1 day / 17 miles / 1 hour, 21 minutes
The Island Park Road is an unpaved road starting outside of Dinosaur National Monument and ending inside the park near the Ruple Ranch Site that leads to beautiful petroglyph panels at McKee Spring, a secluded campground at Rainbow Park, and stellar views of the Green River from Island Park.
Day 1
9:00 - 10.5 miles / 50 minutes - 9:50
The McKee Spring Petroglyphs feature some of the finest large human-like Fremont designs in the area, as well as many other figures. Several petroglyph panels can be seen along a 1/4 mile (0.4 km) loop trail.
The McKee Spring Petroglyphs are approximately 22 miles (35 km) from the Quarry Visitor Center on the Island Park Road. Island Park Road is impassible during wet weather and winter. Check road conditions before attempting to drive to this site.
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.10:35 - 2.7 miles / 13 minutes - 10:48
10:53 - 3.8 miles / 18 minutes - 11:11
In 1882, Henry and May Ruple began homesteading in Island Park and developed a cattle ranch. The Ruples' son, Hod, took over the property in 1915. Later, Hod Ruple and his family switched from cattle ranching to sheep ranching. The property remained in the Ruple family until 1945.
Although the family's original house burned in 1960, the corrals and loafing shed found on the site today were used in the Ruples' ranching operations.