Colorado · National Monument trail

Fossil Discovery Trail Petroglyphs

in Colorado

The smooth surfaces of the 90 million year old Frontier Sandstone, a shoreline of an ancient interior seaway, provided an ideal canvas for these petroglyphs left by the ancestral indigenous people of the region over a thousand years ago. These designs include both petroglyphs (patterns chipped or carved into the rock) and pictographs (patterns painted on the rock). Pictographs are relatively rare here, perhaps because they are more easily weathered.

Some petroglyphs show traces of pigment, possibly indicating that many designs originally included both carved and painted areas. These designs are very fragile. Touching the petroglyphs and pictographs can damage the designs by leaving oils behind that abrade the rock.

Tracing and rubbings can damage the soft sandstone designs. For these reasons, please do not touch the designs. The style and content of indigenous designs vary throughout the region. The “Classic Vernal Style” predominates in Dinosaur National Monument.

States: Colorado
Trail type: National Monument trail
Centroid nearest city: Salt Lake City, UT · 138 mi · ~4.0 hr drive
Centroid coords: 40.4378°, -109.2985°

About Dinosaur National Monument

National Monument

This trail is inside Dinosaur National Monument, a national monument managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.

Entrance fee: $25 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.

Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/fossil-discovery-trail-petroglyphs.htm

Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/dino/index.htm

Plan your hike

Practical notes

Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.

Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.

When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.

If you've hiked Fossil Discovery Trail Petroglyphs and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.