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This page presents
basic information on the archeology of canyon country, and links to our featured sites that have ancient ruins and rock art. |
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Topics
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| Overview |
Canyon
country is home to an amazing collection of archaeological sites,
including villages, camps, hunting sites, petroglyphs, and pictographs.
It seems that we are just scratching the surface in our understanding
of those who came before us. And as we hike through this amazing
landscape it seems that we are always encountering more evidence
of the ancient ones. This page offers links to our featured sites where archaeological discovers are the focus, or where we have had the pleasure to discover the wonders of ancient rock art.
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| Ancient Ruins |
- Anasazi State Park Museum, Utah
- Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico
- Baker Archaeological Site, Nevada
- Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico
- Buttler Wash Archaeological District, Utah
- Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona
- Canyonlands National Park, Utah
- Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Colorado
- Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Arizona
- Chaco Culture National Historic Park, New Mexico
- Cottonwood Wash Archaeological District, Utah
- Danger Cave, Utah
- Edge of the Cedars State Park, Utah
- El Morro National Monument, New Mexico
- Elden Pueblo, Arizona
- Fremont Indian State Park and Museum, Utah
- Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah and Arizona
- Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
- Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah
- Honanki Heritage Site, Arizona
- Hovenweep National Monument, Utah
- Jemez State Monument Heritage Area, New Mexico
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- Lost City Museum, Nevada
- Medicine Lodge State Park, Wyoming
- Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
- Moab Area, Utah
- Montezuma Canyon Archaeological District, Utah
- Montezuma Castle National Monument, Arizona
- Montezuma Well Unit, Arizona
- Mule Canyon Ruins, Utah
- Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah
- Nine Mile Canyon National Backcountry Byway, Utah
- Pecos National Historic Park, New Mexico
- Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
- Red Cliffs Recreation Area, Utah
- Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument, New Mexico
- San Rafael Swell, Utah
- Trail of the Ancients Scenic Backway, Utah and Colorado
- Tumacacori National Historical Park, Arizona
- Tuzigoot National Monument, Arizona
- Walnut Canyon National Monument, Arizona
- Westwater Canyon Archaeological District, Utah
- Wupatki National Monument, Arizona
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| Rock Art (Petroglyphs, Pictographs, and Geoglyphs) |
These pages contain large images of the rock art found in these locations. Download time may be a bit longer than usual, depending upon your Internet connection. Please be patient, it's worth the wait.
- Arches National Park, Utah
- Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico
- Butler Wash Archaeological District, Utah
- Calf Creek Recreation Area, Utah
- Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona
- Canyonlands National Park, Utah
- Canyon Pintado National Historic District, Colorado
- Canyon Rims Recreation Area, Utah
- Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Colorado
- Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
- Chaco Culture National Historic Park, New Mexico
- Colorado Riverway, Utah
- Death Valley National Park, California and Nevada
- Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado and Utah
- Eastern Nevada Rock Art Site
- El Cerro Tome, New Mexico
- El Morro National Monument, New Mexico
- Fremont Indian State Park and Museum, Utah
- Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah
- Grimes Point Archaeological Site, Nevada
- Honanki Heritage Site, Arizona
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- La Cieneguilla Petroglyph Site, New Mexico
- Lake Mead National Recreation Area
- Legend Rock State Petroglyph Site, Wyoming
- McConkie Ranch—Dry Fork Canyon Archaeological Site, Utah
- Medicine Lodge State Park, Wyoming
- Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark, Wyoming
- Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
- Moab, Utah Area
- Montezuma Canyon Archaeological District, Utah
- Nine Mile Canyon National Backcountry Byway, Utah
- Parowan Gap, Utah
- Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
- Petroglyph Butte, Nevada
- Petroglyph National Monument, New Mexico
- Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Nevada
- San Rafael Swell, Utah
- Sand Island Recreation Area, Utah
- Thompson Canyon Rock Art Panels, Utah
- V Bar V Heritage Site, Arizona
- Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
- Waterflow Archaeological Site, New Mexico
- Wupatki National Monument, Arizona
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| Archaeological Site Etiquette |
All archaeological and historic sites are protected by the Archaeological Resources Protection Act which provides felony and/or misdemeanor prosecution with imprisonment up to ten years and fines up to $250,000.
- Do not climb, sit, or stand on walls. Walls are fragile and continue to deteriorate.
- Do not pick up, move, or remove artifacts. Artifacts, where they lay, tell a story. Once they are moved, a piece of the past is forever lost.
- Do not add anything (such as offerings) to a site. Cultural deposits, including the soil on a site, are important for scientific tests used in reconstructing past environments.
- No fires, candles, smudging, or smoking in sites. Fire destroys prehistoric organic materials and destroys the dating potential of artifacts. Camping is not allowed.
- Refrain from touching the rock art. Drawing, scratching, carving, painting, and oil from even the cleanest hands can cause deterioration of the drawings.
- Stay on trails. Fragile desert plants and soils that are part of a site are destroyed when you stray from the trail. Also, snakes and other small desert animals may be in the bushes, under rocks, and in burrows. No bicycles and vehicles beyond the parking lot.
- No pets allowed in these sites. Animals damage sites by digging, urinating, and defecating. They can destroy fragile cultural deposits and frighten other visitors.
If you see anyone vandalizing a site, report it as soon as possible to a park ranger or by contacting local authorities or by calling the Archaeological Resources Protection Act Hotline at 800-227-7286. |
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| Books
and Resources |
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| Related
Sites |
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