San Diego Rock Art Association

With severed heads, giant warriors, and the famous “Three Kings Panel,” the McConkie Ranch Petroglyph Site is one of the richest in Utah, located in the northeastern corner of the state just outside of Vernal. The images are classic Vernal Style with broad shoulders, square or trapezoidal heads, and head, necklace, and waist adornments. This presentation features images captured on a single day in October, 2010.

The majority of the art at McConkie Ranch is of Fremont origin, dating to approximately A.D. 400 to 1300 and noted for deeply incised life-sized anthropomorphs with remnants of colors long since partially washed out. The images presented on our walk will begin with the mile-long Western trail from the “Lion Panel” to two magnificent “Warrior Panels,” and then we’ll end our day walking along the Eastern trail which leads to the world-renowned “Three Kings Panel” some 125 feet above the valley floor (for which you need binoculars or a telephoto lens as you are not allowed to climb up to the Three Kings). All of these exceptional images are accessible to visitors because of the generosity of the McConkie family, who allow visitors onto their private property.

Lawrence R. Baca is a rock art enthusiast, photographer, and Treasurer of the SDRAA. He has visited the McConkie Ranch three times and is currently planning a post COVID-19 fourth visit. He says, “Every time you review the photographs you have taken you are reminded of photographs you should have taken.”

A One-Day Walk Through the McConkie Ranch Petroglyph Site

A Presentation by Lawrence Baca