Round Trip Distance: 0.2 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 6495 - 6551 feet
Cellphone: 0 bars
Time: 1 hr.
Trailhead: 43.35519, -109.40557
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs
The Dinwoody Lake Petroglyphs are located at the foot of the Wind River Mountain Range south of Dubois, Wyoming. With surrealistic anthropomorphic figures as much as 7 feet tall, dating back to the Archaic Period, the petroglyphs with their headdresses and intricate body designs, are part of what is called the Dinwoody Tradition.
For turn-by-turn directions to the site enter 43.35519, -109.40557 into your driving app. From Dubois you will drive south on US 26/287 for 17.5 miles and turn right onto the West Dinwoody Lake Road. The W Dinwoody Lake Road starts out passing through the Shoshone Wind River Reservation where the sides of the road are marked with numerous 'No Trespassing' signs. Eventually the road passes into BLM land and after 6.3 miles from the highway reaches the site of the petroglyphs.
While some of the petroglyphs are visible from below you will want to scramble up through the boulders to get a better view.
The petroglyphs are protected by a tall chain link fence and monitored by a handful of cameras. Holes have been made in the fence in places through which to take unobstructed photos.
The first main panel of images is more easily viewed by hiking up along the fence until you can look back at them over the top of the fence.
Here is a closer look at some of the figures.
This panel is of the same style of figures for which the color of the patina and the hue of the rock give a more black and white composition.
Close ups of the same panel.
Some of the images are very much alike.
With so much intricacy some of the images must have taken multiple days of painstaking effort to complete.
More of the awesome same.
At the time we made our visit to Dinwoody Lake they were in the process of constructing picnic shelters on the shores of the lake. They appear to be the first ever recreational improvements up to that time.
If you would like to see the Dinwoody Lake Petroglyphs for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.
If you would like to see the Dinwoody Lake Petroglyphs for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.
