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Tusher Canyon

Book Cliffs Rock Art III
Saturday, November 26, 2011

After spending most of the day in the San Rafael Swell there was still a little daylight left, so I headed over to Tusher Canyon in the Book Cliffs to locate a few more rock art sites. Since I was running out of light I had to rush through it, but I did manage to find every site that I was looking for. I didn’t have time to do some thorough exploring of the canyon, so I will have to return again when I have more time to see what else I can find.

First stop was at an unusual pictograph site. At first glance these look like that might be Barrier Canyon Style, but I’m not so sure about that? They are certainly different from anything I have seen before.

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Tusher Pictographs by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Here’s a closer look at the interesting pictographs.

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Corner Spirits by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The next site contained a number of small petroglyph panels. This one has three newer sheep carved over some older anthropomorphs and an elk figure.

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Sheep Over Anthropomorphs by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A few designs on another nearby panel including an interesting anthropomorphic figure in the lower right.

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Lower Petroglyphs by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

This large and busy panel was located high up on a cliff face and I liked the way the sun was hitting it when I arrived.

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Dotted Panel by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

This large and faint panel was located just above the previous one.

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High Petroglyphs by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

This was the last panel I visited in the canyon before turning around. There are some more interesting figures found here if you look closely.

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Upper Panel by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

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Sunburst by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

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Faded Centipede by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After leaving Tusher Canyon I made my way back to Green River, grabbed a burger from Ray’s, and then finished the drive home on I-70.

>> Book Cliffs Rock Art III Photo Gallery

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