Newspaper Rock ~ Petrified Forest National Park

There are hundreds of famous ancient rock art panels throughout the west, but most are not easy to access. Relatively few are conveniently located by the roadside and even less offer any kind of creature comforts. Those who cannot do any hiking or climbing often end up missing out on the opportunity to decipher the ancient messages, but this is not the case at the Petrified Forest National Park. This park features an automobile touring route that goes right past a roadside petroglyph area that is very easy to access and best of all, there is a modern viewing platform complete with safeguards and high power binoculars.

Binoculars or a high power camera lens is something that most folks do not think of packing when going to an ancient petroglyph panel, but these items do come in handy, especially if there is a protective buffer zone that keep visitors a few dozen yards away. The Newspaper Rock in the Petrified Forest National Park has a natural barrier and the viewing platform offers unobstructed views, but the Newspaper Rock inscriptions are so small that they are difficult to read with naked eyes. Fortunately there are high power binoculars mounted on the platform, which is a real rarity as far as western petroglyph sites are concerned. The guard rail makes this a worry free spot to decipher the ancient Newspaper Rock and hours can be spent pondering over the inscriptions, so be sure to check it out when doing a Petrified Forest grand tour!