The Potash Road is a Scenic Drive just a couple minutes outside of Moab. You can take in the views of the Colorado River, hike to Corona Arch or scramble up some rocks to dinosaur tracks and pictographs or petroglyphs.
The Potash Road follows the river and has the beautiful red rock scenery on both sides of the canyon. For this hike you’ll want to park at the Poison Spider Trailhead. You can see how short of a scramble this is since this photo was taken by the petroglyphs and down below is the parking lot.
Even though this is a short hike, it is more of a scramble. Some of my kids weren’t wearing sturdy shoes and struggled a bit.
Dinosaur Tracks
The slab that has the dinosaur tracks has obviously fallen at some point in the past, because it’s mostly vertical, but that makes it visible from the parking lot, especially with binoculars. It is a little bit of a climb to get to it, but there is a trail. I had to remind my children that we don’t want to touch the dinosaur tracks or petroglyphs so we can preserve them.
To get to the petroglyphs you have to scramble a bit. These petroglphs were thought to be created by either the Anasazi or Freemont Indians. You can see they are mostly just above eye level for most adults.
My kids love to scramble. It is much harder for me to get them to stop and come back to the car, because they love exploring the rocks so much! This area has plenty of opportunities!
This is super short, but it is steep and tricky for toddlers or anyone afraid of heights. You can see it all within 30 minutes and very cool!
*There are more petroglyphs on the Potash Road. Look for the sign that says “Indian Writing”
Stats: Distance – 0.2 miles roundtrip
Approximate hiking time – 30 to 60 minutes
Elevation gain – About 40 feet
Difficulty – Moderate
Trail – Trail part of the way and then rocks and boulders
Bathrooms – At the Trailhead
Seasons to hike – Year-Round
Permits needed – None
Pets allowed – Yes (but challenging with the boulders)
This is in Moab near Ken’s Lake, Arches National Park, Dead Horse Point and Canyonlands National Park.
