Lake Powell Petroglyphs

Petroglyphs are speckled throughout the American Southwest in and around Glen Canyon and Lake Powell. The petroglyphs tell stories that have not been fully deciphered as of yet. Petroglyphs are rock carvings, etchings or stippled peckings that can date back to 12,000 years ago or some petroglyphs can date to 200 years ago. They are relatively difficult to put a date on.

Petroglyphs are not a written language as much as symbols that help to tell a story. There are many types of stories that historians predict that symbols were used for. The symbols often depict migrations of ancestors and thoughts of the artist among many mysteries. Generations of petroglyph additions to certain areas are also common where two petroglyphs next to each other could be hundreds of years apart in age.

Of the approximately 4 million visitors to Lake Powell every year, a significant number also choose to leave modern “glyphs” on the canyon walls. There is an anti-graffiti team that cleans the canyon walls and protects the historical features. So when you are out on that houseboat on Lake Powell, avoid the temptation of leaving your mark. Instead, take a hike to one of the beautiful petroglyph sites in the Glen Canyon and Lake Powell area and relish in the ancient journey that man has embarked on over the last 12,000 years.