Did you know there were ancient petroglyphs in Northern Utah? These petroglyphs, named the Three Warriors and could be up to 10,000 years old according to the vice-president of Utah Rock Art Research Association. Here is a link to a newspaper article about it.
Most of the archeological rock art in our state is in the southern half, but the Parrish Creek Pictographs are also in Northern Utah, in Davis County. There are so many amazing petroglyphs lower in the state, including the Anasazi Petroglyphs and the Snow Canyon Petroglyphs near St. George. the Freemont Petroglyphs in and near Capitol Reef, and the Potash Road Petroglyphs in Moab.
There are plans in the works to protect these petroglyphs, but for now there are just in a field with no sign or protection of any kind. It is a very short hike, but it took me a little while to find exactly where to look. To find them, park just south of the large rock structure across from the “Overland Eagle Mountain” sign. There will be church building for The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints just to northwest, across the street. I will include the map links at the bottom of this post. This first photo is looking at the signs and my car is just out the left side of the photo. The second image is looking northeast and the petroglyphs are almost exactly in the center. You can either walk directly across the field to the petroglyphs, I recommend walk north along the dirt road and then follow the dirt pathway on the north side of the field.
No matter which way you go you’ll have to cross the weird surface of the field. It’s crusty dirt with air pockets below. Similar to walking on crusty snow, you mostly walk along, but randomly you fall through. You only drop about an inch, so it isn’t dangerous, but you won’t walk to it in sandals. At first I was worried all the holes were inhabited, but I didn’t see anything.
When you get to where you are across from the north side of the church, you should see a dirt pathway that heads east. This first photo is the path, the second is looking across at the church from the petroglyphs, and the third is looking southwest back towards my car.
I was originally here in 2020 and got some more photos In August 2022. These are both standing next to the petroglyphs, one facing west towards the church and one facing southwest toward my car.
I had to sort of walk around looking for them, but I’ll show you where they are so you can go directly there if you choose. This is from near the parking area. There is a tree behind the petroglyphs to the right that is otherwise alone in the field. There are a bunch of boulders and scrub bush in a little arc and the petroglyphs are on the far right end.
Here is a closer look. You can see the arrow is pointing to the rock on the end of the row. There is the top of a tree in the distance and then that leafless tree I mentioned that is kind of alone in the field. I am standing down by the path, so at this point you have to just walk up the hill to get to the petroglyphs. It’s not too far.
Here is a closeup of the petroglyphs with the tree in the background. As you can see, the petroglyphs are the star of the show and the rest of the area wouldn’t be worth going out of your way to see. It is only a few minutes from Cory Wride Memorial Park, that is a super fun park, so you could combine trips.
There are three warriors depicted and they look like they are dancing, or otherwise moving. Please be careful not to step on or otherwise damage this beautiful history.
Stats: Distance – .06 miles round trip
Approximate hiking time – 30-60 minutes
Elevation gain – 30 feet
Difficulty – Easy
Trail – trail of dirt, rocks, and grass
Bathrooms – None
Seasons to hike – Year Round (would be hard to find with snow)
Permits needed – None
Pets allowed – Yes
Map to parking (just across the street and south of church building located at 2011 E Oquirrh Ranch Parkway, Eagle Mountain, UT 84043
Map to petroglyphs
Other hikes nearby are Golden Eagle Peak, Turtle Hill, Prayer Flags in Eagle Mountain, Hidden Hollow, and Utah Lake. There are pictographs in Davis County.
