McConkie Ranch—Dry Fork Canyon
Archaeological Site
Personal Notes
This page presents our personal notes on our visit to the McConkie Ranch—Dry Fork Canyon Archaeological Site near Vernal, Utah.
Friday, April 25, 2008
This was our first trip this year. We stayed in Vernal, Utah at the Dinosaurland KOA camp. They have the small cabins that we find convenient in the spring and fall when the weather can change so quickly. They are warmer and sturdier than a tent, give better protection in strong cold winds, and if it rains, we don’t have to pack up a wet tent. Staying in the cabins is a cross between staying in a motel and camping. They provide beds with firm vinyl covered mattresses, and we bring along our sleeping bags and camping equipment. There is a picnic table, and many have a small porch with a wooden swing. Very rustic.
10:32 a.m.
When we arrived in Vernal the temperature was 41 degrees, but at least it was sunny. We were assigned cabin number 5. At that time we were just about the only guests in the campground, and for sure the only ones staying in the cabins. The cabins sit by themselves away from the main camping area in a large grassy field. There are water spigots nearby, but they were turned off because of the still freezing temperatures overnight. We were able to get water from a spigot in a trailer site nearby.
The restrooms and showers were on the back of the main office and grocery store. It was a bit of a walk, but not too bad. There are other restroom facilities in the campground, but they were still closed for the season. The shower stalls (two on each side) were a bit cramped, but there was plenty of hot water and the restrooms were kept nice and warm.
12:10 p.m.
We ate lunch on our cabin’s picnic table under the nice warm sun, then headed out toward the Dry Fork Petroglyph Site northwest of town. At that point there was a chilly breeze and a temperature of 59 degrees, at least in the sun.
12:44 p.m.
The Dry Fork Petroglyph Site is on the McConkie Ranch. If you follow the directions provided you will see signs along the way. The last sign along the paved highway points down a well maintained dirt road. There is a paved parking area surrounded by fences covered with deer and elk antlers. The GPS Coordinates for the parking lot are: 40 32.756N; 109 38.221W; at an elevation of 6,032 feet.
Near the top of the parking area there is a small shack with information and signs. The rock art is free to view, but there is a sign requesting a $2.00 donation for parking in the lot. We left $5.00. There is also a booklet available for $5.00 which has many black and white photos of the main rock art panels. We passed on that, since we came prepared to take our own photos. There are covered picnic tables and a pair of chemical toilets, but we didn’t notice any source of drinking water.
At the head of the parking area there prominent signs and objects that indicate the beginning of the trail to the rock art panels. Just follow the small, faded engineering flags and the obvious trail and you’ll get to see some of the most amazing examples of Fremont Culture rock art around. The rock art panels are on the faces of a long line of Navajo Sandstone cliffs that run southeast to northwest along the east side of the ranch.
The trail is rough in places, but generally well defined. There are signs along the way to keep a visitor on track and to point out a few of the less obvious features.
We explored the southern end of the panels first, then walked along the face of the cliff toward the north. It seems that the rock art gets better and more exciting the farther north you go. At one point we came to a sign that pointed the way back to the parking area, but we also noticed a smaller sign that indicated “Better Petroglyphs.” We followed that path back a short ways into a shallow side canyon, above a pair of old concrete water tanks (now with trees growing out of them), and discovered that we’d only visited about half the site to that point. We climbed a hill to even more exciting rock art.
Along the face of this cliff there are the usual Fremont Culture images, like a few big horn sheep, a deer or two, many swirls and circles, and many anthropomorphic figures. There seemed to be a good number of round bellied anthropomorphs with protruding heads, arms, and legs. Some pictographs among a majority of petroglyphs. Some combined, with vivid reds and yellows and white paint.
It’s the northern half of the panels that really shines. There are large petroglyphs of very detailed anthropomorphic figures clustered together in groups on almost every flat face along the way. These large images have a certain “Egyptian” look to them, with elaborate head dresses, breast plates and necklaces, prominent skirts, and angular shoulders. They look much different than the typical Fremont figures we’ve seen in other areas. In fact, these petroglyphs are so unique that they have been designated as the Classic Vernal Style, a subdivision of the Fremont Style.
Many of the large figures appear to be holding hands above small “heads,” most with a cylindrical body. A sign beneath one panel speculates that perhaps these peoples were head hunters. We tend to disagree with that assumption. Looking at these small images we think they represent infants, wrapped in swaddling clothes. Perhaps the offspring of the pair holding hands. But whatever they represent, they are interesting.
On one surface, higher up than many of the other figures, there is a large circular “calendar” that is both a pictograph and a petroglyph. It is very impressive with its concentric circles of pecked rock and red paint and straight lines indicating some important point in the solar year .
There are also other examples of the two rock art types combined, creating some very striking images, some quite frightening in appearance and size. There are also two small red impressionistic figures that appear to be of a different style, as well as a few petroglyphs that have a definite Barrier Canyon appearance, even though most Barrier Canyon images are pictographs.
There are also two large and striking anthropomorphic figures standing side by side, very erect, each holding what appears to be a circular shield behind their bodies. I’d never seen anything like these. There is also a silhouetted bear high up above one panel.
Apparently there is also a very well done panel that is 125 feet above the rest, but we were not able to locate that one. Perhaps we were standing too close to the base of the cliff. There are also many circles scattered across the face, possibly representing shields. Some of those may be more modern, possibly Ute in origin.
2:49 p.m.
We found the site to be one of the best we’ve ever seen. The images here are unique and cover a wide range of types. The anthropomorphs are striking and impressive. The entire collection of panels is amazingly easy to get to, and amazingly free of really damaging graffiti. However, some images have been chalked, and someone has painted alphanumeric figures near the base of several of the panels. You would think that someone that dedicated to capturing these images would be more considerate of those that followed.
