Some of our favorite childhood memories from when we are younger involve the outdoors and going camping and playing outside. We have always thought it is extremely important to create and share these memories with kids and pass it on to our next generation. Although nowadays it can be pretty hard to pull the kiddies away from their phones and take them somewhere that doesn’t offer WiFi, once you do even they realize how fun it is to be outside enjoying the simple things of life.

Recently we headed to one of our favorite spots in Utah in search of some Indian Rock Art that we have vaguely heard about, but never seen. We love to look for the lesser known sites and knew it would be a challenge to try and find them, so we were excited to venture out together. Knowing we had a hefty hike in front of us we got as close as we could in the truck and then took off on foot the rest of the way (with lots of snacks) in search of this place.

With no real trail to follow we took off on our own path through the ponderosa pine filled canyons, trying the pine nuts along the way, following washes and climbing over steep ravines.  It’s always fun to have kids along on a hike to see things through their eyes and see what they get excited about. The whole time we were entertained with stories, singing random songs, telling jokes and laughing. We finally reached the canyon that we thought the pictographs were in, but when our hike led us to the top of a cliff with no seem-able route down we were pretty disappointed. We started searching for a way to get to the bottom and discovered a path that was carved into the cliff face, switchbacking down to the bottom. You could feel that this trail had been used before for thousands of years. We even came up with our own name for it, “The Trail of the Ancient Ones.” We knew this trail would lead us directly to the pictographs and once we reached the bottom and rounded the bend this is what we saw!

We all agreed these were our favorite pictographs we have seen and were in awe at the detail and the variety. At closer look we noticed the scrapings and circles carved into the rock shelf that ran under the pictographs, as well as hand prints and foot tracings. When looking at images like these you can’t help but wonder what message and story they were trying to tell and why it was important enough for them to leave behind. Another reason this site became our favorite is because of the isolated location and the wide open valley that surrounds you is breath taking. There is definitely a good energy and feeling while you are there.

We wished we could have stayed here longer, but knew once it got dark we should head back to camp. We sat around the fire that night eating dinner and making s’mores talking and laughing about everything that happened that day. It’s always hard to pack up and leave when you have a trip as good as this one! We were so happy we could share our experience and create these memories and pass on our love for the outdoors.

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Published by Melanie Gagon

42 thoughts on “Lost Trail”

  5. What cool findings- the pictographs and carvings on the walls thats so cool and totally not something you come across every day!! Fun adventure! The scenery over there is to die for!

    xo, JJ

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    1. We were so excited and loved seeing everything there for sure! It felt like wandering around in a movie set it was almost too perfect! Thanks for reading!!

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  6. That’s a pretty incredible site and a good time for the whole family! Another site to keep in mind when visiting Utah. Thanks for pointing it out and sharing it with photos that say it all! 🙂

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    1. Sometimes I have that thought too when we don’t really know where we are going! But once you find something like this it definitely makes the long hike worth it! Thank you for reading!

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    1. They were so cool to see in person! Everywhere you looked along this walk had an image, or carving, or something left on it! Made it exciting to investigate and see it all! Thanks so much for reading Courtney!

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  17. There is nothing like seeing the rock art. There are so many fascinating places in the Southwest. I love to hear about more of them . BTW, the 57 number made famous by Heinz… it was the number of items a corner store stocked in the late 1800’s. Heinz produced many more things but have incentives to stores that stocked mostly their things.

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