Vernal RockArt
Today was devoted to the two best rock art locations in the area: McKee Spring and McConkie Ranch. McKee Spring is located in the middle of nowhere on the extreme western edge of the Dinosaur National Monument. I uploaded the route in our vehicle GPS, and we talked to the RV park owner the previous day about the best way to reach the petroglyphs. In the end, the GPS took us on another wild goose chase and we missed a turn. We "enjoyed" an hour of stark scenery on the high plateaus above Vernal. At one point, the GPS took us up on Rim Road. We had a view in three directions that must have been 20 - 30 miles. It was mid-morning and hazy, but still pretty amazing.
After two wrong routes, we gave up on the GPS and asked Siri. Siri took us right to the petroglyphs. Verizon and Siri saved the day, although we lost an hour we could have used later.
The petroglyphs
at McKee Spring
were very impressive.
A trail led from the pullout beside the road up to the base of the cliff. That made the petroglyphs easy to see
and photograph. Nearly all the petroglyphs were of humans. Some were quite complex and seemed to show warriors in various types of dress
and often with circular objects in one or both hands. Others were very simple stick figures. There were very few animals. McKee Spring had some of the largest petroglyphs of the trip.
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Our next stop was supposed to be Island Park Overlook, but we decided to check out Rainbow Park, since it was only a mile off the road. It was a great choice. It was a small campground and picnic area right next to the Green River. As we looked up river, we saw golden cottonwoods along the riverbanks. Just beyond the trees was a huge anticline arching toward the east. The Green River was wide and deep as it finished its journey in the wide flat valley and entered the tight confines of the canyon below. Even at midday, it was impressive. It was a great place for picnic lunch. While we were there, we saw a coyote lurking up on the hillside. He may have been checking out the small dog in the campground. Prairie dogs added to the entertainment on the hillside, but we didn't have time to try to photograph them. They had an excellent system of setting off an alarm whistle if anyone approached.
Our third stop was Island Park Overlook.
I had read this was a good stop, but the person hadn't elaborated why.
When we reached the overlook, no explanation was needed. In a very broad, flat valley, the Green River separated into several channels
that meandered across the flood plain. Golden cottonwoods grew in patches between the meanders. It looked exactly like the Snake River
in Grand Teton--until you looked up at the surrounding canyon walls. It was gorgeous. It may have been the most scenic place we've seen
on this trip. It would be an outstanding sunset location, but I don't think we have any sunsets that aren't already planned.
McConkie Ranch
Our final stop was the McConkie Ranch.
This is a private ranch with very famous petroglyphs. The Three Kings Panel
is its claim to fame. The trails up to the panels directly behind the parking area were steep and very rocky. We had to work hard for the shots, and most
of the panels weren't very impressive. There were a couple of good areas along the trail that went northwest from the parking area and then along a
ridge near the top of the cliff. Unfortunately, in the late afternoon light,
they were very hard to photograph.
After we finished the panels closer to the parking lot, we took the mile hike out to the Three Kings Panel. There were more smaller panels along the way, but the Three Kings Panel was a bit of a disappointment. It was high on a cliff and a fence prevented us from getting close. You really need at least a 400 mm lens to shoot this panel. With the poor lighting and distance, the Three Kings were pretty indistinct. We may have had too high of expectations, but they didn't really compare to the petroglyphs at McKee Spring.
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