Two panels of prehistoric petroglyphs near Moab, Utah, were defaced by someone who carved their name into the rock. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the federal agency that manages those public lands, announced the damage on Friday, November 6, 2026, and opened an investigation, asking the public for help identifying those responsible.
If you’re planning a trip to the Moab area, home to Arches and Canyonlands national parks and countless other natural and historic wonders, it’s worth remembering that what may look like just another roadside attraction is often a historic artifact or a sacred site for Native American tribes. Much of it is also protected by federal law, which means damaging it can have serious legal consequences.
What happened
The damage, discovered in recent days, affects two separate sites, both on federal land managed by the BLM:
- Along Highway 279, the scenic byway also known as Potash Road, west of Moab. Officials have not said which of the panels along the road was hit.
- In the Hell’s Revenge area, northeast of town, home to the famous slickrock off-road trail in the Sand Flats Recreation Area.
In both cases, one or more people carved names into or next to panels dating roughly from A.D. 400 to 1300, causing irreparable damage to ancient artifacts. The Moab area is home to even older rock art, dating back as far as 3500 B.C., which makes it especially vulnerable to this kind of vandalism.
After the incident, the BLM reminded the public that these cultural resources can never be restored to their original condition once damaged. As the 2021 vandalism of Birthing Rock showed, scratches in the rock can’t be removed: experts can only make them less visible. That’s why prevention matters so much.
This is not an isolated case
In recent years, rock art vandalism has become a recurring problem in southeastern Utah, and the BLM’s Moab office reports a growing number of cases. With about 1.8 million acres to oversee, the agency can’t be everywhere at once. Here are the main incidents of recent years.
| When | Where | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | Highway 279 and Hell’s Revenge, Moab | Names carved on two prehistoric panels. The BLM investigation is ongoing. |
| March 2026 | Tusher Tunnel, about 20 miles northwest of Moab | A Baja off-road racing team is suspected of placing its advertising and contact information directly on a rock art panel. The Grand County Sheriff’s Office is investigating with the BLM. |
| November 2024 | Confluence of Buckskin Gulch and Wire Pass, Kane County (near the Utah-Arizona border) | A southern Utah woman was caught on camera carving figures into a petroglyph panel. In November 2025 she was sentenced to one year of probation, nearly $15,000 in fines and restitution, a letter of apology to local tribes, and a ban from BLM land during her probation. |
| August 2021 | Mill Creek Canyon, Moab | Four names and a date carved into a petroglyph. |
| April 2021 | Birthing Rock, Kane Creek Road | Racist graffiti and obscenities on three of the boulder’s four panels. The BLM offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. |
What penalties do vandals face?
In the United States, defacing a petroglyph on public land is a federal crime, not a harmless prank. Two main laws apply.
The Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA). This federal law prohibits excavating, removing, damaging, or altering archaeological resources on public or tribal lands. Penalties include:
- fines of up to $10,000 and up to one year in prison;
- if the value of the resource plus the cost of restoration exceeds $500, the offense becomes a felony punishable by up to two years in prison, and under federal sentencing rules fines can reach $250,000;
- for repeat offenses, up to five years in prison.
The BLM also notes that offenders may be banned from public lands. In 2025, for example, two Colorado residents were fined, placed on probation, and temporarily banned from Utah’s public lands over an incident at an archaeological site in Canyonlands National Park.
Utah’s new law (HB 536). In effect since May 6, 2026, it expands the state’s public-lands graffiti offense to cover damage to natural formations and archaeological features such as petroglyphs and pictographs. It requires community service benefiting public lands and allows fines of up to the full cost of restoration. Restitution payments go into a new state fund for site repairs and public education.
How to visit rock art responsibly
Discover Moab, the local tourism office, asks visitors to follow these rules at rock art sites:
- Never leave your name or any mark: today, we preserve memories with photos, not carvings.
- Don’t touch the panels, not even to trace their outlines: skin oils darken and wear away the rock’s surface.
- Don’t collect or move artifacts: look at them and photograph them, but leave them exactly where you found them.
- Remember that for many Native Americans these places are still sacred and part of living traditions.
- Stay on marked trails and don’t climb on rock art panels, and keep an eye on children, too.
How to report vandalism
If you spot fresh carvings, see someone damaging a panel, or find signs of a campfire near a site, don’t confront anyone. Take photos, note the location, and report it:
- BLM Moab Law Enforcement: (435) 259-2131, for tips on the November 2026 cases and any new damage.
- ARPA hotline: 1-800-227-7286, for reporting damage to rock art or archaeological sites.
Sources:
KSL – Feds investigate after damage found to 2 prehistoric petroglyphs near Moab
FOX 13 – Prehistoric petroglyphs vandalized, damaged near Moab
Moab Times-Independent – Petroglyph vandalism near Moab under investigation
FOX 13 – Southern Utah woman receives fine, probation for defacing ancient petroglyphs
RV Travel – Utah woman sentenced for defacing sacred petroglyphs
KUTV/KJZZ – Utah officials seek public’s help finding vandal who defaced petroglyph
Moab Sun News – Mill Creek Canyon petroglyph vandalism, 2021
KSL – Utah bill seeks to increase penalties for vandalizing public lands
Utah Legislature – H.B. 536, Criminal Conduct on Public Lands Amendments
16 U.S.C. § 470ee – Archaeological Resources Protection Act
National Park Service – ARPA Basics
Discover Moab – Petroglyphs and Pictographs
BLM – Hell’s Revenge Trailhead
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