Ancient Petroglyphs Near Moab Vandalized, Grand County Sheriff Seeks Public Help

A rock wall in the Tusher Tunnel area containing ancient petroglyphs was defaced with names and advertising etched directly into the stone, including the markings "646," "Baja Toys," and "ATV." The damage was found approximately 20 miles northwest of Moab and directly west of Utahraptor State Park. For anyone who runs OHV routes out of Moab, Tusher Tunnel is familiar ground, which makes the discovery hit that much harder.

The site sits along a popular off-highway vehicle road, and the Grand County Sheriff's Office says it appears a Baja race team "may have defaced the site by advertising contact information directly on the rock wall." The sheriff's office confirmed on Sunday, March 22 they are still investigating the damage. No arrests have been made and no suspects have been publicly identified.

The sheriff's office did not mince words in its social media statement: "This type of damage to cultural and historical resources is taken seriously and is under investigation."

Investigators say a Baja off-road racing team might be behind the incident, based on the nature of the etched content. The markings read as team branding and contact advertising carved directly into protected cultural rock art, the kind of irreversible act that draws serious legal consequences. First-time offenders can face fines of up to $10,000 and one year in prison, and if the vandalized site is valued at more than $500, penalties can double to $20,000 and two years in prison.

The Tusher Tunnel petroglyphs are part of a broader landscape of Indigenous rock art scattered across the Moab region. Petroglyphs are not just historic artifacts but sacred and irreplaceable records of Indigenous history and presence on the land. Some of the area's rock art dates back thousands of years, with KSL citing Alltrips.com in noting that certain regional petroglyphs may date as far back as 3500 B.C.

This is not the first time Moab-area rock art has been targeted. In 2021, vandals badly defaced the famous Moab Birthing Rock, which displayed 2,000-year-old rock art, prompting the Bureau of Land Management to issue a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Anyone with information about the individual or individuals who may be responsible is asked to contact the Grand County Sheriff's Office at 435-259-8115. If you were running the Tusher Tunnel route around March 22 and noticed anything, that call could be the one that protects what's left.