Fremont Indian State Park and Museum — Attraction in Four Corners States

I hiked the Paiute trail 0-1 which is just east of the park about 1/4 mile or so past the Sam Stowe campground on Clear Creek Canyon Rd. It's a multi-purpose trail that's got signage for OHV vehicles (50 inch max ATV width with a fenced-opening to prevent wider vehicles from entering - see photo below) but was told that you can horseback ride and hike on there as well. Due to the trail being so wide and worn in by all the ATV traffic, it would be virtually impossible to get lost as there was no confusion as to the correct path whereas in many other trails I've encountered, continuity of direction becomes obscured by vegetation overgrowth.

Because it's an ATV trail primarily, it's wide enough for 2 people to hike side by side rather than one behind the other. But a word of caution the trail is littered with rocks big enough to trip you up and the surface is soft and coming down, traction was loose and treacherous at points and if you're not watching where you're going in both directions, you can easily trip or roll an ankle. I actually fell once and had several other near stumbles.

THIS WAS THEE HARDEST HIKE I'VE EVER DONE and it wasn't even close! Fortunately the temperature was unseasonably cool for late May in the 40's otherwise if it would have been your typical late spring temps in the mid 70's, it would have been even tougher.

WARNING: IF YOU ARE NOT TRAIL FIT NOR ALTITUDE ACCLIMATED, SLOW DOWN AND PACE YOURSELF AND DON'T HIKE AS LONG AS YOU NORMALLY WOULD OR YOU WILL EXPERIENCE EXTREME FATIGUE!!!

HOWEVER, IF YOU ARE THE HUMAN EQUIVALENT OF A MOUNTAIN GOAT, CHALLENGE YOURSELF AND GO FOR IT!!!

Remember you're starting altitude is around 5700 feet and by the time I turned around I was over 7,500 feet and that will affect your breathing so keep that in mind not to mention the mountain is fairly steep the entire way up.....it is very taxing. Typically trails that go up a mountain are a series of switchbacks to greatly reduce the slope but this route is straight up the mountain.

Make sure to dress in layers due to the temperature increases about 3.5 to 5.5 degrees Fahrenheit for every 1000 feet of elevation gain. It was definitely cooler and windier near the end of my ascent.

It's an out and back trail and I covered 6.7 miles and I never got to the peak of the mountain as it was straight uphill for over 3 -1/3 miles and it was still going up when I decided to stop and turn around because both my legs and my lungs had been greatly challenged. Coming down the mountain was not a strain on the cardiovascular system but the strain on the legs and feet continued to accumulate.

There are great vistas to view the surrounding topography but those views are few so take advantage of those when you can and take your photos or just admire the view because a lot of the trees obscure your vision of the beauty that surrounds you.

There's no shade on the trail as the trees are not tall enough or close enough to block the sun. So either slather on sunscreen or wear pants instead of shorts, long sleeve shirts instead of short sleeves and a wide-brimmed hat otherwise you may get sunburned.

Also if you need to take a break there is the rare boulder big enough or deadfall log to sit on so take advantage of those when you see them otherwise you'll be taking your pit stop sitting on the ground and that may not be as comfortable or restful!

There was no one else on the trail the entire nearly 4 hours that I was on it so it was serenely quiet and there was no trash anywhere nor was there any horse...

One of the best state parks in Utah, (Snow Canyon is still my favorite, but I still love this one) especially for viewing petroglyphs and pictographs. The museum is well done and has a nice collection of artifacts from the native people who once called this canyon home. We even found a broken arrow head (I was absolutely thrilled!) On a trail. We took photos, and reported it to the visitor center. Upon seeing the photos they verified it was a real artifact and hurried off to collect it. These are public lands, the broken arrowhead belongs to the people, not the finder. DO NOT TAKE any items from the state park aside from photos. There are plenty of easy hikes that allow you to see 100's-1000+ petroglyphs ranging from 1500 years ago to as recently as about 150 years ago. Bring binoculars in order to best see the panel called Newspaper Rock. (Not that Newspaper Rock found in Moab...yes, there are two in Utah.) There is a wheel chair accessible path for some of the petroglyphs for those with mobility issues. We took a 3 mile meander on several of the trails and we're thrilled with the images that people long ago took such painstaking care to make. (DO NOT add any markings to the rock!!!! Your name or drawings don't belong on the walls, you have social media for that.) Most are without vandalism, though there are some locations where those who were supposed to be guests chose to mark up pannels. It isn't funny, it isn't cool. Don't do it! There are two campgrounds in the area. A beautiful picnic spot as well. If this kind of history is your cup of tea, plan on a full day or overnight stay. If you're in a hurry but can spare a couple hours, it's still worth the slight detour off I-15 to reach the park and get a...

I have driven by this place many times when making the long trek between CA and CO. On a recent trip I decided to stop by for a break from the drive. Glad that I did. There is an easy, 0.3 mile "Parade of Rock Art" paved loop trail through Little Dog Canyon adjacent to the visitor center where you can view pictographs, petroglyphs and rock art left behind on the short canyon walls by the Fremont people. If you only have a little time to visit, this is the "must see" in my opinion. The hike is easy and there are opportunities to hike further or head back to the car. I continued on another 0.3 miles through the "Court of Ceremonies" hike which is much steeper as it leads you to the top of the canyon. There was not much to see in terms of the art work but the views were nice. A short drive from the visitor center is the trailhead to the "Cave of a Hundred Hands". It's a roughly 0.6 mile roundtrip hike along an easy, flat, dirt trail that crosses under the freeway. The cave is blocked with iron bars to keep vandals away but the thirty-one handprints are easy to see. Not sure why it's called the Cave of a Hundred Hands when there are only thirty-one prints? Didn't matter. The handprints were pretty small but it was an interesting sight to see a much more personal representation of the people who called this area home over one thousand years ago. There is plenty to see at this park and you could easily spend a half to full day exploring all the sights to see. Definitely...