Petroglyphs Provincial Park in Ontario is home to ancient Indigenous rock carvings
Petroglyphs Provincial Park is a sacred destination in Ontario that's full of Indigenous history and importance and features the largest known concentration of rock carvings (or petroglyphs), in all of Canada.
Located roughly two and a half hours from downtown Toronto, you'll find the park in Woodview just northeast of Peterborough.
The park is also full of natural wonders to explore, including the striking emerald-green McGinnis Lake, one of only a handful of meromictic lakes in Canada which gets its colour from its distinct layers.
Here, as many as 1,200 images were carved into a slab of crystalline limestone, which became known as "The Teaching Rocks", and in 1954, the rock carvings were discovered by prospectors exploring the area.
The petroglyphs exist in one concentrated area of the park, and you can learn more about them within the Learning Place Visitor Centre.
Depicting symbolism of birds, snakes, turtles, humans, and more, it's believed they were carved out by Algonkian-speaking people between 900 and 1100 AD.
Today, the rock site is a place of pilgrimage for Ojibwe people, who believe the deep crevices within the rock are an entrance into the spirit world and that spirits can speak to them through the sounds of underground trickles of water.
Due to their sacred nature, the rock site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada, and photography and videography is not allowed here.
Within the Learning Place, you can also educate yourself on more local history with the help of interactive displays, all designed by local and national Indigenous artists.
The park is open daily from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. from Wednesdays through Sundays. There is no fee to enter the Learning Place, but there is a small daily entrance fee for Petroglyphs Provincial Park.
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