Round Trip Distance: 0.16 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 4734 - 4750 feet
Cellphone: 0 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: Bridgeport
Fee: none
Attractions: rock shelter, petroglyphs
The Bridgeport Rockshelter is on the north side of the normally dry King Creek, about 420 feet from the Bridgeport Trailhead. Found at the site is an old rockshelter that is nestled beneath the overhang of a large boulder and several panels of petroglyphs.
To get there drive south from Grand Junction on US Highway 50 for about 15 miles and turn right onto the Bridgeport Road. Continue for a little over 3 miles to where the Bridgeport Trailhead will be on your left. For turn-by-turn directions you can enter Dominguez Canyon Trailhead into your driving app. (You can enter 'Bridgeport Trailhead' but it will probably automatically change it to Dominguez Canyon.)
The large boulder with the petroglyphs and rockshelter is visible from the trailhead on the north side of the Bridgeport Road. From the west end of the trailhead parking area cross the Bridgeport Road and you should be able to find the faint trail that leads there.
Once you find the trail it's pretty easy to follow it down into the wash and out again on the opposite side where it is only another couple hundred feet to the site.
As you can see the wall of the rockshelter does a good job enclosing the open space beneath the large boulder.
All though it appears someone has camped within the shelter in the not too distant past, remember that it is not okay to camp in or around ruins.
On the west side of the boulder there are 3 or so panels of petroglyphs.
The two panels with riders on horseback are obviously Ute petroglyphs. Some of them are superimposed on top of older images.
In general the images bring to mind a hunting theme.
Multiple bear paws might suggest a clan symbol or perhaps they are simply part of the overall hunting theme.
The images in the third panel might be a little older than the others. The style of the images seems slightly different.
