Sand Island Recreation Area

 Much of the four corners area was populated by the Anasazi and we are fortunate enough to have some of that history preserved for us to see. The Sand Island Recreation Area is located just a few miles from Bluff, Utah. There is camping and fishing right on the banks of the San Juan river, but our favorite part of the area is the wall of petroglyphs. It is a couple hundred feet long and is covered with thousands of petroglyphs. The area is fenced off to keep people from touching it, which has helped keep them in excellent condition. There is a rugged path that follows the wall, but you do need to be able to climb over some boulders to go the entire way. Further down the river we came across a very well preserved village. It sits up under a giant alcove about 100 feet above the floor. The only way to reach it is to scale up a very steep embankment that is about a 65 degree incline. It is not roped off or maintained by a park service. Because of this, you won't find this ruin on any map and it isn't very well known. As we were looking at it and walking just below it, we noticed that previous visitors had carved initials in the wall and painted along side the ancient pictographs. Since it is not protected or monitored, we will not be posting it's location here, but you can PM us if you plan on making a trip and would like to see it. 
Activity rating 0-10
 Kid fun: 8 
Difficulty: 2 (petroglyphs) 8 (ruins) 
Cost: Free to visit, $15 to camp