Cedar City Mystery Glyphs

June 27, 2014 -- Cedar City, Utah.  The Mystery Glyphs have been a fascination for me for a couple of years now.  Apparently, in different locations acorss Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California and Idaho similiar glyphs appear.  

I first visited the Ogden Mystery Glyphs and wrote about that experience. So I was elated to have an afternoon in Cedar City following a work conference that allowed me to explore the Cedar City Mystery Glyphs. 

Following some cryptic directions I had collected I found my way to the dirt road that lead into the mountains directly east of Cedar City.  All I really had to go on was a vague discription of following a wash, look for a cave and then a photo graph of the view of Cedar City.

 After exploring rocks and hiking a about 1.5 miles into the red-rock mountain landscape I was pleasantly rewarded with what looked like a flute playing glyph.

 Around the corner I found what appeared to be a Celtic looking knot.

 Then it was further exploring looking for the mystery glyphs.

 Coming up the step side of a mountain and around a corner I found the entrance to small cave.

 Above the entrance the glyphs appeared.

 The glyphs themselves aren't necessarily authentic to the ancients but rather a pioneer or early white settler. What makes the mystery is that the glyphics seemingly match those in Ogden, Pocatello, etc. and are so remote and spread apart.

Of course, the views of the Cedar City landscape was beautiful and exploring the incredible area was a blast.

 With incredible natural beauty, other mysteries in the mountains and endless opportunities to discover new vistas I'm sure I'll be back to Cedar City and surrounding. As for the Mystery Glyphs - they certainly keep revealing something new.

Parowan Gap Petroglyphs

September 6th, 2013, Parowan, Utah -- I never get tired of this place.  Just west of Parowan is "God's Own House" according to Chief Wakara, the famous Paiute leader.  The Parowan Gap is the home to an incredible collection of petroglyphs with speculated solar and lunar connections and calendaring.

Looking west out of the gap.

Mystery Glyph?

Early settler.

Skull and crossbone, could this mark a settlers grave?

Inside one of the caves in the area.

Mystery Glyphs

May 4th, 2012 -- A riddle, shrouded in wonder with an air of curiosity... ah, the Mystery Glyphs. Sometimes the greatest adventures are literally just outside your door. With a shortened work day I took my two kids, and coaxed my dad to accompany us as we headed out for a short hike of adventure.

Nobody knows the true origin of the Ogden Mystery Glyphs but just off the Bonneville Shoreline trail, perched above the east bench of Ogden the litter of boulders below Hidden Valley, two lines of etched symbols capture the imagination.

Parking at the 22nd Street Bonneville Shoreline trailhead we headed south along the trail overlooking Ogden. (I'll omit the specific location of the glyphs knowing that anyone willing to visit the glyphs will enjoy the the hunt and appreciate that sites like these are meant to be a mysterious adventure).

Recognizing certain clues we found a faint path that lead us east off the trail up the steep hillside to outcroppings of rock and scrub oak. My little hiking buddies enjoyed playing mountain goats and eating their hiking snacks under the shade of large boulders.

And then through the scrub oak, at the end of a faint trail through the oak we discovered the panel.  Two lines of symbols, etched into the patina of a south facing boulder.

I'll be the first to admit in all my research I have been convinced that the glyphs are a hoax, and upon finding the glyphs my conjecture remains that their authenticity is dubious; but admittedly there is a curiosity about the symbols.

Some say the symbols were etched by Moroni (of course, why would Moroni etch an "M" that doesn't seem too ancient), others early Pioneers; what has me fascinated is that even if they are a hoax or a copycat of other known mystery glyphs the fact that there are 33 other glyphs across the Western United States has me interested in their origins.

We'll probably never really get conclusive evidence of their origins. It's easy to pass them off as fake, but the fact that you kind find unanswered questions and mysteries in your own backyard just seem to add to my unquenchable thirst for more twisted travel.