Willard Pictographs - Wasatch Mountains

Willard Pictographs

Wasatch Mountains
Hiking & Rock Art

The pictographs are amazing, for over 1,000 years these pictographs have remained concealed in caves that now overlook Willard Bay. The Willard rock art paintings are all from one era, the Fremont, who inhabited the top half of Utah from roughly A.D. 1000 to 1300. Each site has a dozen separate figures, half of which could be missed by an untrained eye. A trip to visit these pictographs is worth the effort. Please take only pictures and leave only footprints.

Circle of Friends:
Willard Pictographs are part of the "Circle of Friends" program. Members of the "Circle of Friends" have access to more specific information, explicit route information, GPS waypoints, trailhead location and detailed maps. If you would like more information on joining the "Circle of Friends" visit the sign up page.

"Circle of Friends"

Anthropomorphic (human) figure Willard Pictographs

General Information:
Willard Pictographs are located in five caves above Willard Bay. Each cave contains about a dozen paintings, most of which have been ravished by time. These Fremont pictographs have suffered over the last 30 years, the wet years in the middle of the 1980's took a severe toll on many of these pictographs. The pictographs are accessible year round in good weather. Spring, winter and fall are the ideal times for this hike.

A GPS is extremely useful in locating the pictographs, a good route description is essential. Navigation for this route is moderate. Willard Pictographs are rated 1A II using the Canyon Rating System.

Trailhead Information:
The trailhead is accessible to all vehicles in all weather conditions.

History:
Fremont Indians farmed much of the land around the Great Salt Lake, especially where streams entered. The population peaked in the 1100s, and farming ceased during a serious drought in the 1300s. Archaeologists debate whether Shoshones and other American Indians descended from the Fremont or if the people moved or died at the end of the civilization. Shoshone tradition links them with the Fremont. The early Mormons gravitated to the same fertile areas inhabited by the Fremont. The remains of Fremont villages lie under Ogden, Willard, Farmington and nearly every other early Mormon settlement. A large Fremont village that survived the early settlement period was bulldozed during the creation of Willard Bay, and smaller sites were lost to Interstate 15, but the rugged hunting camps above have remained immune to development.

Video:
Enjoy a short video of a visit to the Willard Pictographs. If this video fails to play on your mobile device or computer you can always watch the Original YouTube Version here.

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