Entry No. 55 — the Grand Junction file — filed under: rock-art

Cañon Pintado National Historic District

Spanish missionaries named this canyon 'Painted Canyon' in 1776 after stumbling onto sandstone walls covered in Fremont and Ute figures — images that had already been accumulating for roughly a thousand years before the expedition passed through. Today, fifteen miles of Hwy 139 south of Rangely run alongside those same panels: 200-plus sites, free to visit, marked only by small BLM pullout signs that most drivers blow past without slowing. You can cover the whole corridor in a few hours without seeing another car, which feels genuinely strange for rock art this dense and this old.

The move: Drive Hwy 139 south from Rangely and work the pullouts one by one, getting out at each BLM marker to read the panels up close before moving to the next.

📍 Before you go All pullouts are roadside on Hwy 139 — no trailhead fees, no gates. Terrain at most sites is flat dirt or gravel from the shoulder. A high-clearance vehicle is not required. The road is paved the full length of the corridor.

• 📍 Rangely
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: Highway 139, Rangely, CO 81648

Hours: Added 2026-06-21 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

last checked: 2026-06-21