Petroglyphs Provincial Park

Petroglyphs Provincial Park is a provincial park in Ontario that protects a major concentration of Indigenous rock carvings on a lakeshore outcrop. It is recognized as the largest known concentration of such carvings in the province.

The park’s main highlight is the extensive panel of petroglyphs set on a shoreline bedrock outcrop - more than a thousand images including human figures, animals and abstract motifs. A raised boardwalk and an on-site visitor area permit close viewing without direct contact with the carvings.

Archaeologists and Indigenous communities attribute the carvings to ancestral Indigenous makers and note that the images were produced over a long span of time. The site has been protected by the provincial government since designation as a provincial park.

The park sits on the north shore of Stony Lake in central Ontario, northwest of Peterborough and accessible by road from nearby towns. The petroglyph outcrop is reached from the park’s visitor area by a short boardwalk.

• Boardwalk access: Access to the carved rock is restricted and visitors view the images from a raised boardwalk to protect the petroglyphs and their setting.
• Scale: The site contains more than a thousand carved images and represents the largest concentration of Indigenous rock carving known in Ontario.

What to See #

• Petroglyph site: A concentrated rock art panel carved into pale Precambrian gneiss that contains the province's largest known collection of Indigenous petroglyphs. Carvings include human figures, animals and abstract motifs and number in the low thousands.
• Visitor centre and boardwalk: A small visitor centre and raised boardwalk that allow viewing of the carvings without walking on the rock surface; interpretive panels explain the cultural significance and conservation measures.