America's Scenic Byways

Nine Mile Canyon Backway

78 miles - Allow 2 hours travel time, with a few more to hunt for rock art and Fremont sites.

Nine Mile Canyon is known as a major representative area of the prehistoric Fremont Culture. The canyon houses a myriad of rock panels along the main road and in side canyons. Petroglyphs (carvings on rock faces) and pictographs (paintings on rock faces) depict animals, hunting scenes and godlike figures. Cliff granaries on high canyon ledges may be spotted by careful observers. In the 1800s, the canyon was used by both fur trappers and the army. Iron telegraph poles, stage stations and settler cabins are common sights. Vegetation and terrain along this Backway vary from high desert species to aspen groves. The buff colored cliffs of the canyon are highlighted by balanced rocks and window arches. Deer and elk are seen frequently.