« Posts by Randy Langstraat

Big Man Alcove

Big Man Alcove

The Big Man Panel in Grand Gulch is a large pictograph and petroglyph panel located in a very large alcove about 200 feet above the canyon floor. It’s not visible from the bottom, so you need to climb up to it if you want to see it. The focal point of this panel are the two life-sized anthropomorphic figures painted in red that seem to represent a man and woman This photo shows a wide view of the alcove and the pictographs painted within. In the future I will post up some closer photos of these figures for a better look at them. This is an amazing panel to view, and it’s easily seen on a day hike into Grand Gulch.

>> Big Man Panel & Lower Comb Wash

Black Dragon Creature

Black Dragon Creature

Before heading home last night, I made one last stop at the Black Dragon pictographs since it has been a while since I was last there. Thanks to recent flash-flooding, the road through the canyon was rougher than I remember it. I wasn’t sure if the pictographs would be in the sun or the shade, but when I arrived I found that the panel was bathed in some nice late evening sunlight. I also found out just how well the alcove traps heat. The temperature outside was in the upper 90’s, and this alcove must have been at least 10-20 degrees hotter! I could really feel the heat coming off of the sandstone as I climbed up to this panel….I ended up not sticking around too long because of it. I’m guessing this would be a great place to warm up in the colder winter months.

These two figures are found to the right of the well known ‘black dragon’ pictograph. There is the interesting anthropomorphic figure on the left and the large creature on the right which looks like it may possibly represent a dog, which is common in the Barrier Canyon Style, but I’m not 100% sure on that so I’ll stick to just calling it a creature. What I like about this scene is the lines in the sandstone that seem to radiate towards these two figures. However, I don’t like that most of the pictographs in this area are outlined in chalk.

>> A Hot Day in the Swell Searching for Rock Art

Broken-Hearted Man

Broken-Hearted Man

Yesterday I headed back to the San Rafael Swell in search of some more rock art. The upper ninety degree temperatures didn’t keep me away, but the high temperatures certainly made me keep my hikes short. Luckily the humid weather seems to have finally left the area and it was nice and dry out. Though, the gnats and mosquitoes seemed to be out in full force during this short hike in the morning. My first stop of the day brought me to the Broken-Hearted Man petroglyph. This square anthropomorph has the weeping eye motif normally associated with petroglyphs up around the Uinta Basin which is not very common in the Swell.

The name of this particular petroglyph seems to stem from a story of a nearby burial that was found containing a woman and child (possibly both lost during childbirth). It is thought that this petroglyph may have been carved by the father of the child. It’s an interesting story, but I wonder if the Fremont held the same concept of a ‘broken heart’ that we do? Either way, it’s definitely a cool petroglyph.

>> A Hot Day in the Swell Searching for Rock Art

The Couple

The Couple

There are many spectacular petroglyphs located at the McConkie Ranch in Dry Fork, but this one really seemed to stand out to me as we hiked past it on our way to visit the Three Kings. On our way back, the sky had cleared up just enough to show some blue and I took a few photos of it that I think turned out well. This is probably my favorite of the bunch.

>> Dry Fork – McConkie Ranch

Look Up in Shay Canyon

Look Up in Shay Canyon

I’ve realized that I’ve been posting a lot of Barrier Canyon Style photos lately (well, they are my favorite ones), so here’s a look up at one of the many petroglyph panels in Shay Canyon. These are believed to be Anasazi, but there are certainly figures in the area the look Fremont, too. Shay Canyon contains quite a few excellent petroglyph panels that are easy to access and great to explore, which are also very well preserved. When I visited Shay Canyon earlier this year, the sky was overcast almost the whole time, but shortly before I left the area there were a couple of small breaks in the clouds. This was one of the few photos I got that included some blue sky that day.

>> Shay Canyon Petroglyphs