Tree of Life Panel

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 0.1 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 4265 - 4308 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 20 mins.
Trailhead: I-70 MM 148.2
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs

The Tree of Life Panel is located right off of the shoulder of westbound Interstate 70 about 12 miles west of Green River, Utah. The site comes up about a mile before the turnoff to Black Dragon. The panel is made up of more than 20 well preserved petroglyphs. The central image, and the one for which the panel is named, is what looks somewhat like a tree that is sitting beneath the arc of a rainbow.

Grassy Trail Creek

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 0.5 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 4858 - 4956 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 1 hr.
Trailhead: Emery County Rd. 125
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs, ruins

Located near the confluence of Grassy Trail Creek and the Price River are quite a few nice Fremont petroglyphs on various boulders at the base of a hill. On top of the hill there are several ruins that include a large circular wall that may have served as an above ground open top kiva or other ceremonial circle. Ruins that are lower down on the hill appear to have been dwellings similar to pithouses and pueblos.

Cowboy Cave

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 7.1-11.6 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 5379 - 6417 feet
Cellphone: 0 bars
Time: 5 hrs. 45 mins.
Trailhead: BLM Rd. #1145
Fee: none
Attractions: Scenic canyons

Cowboy Cave can be found in the Horseshoe Canyon Wilderness Study Area in Wayne County, Utah. Being on BLM land the study area is bordered upon by the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and near to the Maze District of Canyonlands National Park. The cave itself is tucked away in a side canyon of the Spur Fork branch of Horseshoe Canyon. Hiking in the area is very remote and should only be attempted when in the company of someone with advanced hiking and route finding skills. Horseback riders and backpackers should be aware that most of the water sources can be undependable.

Fremont I-70 Site

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 0.1 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 7379 - 7420 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: I-70 MM 85.3
Fee: none
Attractions: cliff dwelling, pictographs

Multiple Fremont sites can be found along Interstate 70 beginning as you head west, after crossing into Sevier County, and begin climbing Emigrant Pass, and continuing west to Fremont Indian State Park. On the north side of the westbound lanes near mile marker 85.3 are the remnants of a small cliff dwelling that are tucked away beneath an overhang in the cliff. There are a few pictographs beneath the overhang as well as a few others nearby along the same cliff.

Cottonwood Spring Petroglyphs

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 0.6 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 4349 - 4369 feet
Cellphone: 0 bars
Time: 45 mins.
Trailhead: Cottonwood Springs
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs

Cottonwood Spring is located in the San Rafael Desert near Hanksville, Utah. Several petroglyph panels can be found on a nearby cliff that include a mix of Barrier Canyon and Fremont style images. A few shards of pottery and flakes of chert left from making arrowheads litter the ground in places in front of the cliff.