The Cave Valley Pictographs in the Kolob Terrace is an American Indian rock art sites in Zion National Park, left by the nomadic Southern Paiute who camped seasonally in the area. (They came after the Ancestral Puebloan people, who lived here until about 1300 AD).

There are a number of pictographs in the Birthing Cave, and beyond this the Altar Cave has a shelf in the middle of the cave covered in animal bones.
There are a number of interesting pictographs in the Birthing Cave, with the most obvious one being a set of seven white figures in white.
The largest figure is an anthropomorph, which is surrounded by smaller figures with the same design – and two even smaller seated human figures.


Another panel has multiple figures, which includes more anthropomorphs, and what look like sheep.
There are a few more picrographs scattered around the cave; some are very hard to make out without image processing.
Getting to the Cave Valley Pictographs
Located near Kolob Terrace Road, there used to be informal trails leading to the pictograph site. However, to protect the fragile rock art this site is now closed to the public. For the safety of visitors and protection of the site, the National Park Service and their tribal partners are assessing the area and developing a plan to stabilize it and protect it over the long-term.
Violation of visiting a closed archaeological site maybe result in a fine of up to $5,000.00, six months in jail, or both. Park rangers are actively monitoring the site for visitation and issuing citations when necessary.
More information
- Archeological Sites – Zion National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
- Archeology in Zion – Zion National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
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