Press "Enter" to skip to content

Short Trip to the Book Cliffs

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Earlier today, Jackson and I headed west into Utah so that I could check on a geocache that I hid last summer. Once we checked on the cache we hiked around the rim of the nearby canyon and did a little exploring.

A view down into the canyon we hiked around.

5565961891_ceb11e62dd_z.jpg
Wavy Sandstone by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After we did a little more hiking and exploring around nearby Jug Rock, we drove north to the foot of the Book Cliffs in search of some new petroglyphs. I was specifically looking for a petroglyph of a butterfly or bat. I had a general idea on where it was located, but not an exact location. We searched the area for a little and did finally manage to find it.

5564531332_fbee522608_z.jpg
The Butterfly by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After finding The Butterfly, we searched the nearby boulders and found many other petroglyphs.

5565962623_0d779c2390_z.jpg
Book Cliff Boulder by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

There was a narrow crack between two large boulders that I squeezed into and found many more petroglyphs carved inside.

5567343743_e6e98eb4f4_z.jpg
In the Crack by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

5567340829_e69b195d74_z.jpg
Sheep in the Crack by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

5565974061_c34e221fca_z.jpg
Another Hand by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

I have heard that this site might interact with the sun on the solstice. Perhaps that’s what this spiral is here for?

5565963635_5af13cf242_z.jpg
Lichen & Faint Spiral by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Another boulder found nearby with some interesting petroglyphs carved into it.

5567344181_3432d65653_z.jpg
Book Cliff Boulder 2 by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

When we were done searching the area, I took Jackson over to the Sego Canyon Rock Art Site just out of Thompson Springs since he had never been there before. I’ve been here numerous times and taken many photos, but I haven’t been back since I got my new camera earlier this year, so it was a great opportunity to get some new photos.

5567925840_bddf93b560_z.jpg
Sego Canyon Pictographs by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

5567341743_d790c6864c_z.jpg
Sego Snake Man by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

We searched the area and managed to find this petroglyph of a sheep I had not found before.

5569186141_80c1730864_z.jpg
Sego Sheep by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

5569186691_5a22f8b8e6_z.jpg
Sego Snake by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

This panel contains Fremont petroglyphs carved over some faint Barrier Canyon Style pictographs. You can see them if you look closely above the petroglyphs.

5566543246_61f39ce5f8_z.jpg
Fremont Over Barrier by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

5569772642_5ecc36285e_z.jpg
Sego Ute Shield by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

We had plans to find some more pictographs in the Book Cliffs, so I started driving towards the area they were supposed to be in. Unfortunately, I ended up taking some roads that took much longer than I had anticipated, so by the time we got to the mouth of the right canyon we had run out of time and needed to head home. At least we had a nice scenic drive! I know I will be returning to the Book Cliffs in search of more rock art this year.

>> Short Trip to the Book Cliffs Photo Gallery

One Comment

  1. Robert VandenBroeke
    Robert VandenBroeke August 7, 2012

    I just found your blog but I’ve seen some of the photos you take of rock art on bogley I’m so impressed by your photos. I just bought an xj and plan on seeing some more rock art too! Thank you for sharing and I hope to meet you sometime on the trail. Bob

Leave a Reply