Danger Cave State Park
Danger Cave State Park
Utah State Parks and Recreation
Administrative Office
1594 West North Temple, Suite 116
P.O. Box 146001
Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-6001
801-538-7220
Danger Cave is a cluster of dry caves near the western edge of the ancient Lake Bonneville, in the eastern portion of the Great Basin. The caves contain the archaeological remains discovered by Jesse D. Jennings, Sr. in 1949. The caves contain remains spanning most of the post-glacial time, the earliest carbon-14 dated to 11,000 BP.
Evidence in the cave shows that hunter-gatherers lived in the area as early as 10,000 BP, which is believed to be shortly after the extinction of the mammoth and saber tooth tiger. The evidence from Danger Cave presents a compelling view of a long-lived Great Basin Desert Culture and dates the Archaic Native American Culture to 11,000 BP.
Some of the lithic artifacts found in Danger Cave were different types of projectile points, scrapers, gravers, knives, and drills. Other artifacts that were excavated were twined matting and basketry, course cloth, coiled basketry, hide moccasins, wooden knife handles, dart and arrow shafts with broken projectile points in place, bundles of gaming sticks, and milling stones.
Jukebox Cave, one of the two prominent caves within this park, has also been referred to as "Indian Cave" and "Picture Cave." Investigated by Jennings and the University of Utah, Jukebox Cave was thought to contain a more complete record of human occupation since the cave contains historic era pictographs showing people on horses with lances, bows and arrows, and perhaps guns.
Currently, members of the Utah Statewide Archaeological Society have adopted Danger and Jukebox caves as part of the Utah Site Stewardship Program. Trained stewards visit these sites several times a year to monitor for erosion, site condition, and vandalism.
The land surrounding the caves was set aside as a Utah State Park, but funds have never been provided to develop the site. Danger Cave itself is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
| Area: | N/A | ||
| Elevation: | 4,397 feet | ||
| Fees: | None | ||
| Hours: | Open daylight hours year-round; no holiday closures. | ||
| Visitor Center: | None | ||
| Facilities: | None | ||
| Directions: | Just east of Wendover, Nevada on the north side of Interstate 80. Take I-80 Exit 4, turn north .4 miles, then turn left (west) and drive for 1.4 miles on a paved road. Turn right (northwest) and drive for 1.8 miles on a gravel road. Stay to the left as you pass the gravel pits.) The road curves southwest along the face of a series of cliffs. The cave lies above a gravel turnout along the right (northwest) side of the road.
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| Coordinates: | Map Coordinates (NAD83): 40 44.951N; 114 01.142W. | ||
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Camping
There is no camping in this area.
Hiking
There are no established trails.
