With two national parks and a state park that would be a national park anywhere else, the area around Utah's city of Moab is a tourist mecca. Here the mountain peaks top 12,000 feet and canyons run so deep and wide they just boggle the mind. Truly a place where there is something for everyone. Sightseers, hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders, four-wheelers, river rafters, arch hunters and history buffs will find an array of interesting sites.
   Often many attractions in the Moab area are found along the roadside or not far from it, requiring nothing more than following directions and paying attention to roadsigns. Just west of Moab, requiring a 15 minute drive, the curious will easily find the Potash Road Petroglyphs. An area frequented by rock climbers, these petroglyphs were thought to be created by Indians of the Southern San Rafael Fremont culture from 700 to 1300 years ago. These rock art clusters, or panels, were chipped or carved into rock varnish, a natural blackboard for petroglyphs. Seen along the roadside's sheer cliffs, most of the artwork features hunting motifs, mostly animals and men-like figures with horns, spears and shields.
   Not far from the petroglyph sites are more attractions close to the Poison Spider Mesa trailhead. This journey back in time requires some footwork and little bit of climbing. There are no fences or barriers here to keep explorers safe. And if you're afraid of heights, you may want to pass on this easy climb. What you'll miss is the Potash Road dinosaur tracks. Embeded in sandstone are two distinct footprints left behind from the Dinosaur Age, perhaps as old as 150 million years. If you visit during the weekend, you may have a trouble finding a parking space, but the upside will be many people there to point you in the right direction to the dino tracks and more petroglyph panels along the western bluff line.

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