Archaeology Dinosaur National Monument – Dinosaur River Expeditions

The Uinta Basin, bordered on the north by the Uinta mountains and on the west by the Wasatch mountains, attracts visitors from all over the country. It’s home to King’s Peak, the tallest mountain in Utah, standing at 13,528 feet. Creeks that flow south out of the Uinta mountains all eventually flow into the Green River. In its upper stretches, the Green River boasts blue ribbon trout fishing. Lower down, through the Gates of Lodore and Desolation canyons, the river houses spectacular white water and relics of human history spanning 2,000 years. In Vernal Utah, the largest community in the Uinta Basin, the relics of ancient peoples and pioneers can be found under nearly every cliff face and next to the clear flowing springs.

Where does one begin if they want to take in all these sights? From the town of Vernal you’re within 30 minutes of any number of petroglyphs and pictograph sites that are easily accessible. A quick note on the difference; a petroglyph is carved into the rock, while a pictograph is painted on. (Petroglyphs are ‘pecked’ and pictographs are ‘pictures’ is a handy way to remember). I suggest starting with McConkie Ranch. Head up Dry Fork north of Vernal. It’s an easy 20 minute drive on paved roads. McConkie ranch provides easy access to a number of large panels of Fremont petroglyphs. They are free to view, though donations are welcome. An easy uphill hike takes you within touching distance of the petroglyphs (but don’t touch!). It’s a one mile round trip hike to view all of them, and is an ideal trail for families with young children.

The Fremont people – named after the Fremont River – were nomadic peoples that lived in the area some 2,000 to 700 years ago. They are classified as archaic peoples and were gone before Europeans ever stepped foot on American soil. For this reason, we don’t know what they called themselves. The petroglyphs at McConkie ranch are emblematic of the Fremont style. Trapezoidal figures, with broad shoulders and narrow hips are adorned with headdresses and necklaces, standing in a line with many other figures done in a similar style.

The Fremont roamed around large swaths of present-day Utah leaving numerous petroglyph panels. Another can’t miss spot is Cub Creek north of Jensen, Utah. Again, the petroglyphs here boast trapezoidal figures in decorative garb. There are also pictures of bighorn sheep, lizards, and cryptic symbology whose meaning is anyone’s guess. In fact, no one knows why the Fremont left petroglyphs. They could have been done for religious purposes, or as a message board for other peoples, or even as an attempt to woo a lover.

Another great rock art site accessible by car is McKee Springs located on the Island Park road on the northern face of the iconic Split Mountain. Both Cub Creek and McKee springs are within Dinosaur National Monument, which takes its name from the impressive Dinosaur quarry located at the Jensen entrance to the monument. The monument itself is lousy with petroglyphs, pioneer relics, and fossils. If you find yourself in Vernal, it’s a must see, and has a little something for everyone; whether it be the anthropologist, the archaeologist, or the thrill seeker. Grab a map at the visitor center and take a step back in time for a day.

On our four- and five-day rafting trips through Dinosaur National Monument we encounter multiple rock art sites. Particularly along Colorado’s world-famous Yampa River. This stretch of river canyon was a perfect location for the native peoples to hunt, gather, farm and live a peaceful existence along the incredible canyon walls. A popular stop along this trip is Johnson Canyon where there are several well preserved pictographs tucked up underneath a ledge where they are well protected. Another perfect stop along the river is Jones Hole creek where a four-mile round trip hike leads you to the Deluge Shelter and a wall covered in petroglyphs and pictographs.

Whether you visit Dinosaurland by car or boat there are numerous areas where you will be able to view the beautiful scenery and wonderful rock art.

Explorer John Wesley Powell’s 150th Anniversary

When one thinks of Lake Powell, what images come to mind? Smooth sandstone in myriad shades of red and beige? Maybe a houseboat floating on still water, or a jet ski with a water skier in tow? But, do you realize what’s underneath all that water? Or, do you know who the lake was named for? The damn that formed Lake Powell was completed in 1963, and with that Glen Canyon began to recede beneath the mounting water of the Colorado river. However, almost a hundred years before that last bit of concrete was poured into the damn, John Wesley Powell floated through the now drowned canyon as part of a historical expedition.

In 1869 Powell set out from Green River Wyoming on what would be a 3 month journey through the canyons of Flaming Gorge, Lodore, Desolation, Cataract and of course the Grand Canyon. It was the first cartographic and geologic survey of these largely unexplored (to white settlers at least) areas of the desert Southwest. Powell’s party was ill-equipped for the water they encountered. They lost their first boat in Lodore canyon in a rapid that thereafter was named Disaster Falls. One of the party, Frank Goodman, left the expedition on July 6th. He eventually settled in Vernal, Utah, and their raised a family. Three more of Powell’s men left on August 30th, two days before the expedition’s end. Unfortunately these three were never heard from again. Of the ten men and four boats that began the journey, six men and three boats finished it.

Powell wasn’t just an intrepid explorer. He served in the Civil war, where he would eventually gain the rank of major and lose most of his right arm. He was also an accomplished geologist and a professor at Illinois Wesleyan University. On his expedition he was awestruck by the features he saw. How could a river cut straight through a mountain? he wondered. It went against everything we knew about geology at the time. But Powell’s interests weren’t purely geologic, but anthropologic as well. The evidence of the human history, the pottery shards, granaries, and habitations of the Native Americans did not escape his notice. So enamored was Powell by what he saw on that first expedition that in the winter of 1871 he retraced part of that expedition from Green River Wyoming to Kanab creek in the Grand Canyon. Powell saw in the rock the age of our world, how old it was, and how truly dynamic it was. He also saw, with a surprising amount of prescience for his time, that Westward expansion would be limited by access to water.

After his expeditions, Powell went on to educate the public about the things he had seen. In the time of Manifest Destiny, he had a surprising amount of prescience to see that Westward expansion would be limited by access to water. Unfortunately, his ideas and proposed policies on irrigation of the West were ignored due to corporate interests. Famously, Powell stated “you are piling up a heritage of conflict and litigation over water rights, for there is not sufficient water to supply the land.” These words would become manifest forty years later during the Dust Bowl. He would also eventually go on to become the director of the Bureau of Ethnology, a position he held until his death in 1902.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of Powell’s expedition. While Flaming Gorge and Glen Canyon are now underwater, one can still experience many of the canyons of that 1869 expedition in the same way Powell did. Beginning on May 24th the John Wesley Powell River Festival will launch. Towns all along his route will be holding events and festivities to celebrate the man and the impact of his expedition.

Call us today 1-800-345-7238 for details about our 4 day Green River Gates of Lodore trip focused on celebrating the 150th anniversary of John Wesley Powell’s incredible journey along the course of the Green River and Colorado River.