We stopped by Newspaper Rock State Historical Monument, a large rock face containing hundreds of petroglyphs, on our way from the Needles sections of Canyonlands National Park down to the Goosenecks State Park on our drive through Utah.  We had no idea how impressive it was until we saw it in the flesh.  It is larger than we imagined and absolutely worth a visit.

Newspaper Rock

This Utah State Historic Monument is a large rock, with an area of about 200 square feet that is covered with approximately 650 petroglyphs.  Petroglyphs are images that are carved onto a surface, as opposed to pictographs which are images painted onto a surface.  The petroglyphs depict humans, animals, and abstract symbols.  It was given the name of Newspaper Rock based off the translation of the Navajo name for it, “Tse’ Hane.”  This roughly translates into a “rock that tells a story.”  

This one rock was continually used as a location for people to write on since around 0 A.D., 2,000 years ago.  Although there is no known method for determining how old the petroglyphs are, it is believed that most of the markings were made in prehistory by Native American groups including those of the Basketmaker, Pueblo, Anasazi, and Fremont cultures.  Additional symbols were also etched in historic times by the Navajo and Anglos cultures.  

The rock face is coated with what is known as desert varnish, a natural coating on the rock.  This provided people with a way to carve symbols into the rock, exposing the clean rock underneath. This allowed the symbols to visually stand out.  Some of the symbols offer a peek at their meaning (footprints, man riding a horse and hunting with a bow, antelopes) while others remain a total mystery (a circle with what looks like wheel spokes, squiggly lines).  All we can is is admire them and keep them safe for future generations.

In 1961, Newspaper Rock became a state historic monument.  In 1976, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Indian Creek State Park.

Where is it Located?

Newspaper Rock is easily accessible by car.  It is located along State Route 211 in Monticello, Utah heading south from the Needles area of Canyonlands National Park.