newspaper rock

This was wonderful to be able to see the petroglifics and the stuff left behind by the natives. Wish we knew what it all said.

Pros: The park has three spotting telescopes to view "over 650 petroglyphs, some as old as 2000 years." There's plenty of parking. Restrooms are nearby, at Puerco Pueblo.Cons: The petroglyphs can only be seen from an overlook, through spotting telescopes; I assume the reasoning for this is to protect the petroglyphs for future generations. There are only 3 spotting telescopes provided by the park to see the petroglyphs; imagine a large group of people taking turns to view the petroglyphs; on a busy day, this would probably take a long time.Recommendations: Take binoculars with you. Luckily, I had mine and it made this stop a memorable one. I was able to locate additional petroglyphs with my binoculars that could not be seen with the spotting scopes. In addition, I highly recommend you take a telescopic lens for your camera. Opinions: I recommend you stop to view the petroglyphs; they are amazing. If you like authentic petroglyphs, then make the stop. If you are not into prehistoric graffiti, I still recommend you make the stop. It will take you no less than 15 - 30 minutes to view the petroglyphs / scenic view of the desert. This was one of my favorite stops.

Visitors used to be able to view these petroglyphs up close, but due to vandalism you must view them through spotting scopes. Thanks, jerks.

If you you like petroglyphs you must stop to look. You can see them readily enough, but there are telescopes so you can look up up close, or bring binoculars.Even if petroglyphs are not your thing, this is a good view point to look out over the desert.

This area of the Petrified Forest is breathtaking. You can see for miles as you try to wrap your head around the complex beauty of the power of the earth and it's test with time. The entire park is amazing to me but Newspaper Rock was very interesting. Enjoy.

The Newspaper Rock has this name referring to the amazing amount of rock engravings (petroglyphs) that were made in some huge pieces of rock, in the Petrified Forest area.This is one of the 600 archeological sites in the Forest and it´s worth a stop to visit. There are 3 telescopes that facilitates viewing the engravings which are difficult to see from the visitor´s area without the help of something to approximate the images. I missed not having binoculars with me, since the telescope are to be shared and you cannot take longer using them.the information in the board at the site was a bit port and could certainly be improved.The site has the largest concentration of petroglyphs of the National Park (more than 650) and gives an idea on how was daily life of these people who were living in that regain around 2000 years ago. It´s so interesting to think about how much history is concentrated in those designs.

It is always interesting to me to see old writing or drawing from people that were here before us. This is a short walk to the site. Binoculars will help you see the drawing a little better.

I didn't really know what to expect. like most of the visitors here.But the name was a good indication so I took some pictures with maximum zoom, without knowing what I was looking at.Back at home, looking at the pictures, I discovered how spectacular this site is.BRING BINOCULARS.

This is the one to take if you wish to see some well preserved glyphs. As advertised a couple of the large boulders are seriously decorated and it is fun to find them. I would recommend a good telephoto lens to get close ups.

Binoculars and a zoom camera are useful at the Newspaper Rock overlook. The large rocks below have interesting petroglyphs that the park wants to preserve for future generations. Looking down on the rocks, it’s difficult to discern much with the naked eye, but with the use of binoculars or zoom camera, the drawings are seen in their aesthetic beauty. This is a short stop but definitely worthwhile to understand the life of desert dwellers long ago.

There needs to be a better indication of what you are looking for here. We saw many people walk up, squint, and not seeing petroglyphs - leave. You need to look at the faces of any rocks that appear dark with desert tarnish. Those are the likely places to find the symbols. The other thing you will want are a good pair of binoculars. Newspaper rock is full of petroglyphs but the rocks all around have many on them. You just need patience and maybe someone to help you find them.

The rock is way far below you and you have to use telescopes to see the petroglyphs. They are pretty cool, and it's a necessary precaution to protect them from the public (I've seen what happens when people have easy access) but the distance kills the excitement.

Yes, the rocks are just covered with petroglyphs, but they are so far away that you need to use the provided telescopes. Check out the petroglyphs at the Puerco Pueblo turnout, which are much closer.

The good news about going in the rain and cold is that there are not many other people around. While at Newspaper Rock there were no other people around so my kids were able to use the telescopes to find the different glyphs. My camera's zoom also worked well and we were able make out more of the petroglyphs. The kids were very interested in this stop.

Bring your binoculars for long looks at these incredible visions into the past. The rocks with the glyphs are directly below the observation deck, and with binoculars it feels like you can reach out and touch them.