Round Trip Distance: 1,200 ft.
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 6778 - 7200 feet
Cellphone: 0 bars
Time: 1 hr.
Trailhead: 41.88631, -109.09227
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs
The Cedar Canyon East Petroglyphs are located in the Red Desert north of Rock Springs, Wyoming. Within a few hundred feet, in a short side canyon, we found 2 places with a few petroglyphs and a cave that served as a habitation site.
For turn-by-turn directions to the mouth of the side canyon with the petroglyphs enter 41.88631, -109.09227 into your driving app. At the 5.7 mile point from CR 17 turn left.
In another 1.4 miles you will reach the mouth of the a side canyon where you will want to turn right.
The first and best of the petroglyphs are on a white sandstone outcrop a few hundred feet from the road about 4 tenths of a mile into the side canyon.
This panel consists of a human figure with very long fingers. Feathers or fringes are dangling from its elbows. The long fingers might relate in some way to the long claws of the grizzly paws that are present. We were able to find some information about a traditional Shoshoni spiritual leader who derives power, protection, and sacred songs from the spirit of the grizzly bear. Perhaps this panel is related to that.
To the right are 2 large grizzly paws with long claws.
In another quarter mile there is a side road that leads to an area below a cave. Just past the side road there is a sandstone cliff with smooth surfaces that have a few more petroglyphs.
These are some of the images found at that spot.
From the last petroglyphs you can spot a cave that is above the end of the wash behind some trees.
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs
The Cedar Canyon East Petroglyphs are located in the Red Desert north of Rock Springs, Wyoming. Within a few hundred feet, in a short side canyon, we found 2 places with a few petroglyphs and a cave that served as a habitation site.
For turn-by-turn directions to the mouth of the side canyon with the petroglyphs enter 41.88631, -109.09227 into your driving app. At the 5.7 mile point from CR 17 turn left.
In another 1.4 miles you will reach the mouth of the a side canyon where you will want to turn right.
The first and best of the petroglyphs are on a white sandstone outcrop a few hundred feet from the road about 4 tenths of a mile into the side canyon.
This panel consists of a human figure with very long fingers. Feathers or fringes are dangling from its elbows. The long fingers might relate in some way to the long claws of the grizzly paws that are present. We were able to find some information about a traditional Shoshoni spiritual leader who derives power, protection, and sacred songs from the spirit of the grizzly bear. Perhaps this panel is related to that.
To the right are 2 large grizzly paws with long claws.
In another quarter mile there is a side road that leads to an area below a cave. Just past the side road there is a sandstone cliff with smooth surfaces that have a few more petroglyphs.
These are some of the images found at that spot.
From the last petroglyphs you can spot a cave that is above the end of the wash behind some trees.
Being right above a dry fall it takes a bit of scrambling to get up to the cave.
Inside the cave there are quite a few scratch marks but for the most part none of them appear to be of anything meaningful. At the same time they don't all appear to have occurred naturally.
The cave probably wasn't worth the trouble that it took to get to it but it is one of those things that couldn't be found out until afterwards. As far as the petroglyphs go they seemed well worth the little time it took to see them.
If you would like to see them for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.
If you would like to see them for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.
