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Rock Art of the San Juan River

New Years Weekend | Saturday – Monday, December 31 – January 2, 2023

 

This first Trip Report of 2023 is dedicated to the memory of my cat Tellico (Rico), who we had to say our final goodbyes to this past week. She was my sweet little kitty and will be greatly missed!

Tellico
Tellico | August 20, 2005 – December 28, 2022

 

This year for the extended New Years Weekend Diane and I had hoped to do some hiking and exploring along the Comb Ridge and San Juan River, but thanks to the ‘atmospheric river’ that was impacting the weather across the western United States, those plans had to change since the Butler Wash Road was a muddy mess from all access points and I decided to avoid it. That meant we’d be skipping the Comb Ridge this time and instead would be spending our holiday weekend searching for rock art closer to the San Juan River. Luckily, we were also able to avoid most of the rain and snow on Saturday and Sunday and only encountered a couple light sprinkles while we were out hiking. While I had seen many of these sites before, this was Diane’s first time seeing most of them and we found plenty of new stuff along the way, too! Below are photos of just some of the many petroglyphs we saw this weekend.

We arrived in Bluff on Saturday morning and briefly saw the only blue sky we would see for the entire weekend.

Only Blue Sky

Dots Panel

Dots Panel

Dots Panel II

Long Neck & Long Legs

Long Neck & Long Legs

Circle Figures

Circle Figures

Antenna Man

Antenna Man

Follow The Leader

Follow The Leader

We saw plenty faint Glen Canyon Linear Style petroglyphs throughout the weekend.

Glen Canyon Linear Style

Round Sheep Panel

Round Sheep Panel

In The Middle

In The Middle

Ruins, Moki Steps & Petroglyphs

Ruins, Moki Steps & Petroglyphs

Here’s an unusual design…

Petroglyph Design

Petroglyph Patch

Petroglyph Patch

Hole-in-the-Rock Man

Hole-in-the-Rock Man

Grooves & Petroglyphs

Alcove Design

Little Cave Ruin

Little Cave Ruin

Our first hike in 2023 was wet, overcast and kind of gloomy.

Overcast Canyon

Stripes & Ruins

Stripes & Ruins

Sandal Design

Sandal Design

Stick Figure Man

Stick Figure Man

Someone On the Mind

Someone On the Mind

Sheep Surfing

Sheep Surfing

On The Shoulder

On The Shoulder

Snake Panel

Snake Panel

The following three photos are of historic petroglyphs that were all near each other and seem to tell a story…

Firearm

Bow & Arrow

Arrow Through the Head

San Juan Petroglyphs

San Juan Petroglyphs

Diane trying out some carved stairs.

Carved Steps

Upside-Down Man Panel

Upside-Down Man Panel

Flute Players Panel

Flute Players Panel

We came across this very deep hole carved down into a large sandstone boulder. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one carved this deep before.

Deep Hole in the Stone

High Busy Panel

High Busy Panel

I’ve been looking for this panel for years and was happy to finally spot it this time! I’ve walked right under it a bunch of times in the past without ever noticing it. Now I just need to return with a long lens so I can get a better photo of it…

AtlAtl Panel

We returned to my Jeep on New Years Day just as it was starting to rain. Perfect timing!

Wet New Year

Ladder Petroglyph

Ladder Petroglyph

Petroglyphs found to the left of the ladder.

Left Side Petroglyphs

Mesa View

Mesa View

Holey Wall

Holey Wall

Here’s a life-sized and faint Basketmaker anthropomorph pictograph that we spotted. There’s a smaller figure at the right edge of the photo that I didn’t even notice until I got home.

Shadow Man

Hard-To-See Guys

Hard-To-See Guys

Diane had a good weekend searching for petroglyphs while she got to take a little break from her clinical rotations. She’s only got about five months left until she graduates!

New Year Exploring

>> Rock Art of the San Juan River Photo Gallery

8 Comments

  1. Randy Gerdes
    Randy Gerdes January 4, 2023

    Outstanding photos. Last year I hiked Lower Butler Wash and found some interesting rock art at the mouth near the river, but it was very bright and it was difficult to photograph and needed some editing. Still, not happy with the shots in direct sun. Yours here are very nice and you must know where to go to find such a treasure trove. Well done and I really appreciate your blob and your photography.

  2. Nancy Van
    Nancy Van January 4, 2023

    Beautiful photographs as always! Glad Diane could get away and enjoy some time to “relax” a little.

    So sorry to hear about Tellico, it is so hard to say good bye to our 4 legged family members even when we know it’s the right thing to do.

  3. Sue Jasper
    Sue Jasper January 4, 2023

    Wonderful “new” glyphs! Thanks for sharing!!

  4. SteveR
    SteveR January 5, 2023

    You always manage to make the best of the conditions, and get some fine photos too!

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