Rochester and Molen Rock Art
Rainbows, Monsters and Humanoids

By Dave Webb

See our Rochester and Molen photo albums for large, detailed photos.

The Rochester site is one of the most impressive in Utah. Rock panels there are covered with strange figures: humanoids, monsters, gods, animals - who knows what the artists intended for the figures to represent.

Virtually every inch of one huge rock face is covered with figures. Nearby rocks also have images. An arch or rainbow decorates the main panel. Or is it there to shelter and protect the humanoids, which are surrounded by dragons and wolves and snakes?

The panel is located on top of a ridge overlooking Muddy Creek, near the town of Emery, 50 miles south of Price. It is easy to find. From Emery drive north on Hwy 10 for about 3.5 miles, to the signed, paved road that heads east to Moore. Turn east onto that road and follow it for about .5 miles to a gravel road that leads to the trailhead. The gravel road is signed and easy to find. Follow the gravel road for about 4 miles to the trailhead parking area.

(If you are coming from the north you'll see a spur road signed for Moore, but it takes you east of the rock art. Do not take that spur but continue south for another 5.5 miles to the main Cutoff Road. Check a map for details.)

A well-defined trail leads down the canyon and then along a ridge to the panel. You've got to hike about 1 mile (round trip) to see the art.

Images there have been carved by a variety of cultures, over centuries, but the dominant figures are attributed to the Fremont people.

A few miles east along the Moore Cutoff road you can see more figures, on boulders along the north side of the road where it cuts through the Molen Reef. The Moore Cutoff becomes gravel at an intersection in the community of Moore. From that intersection follow the Cutoff road east for about 4 miles until it cuts through the Reef. On the east side of the Reef you will find a parking area on the north side of the road. From that parking area you can easily see the main rock art panel.

Inspect other boulders in that area and you'll find more rock art figures. Two rocks have very prominent snake figures.

Castle Country Travel says there are dinosaur tracks on top a boulder near the rock art, but I couldn't find them. If you are interested, inquire locally for directions. (The Castle Country website has good info about this area, but not enough detail about the dino tracks. I helped them make their website and we included the best info they had available.

You need to linger for a few minutes at rock art sites, soaking in the scenery. I find that I see more and more detail, the longer I sit quietly and stare at the images. Rock art isn't something you can grasp in a hurry.