« Posts tagged canyonlands national park

Three Warriors

Three Warriors

We sure did see a lot of ‘faces’ pictographs last weekend in Canyonlands National Park. Besides the Thirteen Faces and Nine Faces panels, we also found the Eleven Faces. While there may have been Eleven Faces in this panel at one point in time, eight of them are really still visible. The three figures in the photo above were the three rightmost faces in the panel. Unfortunately, calcite has been leaching from the sandstone that these pictographs were painted on, so much of it has been covered in the white substance, making it difficult to photograph. I did my best to bring out the details in this photo.

>> The Elusive Horse Canyon

Nine Faces

Nine Faces

Besides visiting the Thirteen Faces pictographs last weekend, we also managed to find the Nine Faces. These ghostly figures are all white and not as colorful, but there are at least nine of them that are still visible!

>> The Elusive Horse Canyon

High Five Panel

High Five Panel

I first noticed this high pictograph panel in May when I backpacked to Peekaboo Spring in Salt Creek Canyon. Since I didn’t have my long lens on that trip (too much weight), I couldn’t get a decent photo of the panel. Since I was able to drive to Peekaboo this last weekend I was able to get a closer photo of this very interesting panel. I took this photo just after sunrise when the early morning light was striking it directly for only a few moments.

Besides the very vivid reverse handprints and white zig-zag snakes, there is also an interesting large circular figure and two half circles that seem to have faded. Below those are a large white snake that is also pretty faded. The most interesting aspect of these pictographs is that they are painted very high up on a cliff with no current access to reach them…and we did try to find a way.

>> The Elusive Horse Canyon

Six of Thirteen

Six of Thirteen

I just got back from a very humid weekend spent exploring Horse Canyon in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. I’ve been trying to get back into Horse Canyon for the last two years but the road has been washed out and closed for that long. When I received word a few weeks ago that the road had finally been reopened, I wasted no time and planned a trip out there…who knows when the next storm will close the road again? One of the main reasons to get back into Horse Canyon was so that I could finally visit the famous Thirteen Faces pictograph panel. This photo shows six of the Thirteen Faces, although you can really only see ten of the faces to begin with.

>> The Elusive Horse Canyon

Cracked Shield

Cracked Shield

While searching a small and almost inaccessible canyon in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park a few weeks ago, I came across this bright white pictograph that really stood out and was well-preserved. I’ve not run across another design like this before. I really like how the crack in the sandstone below the pictograph kind of leads right up to it.

>> Salt Creek Exploring & The Drive Home