If you are traveling on highway 89 near Page, AZ the Big Water Visitor Center is worth a stop to learn about fossils that have been found in the area and its geologic history.
The address is:
20 S Revolution Way
Big Water, UT 84741
More information can be found on their webiste: https://www.blm.gov/visit/big-water-visitor-center
Parowan Gap is a great place to stop to see some history in rock but it is not a spot for collecting rocks. It is located near the town of Parowan, Utah. Both sites have a walking path and parking area so they are very accessible and easy to find.
The first thing to see is dinosaur footprints. Hadrosaur footprints casts, to be more specific. There are at least three different casts, all marked with a metal footprint as seen in the second photo below. The footprint casts were not quite up to our expectations, but they were a very cool piece of history to see. There a numerous sites in Utah to see dinosaur prints, perhaps this is not the most impressive of them, but it was a good introduction for us.
The parking area is located at: 37.89684, -112.95080.
A short drive down the road from the dinosaur track site is an area filled with petroglyphs and historical graffiti. There are many informational signs explaining what you’re looking at and the history of the area. Some of the signs have literal translations of what it is believed the petroglyphs represent which aid in understanding the carvings.
We went to this area primarily to see the dinosaur footprints but were more impressed by the petroglyphs. The two sites are so near to each other and easy to access that they should both be visited.
The parking area is located at: 37.90918, -112.98405.
More information about these sites can be found at: https://geology.utah.gov/map-pub/survey-notes/geosights/parowan-gap/.
