Popular Idaho Petroglyphs Concealed

Visitors who travel on one of the numerous tour boats on the Snake River no longer will be able to see the famous petroglyphs on Valerie Earl’s property.

Earl said she covered the rocks with a blanket about a month ago because too many tour boats were coming up the river during the winter. She said the constant roar of tour boats was endangering wildlife.

“They used to come in the summertime and now they come all year long,” Earl said. “They just have to understand the impact on the wind and water and the very spirit of the place.”

Earl’s family has owned the property for three generations. The Native American figures chipped into rocks are thought to be more than 4,000 years old.

Tour boat operators whose advertisements had promised a stop at the site said they were disappointed the popular petroglyphs have been covered.

“Those are some of the best petroglyphs you can see from the river without getting off the boat,” said Bill Bonson, a jet boat captain for Snake Dancer Excursions. “They are probably the most photographed set of petroglyphs in the canyon. We haven’t decided how we’re going to deal with not being able to pull in and look at those,”

The site is one of the most popular stops along the river.

“It’s a highlight of a Hells Canyon tour to see the ancient petroglyphs,” said Michelle Peters, executive director of the Hells Canyon Visitor Assn. “The jet boat captains stop at the site, and let the passengers take pictures from the boat. They tell the different interpretations of the petroglyphs and it truly fascinates the tourists.”

About 37,000 visitors explore the river on commercial jet boats each year, Peters said. An additional 3,000 or so charter private trips.