Parowan Gap Petroglyphs ~ Utah

Flickr album link: Parowan Gap Petroglyphs

​Parowan Gap is a nice side trip destination when touring attractions around Cedar City, Utah. Interstate Highway 15 runs through this region, which make the travel time more bearable. The local attractions in the area include, Cedar Breaks, Bryce Canyon, Duck Creek and Kolob Canyons. The road from Parowan, Utah to the rock art site heads west into the desert and there are a few lesser known attractions in this area, which include dinosaur tracks and an old Mormon pioneer fort. From this spot it is also easy to access the road going west from Cedar City to several unique state parks in the mountains of eastern Nevada. All this makes it easy to fit Parowan Gap into the touring plans, so fuel is not wasted on a simple out and back trip. 

The Parowan Gap Petroglyphs are well marked and there is ample parking. Basic facilities and picnic tables are located onsite, so this is a nice spot for an outing during the cool weather seasons. The summer temperatures can be brutally hot in this region, so it goes without saying that winter is a far better time to arrive and more time can be spent comfortably interpreting the inscriptions. There is a lot to decipher at this ancient sacred place, so a few hours should be set aside for the visit. 

The rock art at Parowan Gap dates back thousands of years and the distinct artistic style of several cultures can be seen. Some of the petroglyphs are so old that nobody really knows the true origins, while markings from later cultures like the local Paiute look as fresh as if they were created yesterday. There are also inscriptions from Spanish explorers and cowboys from the wild west in the mix, so there certainly is plenty to ponder over. The Parowan Gap Petroglyphs definitely are a marvelous sight to see and a lot can be learned from the experience, so be sure to chalk this little side trip high on the list when planning a tour of the Cedar City area.