Nine Mile Canyon Has More Prehistoric Rock Art Than Anywhere Else In Utah
By Catherine Armstrong|Published August 06, 2020
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Catherine Armstrong
Author
Writer, editor and researcher with a passion for exploring new places. Catherine loves local bookstores, independent films, and spending time with her family, including Gus the golden retriever, who is a very good boy.
Utah’s first residents left behind dwellings, artifacts, and lots of prehistoric rock art, all of which give us clues about what their lives were like thousands of years ago. You can find petroglyphs in many places all over the Beehive State, but there’s one place that has more rock art than anywhere else in Utah. In fact, it’s known as the “World’s Largest Art Gallery!” Check out Nine Mile Canyon:
Located in central Utah northeast of Price, Nine Mile Canyon is considered one of the best places in the world to see ancient rock art.
The road is 46 miles long, and was once plagued by dusty conditions as visitors drove up and down its dirt surface. The road was paved in 2014, so dust isn't as much of an issue now.
This place is truly special. It has one of the highest concentrations of rock art in the entire world, with well over 10,000 individual images, and more than 1,000 different rock art sites.
Most of the rock art found here was created by the Fremont people, who lived in the area between AD 950-1250. Newer panels were created by the ancestral Utes, who arrived in the area in the 16th century.
The petroglyphs are found all throughout the 46-mile-long canyon, which is how it got its reputation as the "World's Largest Art Gallery." These panels give us clues about what life was like for the people who lived here thousands of years ago.
While you can see many of the rock art panels along road, some are located much higher up, on the cliffs and bluffs. It's important to stay on the dedicated trail, but you can use your binoculars to see some of the art that most visitors miss.
When you visit, make sure to leave no trace. Pack out any trash you pack in, stay on the trail, and don't remove any artifacts. You'll also want to avoid touching the petroglyphs, as oils from your skin make them degrade more quickly.
