Petroglyph Provincial Park

About

Petroglyph Provincial Park is a Canadian provincial park located at the south end of the city of Nanaimo, British Columbia. The park was established on August 24, 1948, to protect a collection of petroglyphs found near the estuary of the Nanaimo River.

The park hosts a remarkably high concentration of petroglyphs that date to at least the 10th century CE. These carvings depict mythological sea creatures, human figures, and animals that are symbolic of the spiritual and cultural history of the Coast Salish and Snuneymuxw First Nations.

The locations of these carvings were almost always made where forces of nature were believed to be especially strong. These areas are usually marked by a natural feature such as a waterfall or rock formation.