A little-known ruin hidden away on Cedar Mesa under a beautiful sky, taken shortly before sunset. I managed to find this special ruin a few months back, after searching for it for quite a while, but the conditions were not that great for a good photo. I knew I would have to return again! This time all the elements came together nicely for this photo.
On my way to Canyonlands and Horse Canyon last weekend, I stopped to find a ruin that I have driven by many times before yet had never been able to find. This time I managed to spot it high above the canyon floor so that I could get a photo. I didn’t have time to hike up to it, but I did take this photo with my long lens from far below.
A small and little-known granary hidden on Cedar Mesa. The afternoon light reflects off the sandstone below and bathes this well-preserved ruin in golden light.
Last weekend I probably took my last trip to the desert for a little while until things cool down a bit again. While I was out exploring some remote canyons of Cedar Mesa I visited these interesting ruins with a few pictographs of bighorn sheep nearby.
Here’s an interesting ruin with the remnants of a pictograph panel above that I visited this last weekend as I explored more of Cedar Mesa. Not shown in this photo are two other small parts of the pictograph panel to the right that still remain on the wall. That could mean it was possible that the pictograph panel above this site was much larger than the remaining sections. I wonder what it looked like when it was still fully intact?
It’s been a little while since I have updated this blog, so I’m sorry about that. Things have been crazy these last few weeks but are finally getting back to normal…which means I can start getting out and exploring the backcountry in search of rock art and ruins once again. As a matter of fact, I just spent the weekend on Cedar Mesa in search of the specific ruin featured in the photo above. As you might have guessed, I did manage to find it!
This well-preserved ruin is nestled in the back of a deep alcove which has helped protect it from the elements and kept it in good shape. The most unusual part of this ruin is the painted pictographs on it’s exterior. I can’t recall seeing anything else like it which makes this one pretty unique. Because of the photogenic alcove this granary was located in, I had a lot of fun taking photoso of it from all different angles, so I’m sure I’ll be posting other photos of it in the future. This photo was taken to emphasize the curved lines and golden color of the smoke-stained ceiling of the alcove above the ruin.
It’s been a while since I posted a photo of a ruin on the blog, so here you go. This is probably one of the best ruins I have visited to date, and it also happens to be one of my very favorites. The condition of this ruin is just amazing! It probably helps that this structure is located in a very deep alcove that protects it from the elements very well. This photo was taken in 2010 when we visited on a beautiful November day, but I am really hoping to re-visit it again this year.
A few weekends ago I was hiking down in White Canyon within Natural Bridges National Monument with my friend Jackson when I was finally able to visit the Horsecollar Ruins. This set of ruins are named ‘horsecollar’ because of the unusual shape of the doorways on these two structures. I thought this photo looked good in black and white.
It’s been a little while since I posted a photo of a ruin on the blog, so here’s a photo I took this past weekend while exploring Natural Bridges National Monument. This small ruin is located near Kachina Bridge and there are some pretty cool pictographs and petroglyphs nearby as well. If you look closely inside the ruin, you will see small anthropomorphs painted inside.
Let’s take a break today from my Arizona trip photos so that I can post up a photo of a ruin. I visited Cave 7 back in January of this year, and it was an amazing experience. For those who are unfamiliar with the history of Cave 7, check out this trip report on my blog that has a little bit of information and history on the site. This is the remaining wall of a structure that was built in part of the very large alcove.
Let’s finish up the week with another ruin that I came across in the spring while hiking in Mule Canyon. While most people are familiar with the House on Fire ruins located in the same canyon, there are plenty of other ruins to visit….and even some that can be pretty photogenic, too. While exploring this ruin, I noticed the sun reflecting off of the sandstone above the granary accentuating the different colors which is what I wanted to show off in this photo.
Here’s a photo of the Honeycomb Ruin that I took from well below it with my long lens. It’s known as the Honeycomb Ruin because of the tafoni of the sandstone on the ceiling above the ruin which can look pretty cool in photos. Had I had more time, I would have liked to climb up to it for a different perspective and to explore the area, but that will have to wait for another trip.
A small granary tucked underneath a low alcove in the Doll House area of Canyonlands National Park. I hiked to this one in the spring when I spent a few days in the Maze. I think this one looked much better in black and white.
The Fallen Roof Ruin is one of those iconic locations on Cedar Mesa that every landscape photographer seems to have a photo of in their portfolio. That distinction is well deserved since this ruin is built in an amazing setting and is very photogenic. It’s a very nice hike to visit this ruin and there is so much else in the area to see and explore!
This past Saturday after I setup my camp in Bobbys Hole I still had a few hours before sunset, so I made a quick side trip to Beef Basin so that I could revisit some of my favorite ruins in the area. Here’s a new photo of the Middle Park granary in black & white.
