Overview

Hype:

The hike to Petroglyph Canyon begins at a rest stop along I-70 in Utah. The hike is easy and ends in Petroglyph Canyon, where there are two petroglyph panels.

Trail Condition: Class 3 (Trail may have sections where hands are needed. Trail may not be visible in spots or may not exist at all.)

Time: 1 hour

Length: 3 miles round trip

Fees: None

Recommended Ages:

	0-3
	4-11
	12-19
	20-49
	50-69
	70+

Recommended Months to Visit:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Getting There

Navigate to 38.920967, -110.431267.

Maps

Closest City or Region: Green River, Utah

Coordinates: 38.920967, -110.431267

Interactive Guide Map

Download Guide Map

View map fullscreen.

April 12, 2012 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Tara Dye, Savannah Dye,

Story

The traditional trail to Petroglyph Canyon begins at a parking area at the end of a dirt road that spurs off from I-70 around pile post 147. However, we were not aware of this until after the fact. So instead, we parked at the rest stop and made our own trail. The only hiccup was that we had to cross a barbed-wire fence. It wasn't too bad because there were plenty of places to squeeze through.

We dropped down into the main wash then climbed over a small hill into another wash. The wash was really cool because it was full of layered slate.

At the top of the wash was a large slab of very purple rock. Maybe it was because our eyes were so used ot the red rock, but this rock looked really purple; it was cool. Zac and Bryce were supposed to be hiking with us, but they wandered off on their own, so we ditched them. From here, we intersected a small trail that led us to the mouth of Petroglyph Canyon. Our camera white balance got really messed up, so sorry about the pictures.

We wandered around the canyon for a bit looking for Spirit Arch, which we didn't find because we were in the wrong canyon. We did find a little arch though. It's located at the top of the canyon on the left.

The petroglyph panel is small and features two bighorn sheep, a person being bitten by a wolf, and another person next to a small animal. What's unusual about this panel is that all the people and animals have footprints.

About 100 feet to the right of the main panel, there is a faded petroglyph panel featuring some bighorn sheep and an anthropomorph. At some point, someone tried to remove a portion of the rock. Tactless.

On our way back, we noticed the parking lot where most people start hiking. Maybe next time...

Pictures