- Locale: Bluff
- Time: Half Hour - Overnight
- Fee: For Camping
This roadside panel boasts centuries of rock art spanning from the 19th century to 2,500+ years ago. Most of the petroglyphs are from the early Basketmaker through Pueblo III eras. More recent Ute and Navajo rock art can be identified by their brighter carvings and location lower on the wall. When visiting the 100-yard panel, see if you can spot its famous Kokopelli and a bighorn sheep playing a flute. There are vault toilets and a seasonal water supply available at Sand Island Petroglyph Panel.
Special Considerations
The Sand Island Petroglyph is located in the Sand Island Campground on the San Juan River, which has restrooms, camping, a seasonal ranger station, a boat launch, and seasonal drinking water. Reserve your site at www.recreation.gov. As with any rock imagery panel, you can visit with respect by refraining from touching rock imagery or adding your own.
- Tips For Visiting Here with Respect
Don’t Touch Rock Imagery or Make Your Own
Natural oils on your hands can destroy delicate rock imagery. Vandalism of petroglyphs and pictographs erases stories of early Indigenous peoples and destroys the experience for future visitors.
Guide Children Through Sites
Sacred cultural sites are not playgrounds. Teach children to respect these places so they can share them with future generations and become better stewards of the land. Keep a close eye on them so they don’t get hurt or accidentally damage cultural belongings.
Remember That Ancestral Landscapes Are Sacred
Tribes and Pueblos consider ancestral landscapes a place for ceremony and a place where the ancestors’ spirits still reside. The soil, sky, animals, plants, cultural and ancestral sites are all interconnected and hold spiritual significance to Tribal nations.
- Maps and Directions
- Coordinates: 37.261660, -109.618753
- Directions:
From Bluff: Head west on Hwy 191S for 4.2 miles and turn left at the sign for Sand Island. At the bottom of the hill, take a right and drive 0.2 miles to the parking on the right.
From Blanding: Head south on Hwy 191 for 29.9 miles through Bluff and turn left at the sign for Sand Island. At the bottom of the hill, take a right and drive 0.2 miles to the parking for the panel on the right.