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Indian Creek Corridor Rock Art

Indian Creek Area Rock Art II
Sunday, May 22, 2011

After leaving Hovenweep National Monument I started heading north on my way home. On the way I took a detour down Utah 211 to try and find some more rock art along the Indian Creek Canyon corridor. I took the highway to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park so that I could hike to a pictograph panel that I had not visited before. This panel contains a number of faded Barrier Canyon Style anthropomorphs and a whole bunch of handprints. Unfortunately, reaching this panel was no fun, since I had to bushwhack through the densest tamarisk jungle I have ever been in! Next time I visit this location, I’m hiking from a different direction!

While most of the anthropomorphic figures on this panel were Barrier Canyon Style, this one appears to be Fremont? There are a bunch of reverse handprints next to it, also.

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Anthropomorph & Handprints by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Speaking of reversed handprints…

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Handprints by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A closeup of two different styles of handprints found here.

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Hands by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The start of a long row of Barrier Canyon Style anthropomorphs.

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Fading by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

These two figures at ground level seem to have attending dogs above their shoulders.

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Attending Dogs by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Here you can see the two rows of figures.

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Two Rows by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The details on the anthropomorph on the right reminds me of the Moqui Queen pictograph.

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Fading BCS by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Three more figures with a few handprints.

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Three by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

My next stop was a revisit to the Five Faces panel, which happens to be one of my favorite panels!

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Five Faces by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A different perspective.

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Five Up by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

On my way back to the Jeep from the Five Faces, I noticed some faint zoomorphs that I had missed before.

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Faint Zoomorphs by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A very small granary along the way.

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Micro-Granary by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After leaving Canyonlands behind, I began my search for the Fighting Men panel, and found this one nearby.

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Feet & Maze by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A small figure inside a larger one. This is a very cool petroglyph.

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Inside by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Finally found the Fighting Men.

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Fighting Men by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

This petroglyph panel was adjacent to the Fighting Men.

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Adjacent to Fighting Men by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Here’s a wider view of the corner where the Fighting Men and other petroglyphs are found.

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Fighting Men Corner by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

This faint panel was nearby and hard to get a good shot of. There appears to be a large crescent moon.

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Under the Crescent Moon by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

I also revisited the Crescent Moon Panel.

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Sheep Under the Moon by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

These very long snakes are carved deeply into the sandstone. You can see a few other faint petroglyphs in this panel as well, including a good-sized scorpion. This is one of the more interesting petroglyph panels around.

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Long Snakes by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

While driving back to Newspaper Rock I was scanning the canyon walls for more rock art. I thought I noticed something and stopped the Jeep. What I had seen turned out to be nothing, but where I ended up stopping led me right to a few more panels. Talk about luck! This anthropomorphic figure has a much smaller one inside, making me wonder if it doesn’t represent a pregnancy?

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Pregnant by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A wider view of the panel.

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Pregnant Panel by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A few more petroglyphs near the ones above, including another crescent moon.

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Triangle Moon by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Of course, I couldn’t drive by Newspaper Rock without stopping for a few photos.

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Lotsa Feet by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Another interesting figure from Newspaper Rock that I don’t think I have posted a photo of before.

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Lizard King by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After taking a few photos at Newspaper Rock I was back on my way home again…after a quick stop at Taco Time in Monticello for some lunch.

>> Indian Creek Rock Art II Photo Gallery

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