Canyon Pintado

While searching for an overland route to California that avoided the bone-dry deserts of Arizona, Spanish explorers Escalante and Dominguez came across Canyon Pintado in 1776. Located in Northwest Colorado, the site lies in the Douglas Creek Valley, on part of the Dinosaur Diamond scenic byway between Rangely and Fruita on Highway 139.  The valley itself certainly offers noteworthy scenery. But it's the canyon's walls, which are laden with rock art, that will truly captivate those who visit.   

For more than 11,000 years, people have called Canyon Pintado home. The Fremont Indians were long-time residents, and you can catch a glimpse of their world through the petroglyphs and pictographs they left behind. No one has been able to positively identify the significance of the paintings, but educated theories revolve around religious and everyday themes. Kokopelli, the hunched flute player, is a commonly seen figure throughout Fremont rock art and reappears along Canyon Pintado’s walls.

While you're looking at the petroglyphs and pictographs, it may help to understand the difference between the two. Both methods were used during roughly the same period, so the distinction lies in how the images were applied to the rock. When you spot a painted-on scene, you are looking at a pictograph. The pigments used in this type of art were distilled from the area’s plants, animals and minerals. Petroglyphs, on the other hand, are images carved into the rock using stone tools. Archaeologists have deciphered three key shapes applied to the brittle, natural 'canvas'—geometric; zoomorphous, which is artwork of animals; and anthromorphous, which showcases humans. 

The Bureau of Land Management has identified more than 200 sections of such artwork, of which 50 have been interpreted. There are 18 information panels, spread out over 12 sites within the canyon, that will help you understand the artwork you see—including the best-conjectured reasons for when, how and why these images were made. The panels also touch on how the inhabitants were able to live and thrive in the desert environment. 

While not a great deal is known about the ancient civilization of the Fremont people, they appear to have been hunter-gatherers who eventually settled down throughout the west and adopted farming techniques. These peoples were most likely a cohabitation of tribes within tribes, each speaking a varied dialect.

Did You Know?
Fremont Indian artifacts are distinguishable from those of their more widely-known neighbors, the Ancestral Puebloans, in four major ways. Basket weaving techniques is one of these distinctions. The Fremont incorporated willow, yucca, milkweed and other local fibers when making their baskets. Footwear is also key: the Fremont sported moccasin-style shoes made of deer or sheep hide, while the Ancestral Puebloans wore woven sandals made of yucca. However, one of the most telling differences is the style of pottery. The Fremont used thin, gray pottery with either smooth surfaces or designs carved or designed into the clay, while the Ancestral Puebloans painted their designs. Finally, the Fremont consistently incorporated a specific character into their artwork, made up of a trapezoid shape clad in what many believe to be jewelry. Scholars are still unsure of this figure’s exact significance.


Good to Know Before you Go:
These structures are excessively old and have withstood the elements for many years, but withstanding human contact is their biggest challenge today. Visitors should enjoy the history of their area without disturbing these artifacts.

For a self-guided tour, stop by the town of Rangley’s visitor center for a complimentary map. You can also download a PDF version of this self-guided map at www.rangely.com/pintado.html. The Bureau of Land Management is constantly expanding and enhancing access to the canyon and nearby sites, and for those who prefer more dirt and less pavement, access to additional backcountry locations are in the works.

ADA Accessibility
Some information panels are visible from the parking areas, but most are accessible only by foot. All picnic and restroom facilities are fully accessible.

White River Field Office
Bureau of Land Management
73544 Highway 64
Meeker, CO 81641
www.co.blm.gov/wrra/c_pintado1.htm
970-878-3800

There is no cost associate with visiting the canyon and viewing the artifacts.

This project is partially funded by a State Historical Fund grant award from the Colorado Historical Society.


Colorado's Historic Sites
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updated: 08/29/06