Canyonlands National Park | Saturday & Sunday, February 1-2, 2025
With warmer than seasonal temperatures and overall nice weather expected across the Colorado Plateau this weekend, I thought this would be a great time to get back into the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park for the first time this year. Since we’ve had a pretty dry winter so far this season and the road into Horse Canyon was actually open, I also thought this would be a great opportunity to get back into that elusive canyon. I met up with a friend on Saturday morning and we spent the entire weekend poking around the pockets of Horse Canyon to see what we would find along the way…
Part of the road in Salt Creek on the way to Horse Canyon was solid ice. I kept expecting to break through the ice at any moment, but it never happened.
Mrs. Bunyans Potty
The wide and sandy wash in Horse Canyon.
Tower Ruin
Exploring the pockets of Horse Canyon to see what we would find…
Hiking across a low sandstone divide between two pockets.
Gothic Arch
Warm light on sandstone shortly before sunset in Salt Creek Canyon.
Sunday started out overcast but the clouds finally started to clear out after noon.
Pocket View
I loved the bold stipes on this canyon wall.
Lone Cow Pocket
Stone & Clouds
Paul Bunyans Potty
Rock Art and Ruins of Horse Canyon
Although we didn’t find as much as I was hoping to on this trip, we did stumble across some new rock art and ruins along the way, and revisited a few other sites I had been to before.
Roadside Ruin
Boulder Petroglyphs
Big White Shield
Circles Panel
Little Granary
White Hands
Green Mask
The Bowhunter
Wall of Hands
Big Target Alcove
Big Target
Long Log Ruin
Red Hands
High Designs
One Face
Sky Faces
Ruin on a Ledge
Fading Faces
The Impossible Site
Barrier Canyon Style Pictographs
Here’s a Dstretch of the previous photo so you can see the details a little better.
Cool pictures! I tried to book a tour there but the canyon was closed. I was bummed.
I thought that only a few tour companies had access to Horse Canyon.
Anyone with a permit (10 per day) can drive into Horse Canyon when the road is open…and you can always hike in anytime.
Beautiful! Another place that has been on my to-do list for a while.
Randy thank you for the time you take to document your trips, but more importantly, to share them!!! Such a wonderful gift to those of us exploring from an armchair (for now).
Thanks, Paul!
No way! I was out in salt creek and horse canyon (just day hiking to tower ruin and peekaboo) on February 4th. Must have been walking right in your jeep tracks. What an awesome winter it’s been.
With the dry winter we’ve had so far and the warmer temperatures last week, I was glad to be driving into Horse Canyon rather than hiking through that soft sand!