Petroglyph and Pictograph Sites

Petroglyphs at Stop 13 on the Tour of the Tilted Rocks Scenic Drive, or Cub Creek Road.

NPS

There are many petroglyph and pictograph sites within Dinosaur National Monument. Petroglyphs are images made by carving, chipping, drilling, or pecking into a rockface. They are often found etched into dark desert varnish, a natural stain of iron and manganese oxides created by runoff and snowmelt on the sandstone cliffs. Pictographs are paintings on rock created with pigments made from hematite, charcoal, and other color-rich materials. There are several pictograph sites inside Dinosaur National Monument, but they are less common as the paints are more easily weathered away by sunlight, wind, rain, and time. Many designs were originally created using a combination of etchings and paintings, as evidenced by petroglyphs that still show traces of pigment.

Many of the petroglyph and pictograph sites in Dinosaur National Monument are credited to the Fremont peoples who lived in the area between 300 and 1300 CE. The style and content of Fremont designs vary throughout the region. The “Vernal Classic Style” is dominant in the monument and characterized by humanlike figures that have trapezoidal bodies with broad shoulders that taper down to thin waists and may or may not include arms, legs, fingers, and toes. The figures are adorned with designs that suggest headdresses, earrings, necklaces, shields, and other objects. This style also includes many animal-like figures as well as complex, abstract designs.The animal figures include bighorn sheep, elk, deer, dogs, birds, snakes, lizards, and more abstract animal-like shapes. Purely abstract or geometric designs are common, such as circles, spirals, and various combinations of lines.

Why did the Fremont create these designs and what do they mean? The images may have been related to hunting, clan identification, territorial marking, ceremonial or religious purposes, maps or way finding, record keeping, or purely for leisure and artistic expression. While we may not know their exact intent, we can speak with modern Native American groups – such as the Ute and other descendants of the Fremont peoples – for further insight and understanding into their meaning and purpose.

Many designs in the monument are easy to access and allow up-close viewing, but please do not touch them. Petroglyphs and pictographs are fragile, irreplaceable records of the past that many still hold sacred. Touching them can leave skin oils behind and tracings or rubbings can ruin the designs. Federal law protects all artifacts, including these sites. Do your part to respect and protect the past and report any vandalism you find.

Learn more about the Fremont Culture.

 

NPS

1. Swelter Shelter

Location: One half mile east of the Quarry Visitor Center along the Tour of the Tilted Rocks Scenic Drive, or Cub Creek Road (Stop 1)

Difficulty: easy walk, approximately 200 feet from parking area

Description: a variety of petroglyphs and pictographs

 

NPS

2. Cub Creek

Location: 9 miles east of the Quarry Visitor Center along the Tour of the Tilted Rocks Scenic Drive, or Cub Creek Road (Stop 13 & 14)

Difficulty: Stop 13 is an easy walk, approximately 50 feet from the parking area; Stop 14 is a steep hike on a 1/4 mile trail

Description: Stop 14 features several large lizard petroglyphs not common at other sites

 

Jacob W. Frank

3. Deluge Shelter

Location: trailhead is 44 miles from the Quarry Visitor Center at the Jones Hole Fish Hatchery

Difficulty: 4-mile moderate round-trip hike on the Jones Hole Creek Trail

Description: several painted pictographs of animals and human-like figures

 

NPS

4. McKee Spring

Location: 22 miles from the Quarry Visitor Center along the Island Park Road, road impassable when wet

Difficulty: steep 1/4 mile trail

Description: large human-like petroglyphs

 

NPS

5. Pool Creek

Location: 37 miles from the Canyon Visitor Center along the Echo Park Road

Difficulty: easy walk, several feet from the parking area, road impassable when wet and may require HC4WD when dry

Descripton: dot-patterened petroglyphs high above the creek