Utah Arrowheads and Projectile Points

Home / Regional Arrowhead Guides / Utah

This catalog-backed guide explores projectile point references that explicitly mention Utah. It is an identification starting point, not a record of private finds or archaeological site locations.

Arrowhead Types Referenced for Utah

  • Bare Creek Surprise Valley — Great Basin regional variants , Middle to Late Archaic
  • Bear River Point — Late Archaic , 3,000-1,000 years ago
  • Colorado River Utah Point — Late Prehistoric , 1,500-150 years ago
  • Desert Side-Notched — Late Holocene Great Basin , 1,500 BCE-1,500 CE
  • Desert Side-Notched Basin — Great Basin Desert Culture , Late Prehistoric
  • Duncan Hanna McKean — McKean Complex , 3,700-2,500 BP (Duncan predominant 2000-1500 BCE, Hanna 1500-1000 BCE)
  • Elko Corner-Notched — Elko Series , 4,500-1,300 BCE
  • Elko Eared — Elko Series , 4,500-1,300 BCE
  • Elko Eared Utah — Middle-Late Archaic , 3,500-1,500 BP
  • Fremont Point — Fremont , 1,300-650 years ago
  • Gatecliff Split Stem — Great Basin , 4,000-2,000 BCE
  • Gatecliff Split Stem Utah — Middle-Late Archaic , 5,000-3,300 years ago

Indigenous History and Cultural Periods

  • Paleo-Indian (12,000-8,000 BCE): Great Basin hunters, Bonneville and Danger Cave sites
  • Archaic (8,000-200 BCE): Desert culture, diverse hunting and gathering
  • Fremont (200-1,300 CE): Distinctive rock art, corn agriculture in valleys
  • Ancestral Puebloan (700-1,300 CE): Cedar Mesa and Grand Gulch cliff dwellings

How to Identify a Utah Arrowhead

Compare the base, stem, notches, flaking, material, and overall outline with the linked type guides. Similar point styles can span neighboring regions and long periods, so provenance and expert review still matter.

Review artifact collection laws before collecting or disturbing any site.

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