Red Dead Redemption 2 rock carvings mystery explained

Red Dead Redemption 2 rock carvings are one of many collectibles you can track down across the Old West, and it shouldn't come as any surprise that they're located either on the sides of hills or hewn into cliff faces. Because of their potential high altitude locations in Red Dead Redemption 2 they're not the sorts of things you'll stumble upon unintentionally, and you could walk underneath them while being completely oblivious to their presence.

Helpfully there's only 10 of them to find, so they're much less arduous than completing your collection of 144 Red Dead Redemption 2 cigarette cards, or even the 30 Red Dead Redemption 2 dinosaur bones for that matter. Before you can begin your journey to find the Red Dead Redemption 2 rock carvings, you need to head over to a cabin found northwest of Strawberry, and speak to a man there named Francis Sinclair.

He'll ask you to locate 10 of these Red Dead Redemption 2 rock carvings and then send him their coordinates via any post office. Once you've mailed him the 10th set of coordinates, you'll be able to complete this particular Stranger Mission by reading his invitation and then visiting him again at his cabin.

For the locations of all 10 rock carvings, we'll start near Strawberry and work our way around the map anti-clockwise, from west to east, so you should be able to pick them all up in one long ride.

Red Dead Redemption rock carving 1

Location: On the southwest shore of Owanjila Lake

Possibly the most awkward of all the rock carvings to actually 'collect', this one is located on the southwest shore of Owanjila Lake, to the west of Strawberry itself. It's engraved on the highest rock pile there, but although you can get up close and personal, you'll need to stand on the shore in order for the prompt to appear.

Red Dead Redemption 2 rock carving 2

Location: Near the peak of Mt. Shann

Follow the path that takes you towards the summit of Mt. Shann and keep on following it until you're right under the T on the map and the road makes a bit of a snake shape as it turns down the mountain. Here you'll not only find some giant bones (intriguing), but a second rock carving right on the rocks above the path.

Red Dead Redemption 2 rock carving 3

Location: On a cliff overlooking the burned-out settlement of Limpany, southwest of Horseshoe Overlook

Head to the cliff near to the west of Limpany, and head to its southern end. Here, overlooking that burned-out settlement, recessed deep in the cliff face, you'll find your third rock carving.

Red Dead Redemption 2 rock carving 4

Location: The plateau to the south of Moonstone Pond, right where New Hanover and Ambarino meet

For this one, head to the southern point of Moonstone Pond, to the south of Grizzlies East in Ambarino. Go then towards where the ground rises, to the south east of the pond. Make your way up the side, using the little grass path, and then aim for the rocky outcrops beyond.

Move past the first one, and then make your way towards the second, large outcrop, but duck down the path that juts off to the right before it.

Follow the grass around and you'll see the pyramid-themed rock carving on the stones in front of you.

Red Dead Redemption 2 rock carving 5

Location: Near the northern shore of Elysian Pool, south of Annesburg in New Hanover

Head to the northern shore of Elysian Pool, to the point where there's a little nubbin on the water's outline. From here, head east, and you will see the rather large rock carving high on the jutting cliff to your left if you're on the path.

Red Dead Redemption 2 rock carving 6

Location: On a rock ledge near the top of Roanoke Valley, east of Deer Cottage, to the north of Annesburg

From Deer Cottage (aka the first N of Roanoke Valley on the map), follow the path up a bit until you can get access to the rock face behind it. Move along to the first level of the cliff face, and the rock carving is right there, just loitering above Deer Cottage.

Red Dead Redemption 2 rock carving 7

Location: On a cliff face on a peak southwest of Bacchus Station and northeast of Fort Wallace

Follow the road to the northeast of Fort Wallace until you see an unmarked path snaking up a large hill.

Head up there until you reach two stone peaks. Pass between them and follow the path around to the left.

When the path splits, go downhill - the rock carving is engraved onto the cliff to your left.

Red Dead Redemption 2 rock carving 8

Location: Directly above the rope bridge across the Dakota River from the Cumberland Forest, on a ledge beneath the cliff edge

Follow the road that turns east above the C of Cumberland Forest until you reach a broken rope bridge. Turn back on yourself, go back up the mountain, but go up into the trees on the cliff above. Head to the edge and you'll see another ledge below. Drop down there and then walk to the edge, where you'll find the rock carving on the cliff face to your left directly above the rope bridges (one intact, one not so much).

Red Dead Redemption 2 rock carving 9

Location: On a rock ledge to the north of the wooden bridge that runs across Whinyard Straight, north of Window rock in Ambarino

On the bank on the left hand side of the Whinyard Straight where the wooden bridge crosses it is the ninth rock carving, engraved on the stone a few feet up the thin path from the bridge.

Red Dead Redemption 2 rock carving 10

Location: At the top of Mt. Hagen in Grizzlies West, Ambarino

Follow the map up into Mt. Hagen until the point it is about to reach its natural conclusion. The rock carving is pretty obvious from the path there on the rock face to your right.

So that's where to find all 10 Red Dead Redemption 2 rock carvings. All that's left to do is send your findings to Francis Sinclair. A note though, if you hand in all 10 coordinates at once, you'll have to retrieve your mail at the post office once to nab the $10 reward and Kentucky Bourbon you would have gotten for handing one set of coordinates in, and the Rock Statue that you get for five. Then you'll have to go back again a little later to collect Francis Sinclair's Invitation Letter, before finally heading back to Sinclair's cabin near Strawberry to discover the true meaning of the rock carvings.