Denis Julien Inscription
Denis Julien Inscription is a historic site in Utah, at a modelled elevation of 1,232 m. Junction Butte stands 1,947 m to the south-southeast, 20 miles off. The nearest named place is Sweet Spot, a cliff 2.5 miles away. Dead Horse Point Mesa Scenic Byway passes 9.4 miles off.
The story
The Denis Julien Inscription is an incised carving on a rock face in a side canyon of the Green River north of Canyonlands National Park in southwestern Grand County, Utah, United States. The site is about 750 feet (230 m) to the east of the Green River in Hell Roaring Canyon, at the top of a talus slope. The inscription was left by trapper Denis Julien in 1836, when he was one of the few Europeans in southern Utah. The panel reads:
D. Julien 1836
3 mai A boat with a mast is depicted to the right of the lettering, with a bird-like object below. Later travelers have left their own markings nearby. The Julien is one of at least eight that he left in Utah between 1831 and 1844. The inscription is significant in depicting an apparent sailboat, supporting the theory that he sailed upstream against the current as the date progression of his inscriptions would imply. Nearby inscriptions left by Bureau of Reclamation employees in 1914 on a damsite survey expedition are also considered significant.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Dates from 1836-05-03.
Wikidata Q5257304, matched on coordinates and name (0 m apart).
What the record says
- Material
- stone
- Inscription
- D. Julien 1836 3 mai
How to reach it
- 9.4 mi off the Dead Horse Point Mesa Scenic Byway
- 17.8 mi off the Dinosaur Diamond Scenic Byway, National
- 17.5 mi off the Potash-Lower Colorado River Scenic Byway
- 22.2 mi off the Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway
Overlooks nearby
- Plateau Overlook · 11 mi
- Shafer Canyon Overlook · 12 mi
- Sevenmile Canyon Overlook · 13 mi
- Big Horn Overlook · 14 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Mineral Bottom: 2.8 mi
- Fruit Bowl Highline Area: 2.9 mi
- Colonnade Arch: 5.3 mi
- Cliffhanger Bridge: 5.4 mi
- Crocodile Rock: 5.4 mi
- Spring Point: 5.5 mi
- White Point: 6.1 mi
- Tank Point: 6.3 mi
- Thracian Mare: 7.2 mi
- Moses: 7.2 mi
- Horsethief Spring: 4.2 mi
- Deadman Spring: 5.9 mi
- Keg Spring: 7.2 mi
- Keg Spring: 7.7 mi
- Old Man Spring: 8.0 mi
- Sweet Spot: 2.5 mi
- White Rim: 14.3 mi
- Black Crack: 14.4 mi
- Black Crack: 14.4 mi
- Black Crack: 14.4 mi
- White Wash Sand Dunes OHV Area: 16.5 mi
- Lions Park: 22.2 mi
- Moab BMX Park: 22.8 mi
- Bullick Cross Creek Park: 23.2 mi
- Swanny City Park: 23.3 mi
- Arch: 5.3 mi
- Hey Joe Arch: 6.6 mi
- Tenmile Point Arch: 9.9 mi
- Trigon Arch: 16.6 mi
- Window Arch: 23.4 mi
- Animal sculptures: 20.0 mi
- Moab Mural: 23.4 mi
- Get Your Mind Rolling: 23.4 mi
- Utah Burr: 23.5 mi
- Moab Music Festival: 23.5 mi
- Fort Bottom Ruin: 8.2 mi
- False Kiva: 10.6 mi
- Halfway Stage House - Old Stage Coach Station: 17.1 mi
- Farmstead History: 22.9 mi
- Moab Giants: 17.6 mi
- Interactive Track Museum: 17.7 mi
- Moab Museum: 23.5 mi
- White Rim Overlook Picnic Area: 18.1 mi
- Picnic Shelter: 24.4 mi
- Scott Matheson Wetlands Preserve: 22.2 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 20.2 miles of Denis Julien Inscription. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junction Butte | SSE 163° | 1,947 m | 20.1 mi |
| Cleopatras Chair | SSW 196° | 1,938 m | 18.7 mi |
| The Knoll | E 93° | 1,920 m | 10.6 mi |
| Aztec Butte | SSE 153° | 1,918 m | 12.9 mi |
| Clyde Point | SSW 211° | 1,887 m | 13.9 mi |
| Whitbeck Rock | ESE 115° | 1,880 m | 9.3 mi |
| Muffin Butte | SSE 155° | 1,828 m | 14.2 mi |
| Upheaval Point | SSE 163° | 1,805 m | 10.0 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:24 | 18:57 | 19:32 |
| June solstice | 05:57 | 20:09 | 20:48 |
| September equinox | 07:08 | 18:44 | 19:19 |
| December solstice | 07:35 | 16:21 | 17:03 |
Local time (America/Denver).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 30 | 35 | 45 | 51 | 61 | 73 | 79 | 77 | 68 | 54 | 41 | 30 |
| Precip in | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.7 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Canyonlands-the Neck, 11 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapOpenStreetMap element node/9392658691
Day trips start here
- Arches National Park · 24 mi
- Canyonlands National Park · 30 mi
Take the scenic way to Denis Julien Inscription.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.