Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park lies about 13 km east of Jackson on the road to Volcano, and preserves one of the most remarkable Native American archaeological sites in California. The flat outcrop of marbleized limestone known as Chaw'se carries more than a thousand bedrock mortars and a scattering of petroglyphs — used for centuries by the local Mi-Wuk people to grind acorns, a staple of the Sierra foothill diet.
Around the rock the park preserves a reconstructed Mi-Wuk roundhouse, used for ceremonial gatherings, several traditional bark dwellings, and a small but excellent museum (the Chaw'se Regional Indian Museum) with baskets, tools, and ethnographic displays. The annual Big Time gathering in late September brings dancers, drummers, and craftspeople from across California's Native communities.