Petroglyphs Provincial Park

Around nine hundred figures were carved into a slope of white crystalline limestone here, probably between 900 and 1400, using antler or stone: turtles, snakes, cranes, human figures, boats and shaman forms. The Anishinaabe name is Kinomagewapkong, the rocks that teach, and it remains a sacred site; a small opening in the rock into a cavity beneath, where water can be heard moving, is understood as a passage for spirits. A building was constructed over the carvings in 1984 to stop acid rain and lichen destroying them, which preserves them but changes the experience. Photography of the carvings is prohibited at the request of the community.

What you actually see

• The nine hundred figures - turtles, cranes, boats and human forms in marble.
• The protective building - a glass structure erected over the site in 1984.
• The spirit opening - a crevice with water audible below the carved rock.
• The Learning Place - an interpretive centre run with the Curve Lake First Nation.

When to go

May to October; the site closes for winter. It is a sacred site in active use and may close for ceremony. Weekdays are quieter and more contemplative.

Honest expectations

Photography of the carvings is prohibited and enforced. The protective building means the site is seen indoors rather than in the open. Closures for ceremony happen without much notice.

Nearby

Peterborough lies southwest; the Lift Lock is in the city.