by Matt Konkle
Torque Editor-in-Chief
Most people come to Moab, Utah for the outdoor stuff, right? Off-roading, hiking, mountain biking, etc.
And why not. The place is packed full of everything the avid outdoor lover could want.
But while iconic trails like Hells Revenge, Steelbender and Top of the World tend to dominate attention, there are many other attractions just under the surface begging for a few minutes of your time as well.
So, to end today's road trip to Johnson Valley, we made a quick-hitter pit stop trip into Moab, stopping by Sego Canyon along the way to visit the oldest petroglyphs in the world.
These mostly ancient artistic drawings are not in Moab proper, instead living a short trip off exit 187 on I-70, northwest of Cisco and just north of Thompson Springs. The canyon itself is about 30 minutes north of Moab.
Some of these art pieces have been carbon-dated to more than 15,000 years ago, while others are more recent.
Some also beg the question of "just what the heck are they", and how did they come up with ink or coloring that bleached so well into that rock face?
These petroglyphs are depicted in several different ‘panels’ around the canyon titled Ute Historical, Fremont Style, Barrier Style and two additional panels.
The Fremont culture thrived from A.D. 600 to 1250 and was contemporary with the Anasazi culture of the Four Corners area. There is also rock art from the Archaic period dating from 7000 B.C., the Barrier Canyon period from around 2000 B.C., and the Ute tribe dating from A.D. 1300.
Just another example, like dinosaur bones and footprints around the area, of how Moab adventures can be more than the rote off-road, mountain biking and hiking expeditions.
