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Inside Out

posted in Rock Art

Inside Out

There is a reason I am posting this photo of a large petroglyph near Moab right after posting the Quail Panel earlier. It’s because this petroglyph strongly resembles the ‘shield’ figures found in the Quail Panel over 80 miles away…only much larger! Go ahead and compare! Of course, this one is much larger and pecked instead of painted, but the resemblance is uncanny. This large shield-like figure also has a smaller anthropomorph and part of a bighorn sheep inside of it. While there are quite a few other petroglyph panels found near this one, this one stands out the most for it’s uniqueness.

>> Hidden Valley & Behind the Rocks

Quail Panel

posted in Rock Art

Quail Panel

Here’s a wide view that shows most of the pictographs that are part of the ‘Quail Panel’ I guess this panel was called that because the figures kind of look like quail? Whatever the reason for the name, I can tell you that this is a very cool panel of small pictographs. The figures here are approximately six inches in height. I don’t think I’ve seen a lineup of this many Fremont shield figures anywhere else before, and especially not painted in red and yellow. It’s interesting to note that each figure painted here appears to be different from all the others and that no two are exactly the same.

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

Cowboy’s Secret

posted in Rock Art

Cowboy's Secret

Here’s another of the rock art panels I visited this last Saturday in the San Rafael Swell, known as the Cowboy’s Secret. This is an amazing petroglyph panel hidden among many large boulders with a great view of the surrounding area. The main figure kind of reminds me of The Guardian figure painted in Canyon Pintado of Colorado which makes me believe that this could be of Fremont origin. The large snakes carved in the stone above frame this figure nicely.

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

McKee Springs Petroglyphs

posted in Rock Art

McKee Springs Petroglyphs

Of all of the many awe-inspiring petroglyph panels located near McKee Springs in Dinosaur National Monument, I would have to say that this one is probably my favorite. Heck, it’s one of my favorite petroglyph panels in all of Utah! I’ve put it on my calendar to get back to Dinosaur this fall to get some new photos of this site, plus to visit a few new sites as well. I’m looking forward to it!

>> Rainbow Park & Island Park

Broken-Hearted Man

posted in Rock Art

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

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