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Drifting Around Indian Creek Country

Friday – Sunday, January 8-10, 2021

After spending the first long weekend of 2021 along Comb Ridge with Diane, I was on my own this weekend since Diane has now started PA school and just had LASIK surgery on Thursday, and needed to rest her eyes for a few days. As many of you are probably aware of by now, the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park is one of my absolute favorite places to explore, so earlier in the week when I was deciding which area to go to on my first camping trip of the year, it was an easy decision for me to head that direction. This time I decided to mostly stay out of the heart of the The Needles and planned to spend more time along Indian Creek just outside of the park. I left after work on Friday, topped off my fuel tank in Moab and then finished the drive down along Indian Creek to a familiar campsite I have spent many nights at before. I then spent the rest of the weekend drifting through Indian Creek Country from South Six-Shooter Peak to Davis Canyon with a couple scattered petroglyph panels along the way.

A view of the La Sal Mountains at sunset as I drove across the snow-covered Cisco Desert on Friday evening.

Winter Desert Landscape

It was a bit overcast as I climbed up South Six-Shooter Peak on Saturday morning, but as I walked around the base of the vertical Wingate wall, the clouds finally started to clear out a bit.

Rocky View

There was a great view across Indian Creek Country to Harts Point from up here.

Indian Creek Country

The Very High Panel

The Very High Panel

Two views of the top of South Six-Shooter Peak

South Six-Shooter Peak

Narrow Side

Looking back down the steep rocky slope I just descended.

Rocky Slope

Petroglyph on a Boulder

Petroglyph & Peak

Here’s a closer look at the petroglyph with an inscription from 1890 lightly scratched above it.

Petroglyph & 1890 Inscription

A hoodoo on the edge of the mesa with North Six-Shooter Peak in the background.

On The Edge

I hiked all the way around South Six-Shooter before heading back down to my Jeep.

Walking Around

Hiking back down the climbers route I had followed to get up to South Six-Shooter.

Crack In the Cliff

Next up I headed over to Davis Canyon and went on another hike into Canyonlands National Park.

Davis Canyon Jeep

By this time the fast-moving clouds were looking great over the sandstone.

Sandstone & Clouds

Davis Canyon Wash

Davis Canyon Wall

Snow in the Wash

Junction Arch

Junction Arch

I caught a sunstar through Flection Arch.

Flection Arch Sunstar

Davis Canyon

Even though I’ve been into Davis Canyon a couple of times in the past, for some reason I had never stopped to check out Log House Ruins, so I made sure to do that this time. They were much larger than I was expecting, but are also inaccessible, which was a bummer.

Log House Ruins

I liked the way the cutout in the canyon wall framed these ruins.

Ledge Ruins

I explored a few side canyons before turning around and hiking back down the canyon.

Side Canyon Scene

There are some really great striped walls throughout Davis Canyon, which are always fun for me to photograph!

Striped Wall

Canyon Wall

Canyon Corner

The rising sun begins to light up the sandstone along Indian Creek on this cold morning.

Indian Creek Morning

Bighorn Petroglyph

Bighorn Petroglyph

I sat in silence and watched the first light of the day strike this petroglyph panel as the sun came up over the canyon rim.

Morning Petroglyph Panel

The Claw

The Claw

Descending Dots

Descending Dots

A really nice petroglyph panel on the side of a large boulder.

Boulder Petroglyph Panel

>> Indian Creek Country Photo Gallery

One Comment

  1. Dianne
    Dianne January 13, 2021

    I’m wild about the glyphs. The photo labeled side canyon is particularly beautiful with the full tree in the near center. What a pleasure for you to be that far out you see no blabbery people.

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