1 day / 12 miles / 23 minutes
Tour of the Tilted Rocks is a scenic drive along the Cub Creek Road featuring Dinosaur National Monument's sweeping geology, petroglyph and pictograph panels, historic cabin and numerous wildlife.
Day 1
9:05 - 0.9 miles / 1 minute - 9:06
1. Swelter Shelter Petroglyphs
Located approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) from the Quarry Visitor Center, the Swelter Shelter site features a variety of both petroglyphs and pictographs, designed by the Fremont Culture. The site is an easy walk, approximately 200 feet (61 m) from the parking area.
Don't touch! Petroglyphs and pictographs are fragile, irreplaceable records of the past that many still hold sacred. Touching them can leave skin oils behind, and tracings or rubbings can ruin the designs. Federal law protects all artifacts, including these sites. Do your part to respect and protect the past, and report any vandalism you find.9:36 - 0.9 miles / 1 minute - 9:37
A 3.2 mile loop hike through several of Dinosaur's interesting rock layers, illustrating the monument's geologic diversity. Sweeping views of Split Mountain. Some steep sections on slickrock. This trail ties in with Desert Voices Trail via a ¼ mile connector trail.
9:42 - 1.0 miles / 1 minute - 9:44
The Utah Juniper is a hardy tree that thrives in environments where other plants would find it difficult to take root. Able to withstand intense heat, fierce cold, overbearing sunlight, extreme lack of water, and blasting winds, the juniper provides an important source of food and shelter for desert dwellers.
9:49 - 0.3 miles / 1 minute - 9:49
The tilt and colors of the rocks are the most noticeable features of the landscape. Each rock layer was formed in a certain environment at a specific time. Geologists call those discrete layers formations. The formation on either side of the road here formed in streams and rivers during the late Triassic Period, resulting in a coarse-grained, gritty yellow and tan sandstone. Utah is famous for red rocks which contain oxidized iron minerals that were exposed to air. Often nearby there are green rocks that are reduced iron minerals which altered in water. The yellow colors in the sandstone right here are also result from a mixture of materials, including iron oxides, sulfides, and silicates, called limonite.
9:54 - 0.3 miles / 1 minute - 9:55
From the Split Mountain Overlook, one can look out across the landscape that is under constant change. Below the cottonwood groves of the Split Mountain Campground shade the ever shifting banks along the Green River. Across the water, Dinosaur's staggering geologic history is on full display as multiple layers of rock have been tilted upwards, with some older rock exposures dating well back to 300 million years ago.
10:00 - 0.3 miles / 1 minute - 10:01
The Desert Voices Trail offers spectacular views of Split Mountain and several adjacent rock layers. Trail signs describe the area's geology and ecology. There are also many signs that were written and drawn by children for children.
11:31 - 0.0 miles / 1 minute - 11:31
11:36 - 2.2 miles / 4 minutes - 11:40
This overlook provides a panoramic view of the Cub Creek Valley, which lies between Split Mountain on the left and Blue Mountain on the right. The influence of water in this dry environment is easy to see. The native cottonwood trees shading the campground below depend on the Green River, as do the irrigated crops in the field outside the monument across the river. Just a short distance away from the river’s life-giving waters, sparse grasses, shrubs such as sagebrush and greasewood, and a few small juniper trees reveal the true desert nature of this land. At an elevation of 5,000 feet, rain and snow provide less than 10 inches of water a year. Plants must conserve water or perish. Few cactus species can tolerate subzero winter temperatures but prickly pear cacti are found here, though they are small and scarce.
11:45 - 0.7 miles / 1 minute - 11:46
The distinctively colorful layers help to identify the Morrison Formation, a group of rock layers that occur throughout this region. Paleontologists find this rock attractive for more than its colors; a few of its outcrops contain 150 million year old dinosaur fossils like those found at the Dinosaur Quarry. The formation originated as muds and sands laid down by a network of ancient rivers whose water nourished an abundance of plants, dinosaurs, and other animals. It is thought that during times of drought the river would dry up and there would be massive die-offs. Dinosaur carcasses collected in the river bed. When the rains returned, the river flowed again and transported bones and carcasses then buried them in sand and mud where they were preserved.
11:51 - 0.8 miles / 1 minute - 11:52
11:57 - 0.3 miles / 1 minute - 11:58
The road to the right will take you outside of Dinosaur National Monument, crossing private property. You will pass through two gates. The road will lead you to a fenced petroglyph site protected by the Bureau of Land Management. This site is of a similar time and style to petroglyphs found throughout the monument. When driving to and from the petroglyph site, remember to leave all gates as you found them. If you open a gate, close it behind you.
12:03 - 1.9 miles / 2 minutes - 12:05
From long-time settlers to brief passers-by, many of us like to name what we see around us. This towering outcropping of Entrada Sandstone, the same tye of rock that forms arches in Arches National Park, is known as Turtle Rock. Can you see the turtle poking its head out from the flat shell?
12:10 - 0.6 miles / 1 minute - 12:12
The Blue Mountain road is steep, rough, and suitable only for 4-wheel drive vehicles with off-road tires that leaves the monument. It climbs about 3000 feet to the top of Blue Mountain. This mountain offers dramatic views of the area. The summit also harbors a relict woodland called Point of the Pines. Some mountaintops in this area contain small groves of conifers like ponderosa pine only on the very top. During the last ice age these trees were much more widespread in the region. With a warmer and drier climate during the last 10,000 years, these trees are now restricted to mountaintops where they find just enough moisture to survive.
12:17 - 0.6 miles / 2 minutes - 12:19
Around a thousand years ago, someone climbed to the cliff face above with a stone tool in hand. That person selected an area of sandstone darkened by minerals and began to chip away at the rock. After hours of chipping and carving, the image of a bighorn sheep began to take shape.
Today we marvel at these images and wonder about the ancestral indigenous people who etched in this rock. Archaeological evidence indicates that this culture was in the Dinosaur area for about 600 years.The petroglyph panels here at Cub Creek feature a variety of typical Fremont designs, including human and animal figures and abstract designs.
Don't touch! Petroglyphs and pictographs are fragile, irreplaceable records of the past that many still hold sacred. Touching them can leave skin oils behind, and tracings or rubbings can ruin the designs. Federal law protects all artifacts, including these sites. Do your part to respect and protect the past, and report any vandalism you find.12:24 - 0.2 miles / 1 minute - 12:25
A quarter mile hike up from Cub Creek Road leads to a variety of panels along a sandstone cliff. Over 1,000 years ago, the ancestral indigenous people of the region came here to carve and create elaborate designs including the 5 foot long lizard petroglyphs.
Today we marvel at these images and wonder about the ancestral indigenous people who etched in this rock. Archeological evidence indicates that this culture was in the Dinosaur area for about 600 years.
Don't touch! Petroglyphs and pictographs are fragile, irreplaceable records of the past that many still hold sacred. Touching them can leave skin oils behind, and tracings or rubbings can ruin the designs. Federal law protects all artifacts, including these sites. Do your part to respect and protect the past, and report any vandalism you find.12:30 - 0.9 miles / 3 minutes - 12:33
Casting a looming shadow over the Josie Morris cabin, Box Canyon stands as a cooling refuge. The trail is fairly level and hikers will have stunning views on all sides of the craggy Weber sandstone from Split Mountain. This trail is excellent for families with children, even during the heat of the day.