Newspaper Rock Trail

This is barely a hike — more like a short stroll to one of the most concentrated displays of ancient rock art in the Southwest. From the pulloff along the park road, a paved path drops gently to an overlook where a massive sandstone boulder sits covered in hundreds of petroglyphs carved by ancestral Puebloan people over roughly 2,000 years. The elevation change is negligible, about the effort of walking down a driveway. You won't break a sweat, but you will stand there longer than you planned, scanning the rock face and picking out new figures — spirals, handprints, animals, geometric shapes layered on top of each other like an ancient bulletin board. Bring binoculars or a zoom lens, because the viewing area keeps you at a distance from the rock itself. This one is perfect for history buffs, families with young kids, and anyone who wants a quick but genuinely memorable stop between longer drives through the park.