Newspaper Rock, Utah: An RV Traveler's Guide to a Sacred Petroglyph Panel
PickRV Editorial
The small team behind PickRV
Newspaper Rock is a single sandstone face along Indian Creek in southeastern Utah, crowded with petroglyphs that the Bureau of Land Management says span imagery 'from cultures dating from 1500 years ago to this century.' The older carvings are attributed to Basketmaker and Ancestral Puebloan peoples and the lighter, more recent ones to the Ute. It is a free, year-round BLM day-use site with paved parking that includes pull-through spaces for larger vehicles and RVs — one of the most accessible rock-art panels in the region, and an irreplaceable piece of living cultural heritage.
Can you visit Newspaper Rock in an RV?
Yes. According to the BLM, Newspaper Rock is a free day-use site with paved parking that includes pull-through spaces for larger vehicles and RVs, plus toilet facilities and an interpretive kiosk. There is no water, and you base in a nearby RV park or campground rather than at the panel itself. Always check the official BLM page before you go.
- ·Free BLM day-use site, open year-round
- ·Paved parking with pull-through RV spaces and toilets (no water)
- ·Cultural heritage site — view and photograph only, never touch the rock art
State
Utah
Manager
BLM — Canyon Country District
Imagery span
~1,500 years to the present (per BLM)
Cultures
Basketmaker, Ancestral Puebloan, Ute
Fee
No fee
Access
Short gravel path; paved RV parking
The panel sits just off the parking area along a short compacted-gravel path, with an information kiosk and site map at the paved area. Because it is right beside the road into the Indian Creek country, it makes an easy, dignified stop rather than a backcountry scramble.
These carvings are sacred and irreplaceable. The oils on human skin, chalking, and even light contact accelerate decay that cannot be undone, so the agencies are unambiguous: do not touch, trace, or add to the rock art, and stay on the established path. Photograph it, learn from the interpretive signs, and leave it exactly as you found it for the descendant communities who still hold these places sacred.
The site has toilets and ample paved parking but no water, picnic tables, grills, or fire pits, so plan to be self-contained in your rig and confirm current conditions on the official BLM page before visiting.
Official sources
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