Capitol Reef National Park has lots of geology and lots of history. An important part of that history is the Native Americans who lived here, one of the best places to see evidence of this is the Fremont Culture Petroglyph panels.
How to See the Petroglyphs
There are a several petroglyph sites in Capitol Reef National Park, including some we wrote about on the Capitol Gorge hike. But, the Fremont Culture Petroglyph panels along highway 24 are by far the easiest to access. I’ve spent my fair share of time hiking out to see petroglyphs and the only place I think there is easier access to a large number is at Newspaper Rock outside of Canyonlands National Park.
Highway 24 cuts East/West across Capitol Reef and is the way you access the main areas of the park. To get to the petroglyphs if you enter from the west side (Torrey), continue on highway 24 past the turn off for the visitor center and the scenic drive. Continue for a short ways and watch for the signs directing you to the petroglyphs. A good sized parking lot will be on the north side of the road.
What You Will See
One of the nice things about this site is that you are able to view the petroglyphs from two boardwalks that are handicap and stroller accessible. The longer of these boardwalks will take you close to the cliff face where there are a lot of petroglyphs. These ones can be a little difficult to find at first, but take your time and keep looking.
The shorter boardwalk goes out to a look out point. This one is not so close to the cliff face, but the petroglyphs here are more distinct and easy to see quickly. There are a couple tourist telescopes to view through, but it is probably easier and better to bring your own binoculars if you have them.
Sum Up
Seeing the Fremont Culture Petroglyphs won’t take you very long and is well worth your time. It is nice that there is plenty of parking here and since it is a short excursion people are always leaving the lot even if it is getting full. If you are doing junior ranger activities there is usually one that talks about viewing petroglyphs in the park.
We have visited the petroglyphs twice. You can see us visiting the petroglyphs in this vlog.
