Parowan Gap Petroglyphs (2) Monuments

The honest thing about these monuments is what they decline to claim. The marks on the Gap's stone were left by many hands over many centuries — Fremont farmers, Nuwuvi (Southern Paiute) people whose descendants still hold this place as ancestral ground — and no key survives to translate them. Hunts, journeys, water, family, ceremony: probably all of it, certainly more. What can be said plainly is that the site earned National Register listing in 1969, early recognition for rock art, and that the writing stays legible only as long as no one touches it.

What the plaque says

This archeological site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. The petroglyphs displayed here represent the work of prehistoric Fremont and Southern Paiute cultures the figures and drawings are likely the work of many different individuals over a long period of time. While the meaning of the figures may never be known, they probably portray such tribal pursuits as religion, hunting and gathering trips, family history, sources of water and travel routes.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Parowan Gap Petroglyphs — 3.6 mi
  An ancient rock art gallery hidden in a desert canyon
• Brian Head — 17 mi
  Utah's highest town — a ski-and-bike base camp at the top of Parowan Canyon
• Cedar Breaks National Monument — 20 mi
  A 2,000-foot-deep amphitheater of vivid orange and red rock
• Panguitch Lake — 23 mi
  A Blue Ribbon trout lake at 8,400 feet on the Patchwork Parkway

More markers nearby

• Sylvanus Cyrus Hulet — 7.9 mi
• Old Comedy Hall — 9.6 mi
• Old Spanish Trail — 9.7 mi
• Enoch Schoolhouse & Tithing Office — 9.7 mi