the more unintelligent individuals of the species decided to vandalize the first line of inscription on the stone.
trail to the mystery stone
To get to the site that the rock occupies is quite easy. Leave the town of Los Lunas on Route 66 and head to the landfill, which is west of the city. When you turn down the landfill road, travel over the train tracks, and you will see the pay booth ahead of you. Just before you reach that there is a gate on your left and small pullout on your right. This spot is where you should park. Walk through the gate and follow the dirt road. You will see the rock arrows directing you where to go.
trail to the mystery stone – slideshow
Once you reach a second gate, pass through it and turn right, staying close to the fence. In about 300 yards or so you will see a rock on your right, behind the fence directing you to turn left and walk up to another pathway..
and the trail continues – photo gallery
Continue on this pathway heading up the hillside. You will see more arrows carved into rocks along the way and the path will zigzag a few times. Before you know it, the Mystery Stone is directly in front of you. It’s that simple when you pay attention. We, however, did not!
pay attention to the arrows – photo gallery
wrong way to the mystery stone
Once we entered the second gate, we looked for the rock arrows on the ground and just kept hiking up an old wash. We kept going and going and going, spending a good hour searching all over the hillsides for this rock and finally decided it was time to turn back. Only then, by chance did we spot an arrow right next to the fence line just near the entrance.
We will leave you to form your own opinion of the stone as we did. I think that is half the fun, seeing something in person from all angles, touch it and see where it sits in the landscape.
It is a straightforward hike to get to this spot and worth a quick stop.
We are somewhat dubious about giving the directions to the Mystery Stone in such detail. As you can see, some F***ing idiot has graffitied, and you know how we feel about that and littering!
So PLEASE, PLEASE, wherever you decide to go, leave no trace. Let others enjoy these amazing, weird and wonderful sites.
Mystery stone – in a nutshell
- Mystery Stone Route 66 Address: Hidden Mountain, Los Lunas, NM 87031
- Free
- Approximately 2 miles round trip
- Uneven surface
- Take plenty of water with you
- Watch for snakes
- Leave no trace and as always,
- Stay Safe
Remember: Take only photos, and leave only footprints. Pack it in, pack it out. Preserve this site for others to enjoy.
location map
Leave a Reply