Pictographs & Petroglyphs

The first spring kick off trip we took back in March was to the Book Cliffs in Eastern Utah. Our motives for planning this trip was so Todd could go horn hunting, but we were also able to enjoy the Indian Rock Art while we were there. After a long day of hiking around and looking for horns we decided to go for a four wheeler ride up Sego Canyon in Thompson Springs in hopes of a remarkable view when we reached the top.  Thompson Springs is just south of the Book cliffs near Green River, UT. This meandering road takes you right past some of the most interesting rock art that depicts the strange ghost like figures and human-like forms. We were both mesmerized. Todd patiently listened to my list of opened ended questions like, “What do these mean?”, “How long have these been here?”, “What type of Indians made these?”, “Where can we find more?”

He proceeded to tell me all about the different Native American cultures illustrated on these panels and how rare it is to see such a variety of groups in one area that dates all the way back to the Archaic Period. We talked for hours about Native Americans and other surrounding areas that have similar rock art and artifacts. He showed me pictures of the Buckhorn Draw Pictograph Panel at the San Rafael Swell in Central Utah (Where you can also find a dinosaur track. Click Here to read all about it!)  After hearing about this place I was fixated on going there and was a little disappointed that Todd got to see them before me when he traveled through this area for work. The pictures I saw didn’t do it justice because when I saw them in person I was absolutely blown away. I couldn’t help but think of the history of these prehistoric people who left this art on massive rock walls and what message they were trying to leave behind for others to see. Seeing this art spiked our curiosity and left us wanting more and we searched for new and exciting places we can see them. Stay tuned for upcoming posts where you can find out about other areas that displays this amazing art. Take a look  below at some of the remarkable images we saw on the rocks, a breath taking sunset and message me or leave a comment for more details!