Horseshoe Canyon Pictographs, Canyonlands

Horseshoe Canyon Pictographs, Canyonlands

I had a whole day planned for hiking in Canyonlands, but the hard part was picking out what to do. The Syncline Trail around Upheaval Dome was strongly recommended, but I couldn’t resist the opportunity to visit one of the most spectacular rock art locations in the Southwest, the pictographs of Horseshoe Canyon.

The Horseshoe Canyon unit of Canyonlands is off in the middle of nowhere, inaccessible from any other area of the park and the approach includes a 60 mile round trip on washboarded dirt road. Its remoteness is one of the things that attracted me, and I assumed we would be sharing the trail with few to no people. Despite heading straight there from our campsite just outside of the Islands In the Sky district, we still didn’t get to the trailhead until after 10:30 am. At least it was a scenic drive!

Sand Dunes on the Drive to Horseshoe Canyon
Sand Dunes on the Drive to Horseshoe Canyon

The drive all the way up to the parking lot is on BLM land and there are several campsites around the parking area, and even though it was still during the Government shutdown the bathroom was unlocked, clean, and stocked with TP and hand sanitizer. The parking is at the rim, and you cross into National Park land once on the trail that drops into Horseshoe Canyon.

Keep an eye out for dinosaur tracks on the trail! I knew they were in the area, but I probably would have walked right by this one if someone had not helpfully ringed it with rocks.

Dinosaur Track!
Dinosaur Track!

Part way down we spied what looked like old road on the other side of the canyon. Later, we learned that a road used to go all the way into the canyon but it was washed out years ago (in the 30’s, I think) and never rebuilt. I think it’s for the better – having to do a little work to get to the rock art has probably helped protect them from vandals.

Old road on the far side of the canyon
Old road on the far side of the canyon

Once in the canyon, about 800 ft below the rim, it is a short walk to the first panel. I believe this one is called the ‘High Panel’ since it is so high up on the wall.

The High Gallery, Horseshoe Canyon
The High Gallery, Horseshoe Canyon

The art in Horseshoe Canyon is primarily of the pictograph form. Unlike petroglyphs, which are carved into the rock, pictographs are painted on the rock surface. Because paint is less durable than a carved form, pictographs are rarer than petroglyphs and are usually found in protected areas like caves and alcoves. Exposed pictographs tend to fade away under centuries of desert sun. The bright images that remain on the walls of Horseshoe Canyon are extra special for these reasons.

Pictographs of Horseshoe Canyon
Pictographs of Horseshoe Canyon

It seems that no one has conclusively dated the rock art in Horseshoe Canyon, but NPS literature dates it between 2000 BC and 500 AD, with the additional information that signs of habitation in the canyon date all the way back to 9000 BC. In other words, they are old. And given their remarkable condition, it is hard to believe that they are even 100 years old, let alone 4000!

The area even has some colorful recent history, with wild west outlaws like Butch Cassidy using the canyon and surrounding terrain as hideouts. Even more recently, this is where Aaron Ralston walked out and was rescued from his ordeal in Blue John Canyon.

A man and his dog?
A man and his dog?

Across from the High Panel is another panel known as the Horseshoe Gallery. The most colorful figures on this panel seem to be a human figure and his dog. Man’s best friend for ages!

Hidden behind a nearby pile of rocks is a hunting panel that looks like it was painted yesterday. Here, a hunter takes aim at a buffalo and a couple of elk.

Hunter, buffalo, and elk in Horseshoe Canyon
Hunter, buffalo, and elk in Horseshoe Canyon

Down the canyon we found an enormous amphitheater-style alcove with more pictographs. These were the most faded and damaged of the bunch (they were closer to the ground than the other panels), but featured some interesting horned anthromorphic figures.

Alcove in Horseshoe Canyon
Alcove in Horseshoe Canyon
Horned figure in the alcove
Horned figure in the alcove

Another mile down the canyon we reached the Great Gallery, the most photographed and reproduced panel in the canyon. In fact, this panel is displayed as a reproduction in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The large figures are human sized (up to 7 feet tall) and generally appear to be spiritual.

The Great Gallery, Horseshoe Canyon, Canyonlands (click for larger)
The Great Gallery, Horseshoe Canyon, Canyonlands (click for larger)

The left part of the panel is commonly known as the ‘Holy Ghost’ – several plain human figures with a spooky large spirit.

The Holy Ghost, Horseshoe Canyon
The Holy Ghost, Horseshoe Canyon

I stared at the figures for a long time and more and more detail came through. Here is a spirit with two sheep on its chest.

'Sheep Spirit', Great Gallery, Horseshoe Canyon
‘Sheep Spirit’, Great Gallery, Horseshoe Canyon

And another that reminded me of the old cartoons where a devil and angel would sit on the shoulders of a character.

"Good and Evil" spirit, Great Gallery, Horseshoe Canyon
“Good and Evil” spirit, Great Gallery, Horseshoe Canyon

There were also small human figures, sheep, and this panel with a guy who was my favorite since he looked like he was grooving to his own jam while the stoic spirits watched disapprovingly.

Panel with 'Dancer', Great Gallery, Horseshoe Canyon
Panel with ‘Dancer’, Great Gallery, Horseshoe Canyon

Several people were at the site and a ranger was there to answer questions and keep watch over this special canyon.

To finish the hike, we simply retraced our steps back up the canyon to the parking area. Although all I have talked about is the rock art, it should also be mentioned that this is a beautiful and worthy canyon hike even without the glyphs.

The beautiful Horseshoe Canyon
The beautiful Horseshoe Canyon

If You Go

  • Be very prepared for the desert: full tank of gas, water, shelter, and food. The drive is long and rough and if you get stuck no one may come along for quite a while. This is the same canyon where 127 Hours happened.
  • Camping is available on the BLM land at the trailhead with very limited amenities. An outhouse is all you’re gonna get.
  • The trail descends about 800 ft into the canyon which means you’ll be hiking up the 800 ft at the end of this ~10 mile hike. Bring enough water! It was cool when we were there but the sun was still quite intense on this stretch and I went through several liters of water.
  • It should go without saying, but don’t touch the rock art!

Style:

In and Out dayhike on trail. It starts on the rim above the canyon and drops 800 ft to the floor. The trail then follows the canyon past several pictograph panels.

Distance:

8.5 miles round trip

Elevation Gain:

+/- 800 ft

Trailhead and Permit Notes:

There are no permits required to hike the canyon. Trail access is via a remote desert trailhead, so go prepared with a full tank of gas, water, and essential supplies.

Camping Tips:

Primitive camping is available at the trailhead.

A Special Note on Rock Art:

Rock art locations in the US and across the world have always been at risk of damage and malicious vandalization. If you have concerns about the data shared here, please see this post about my approach to sharing information on these sensitive locations.


Resources:

Useful Guides and Gear:

Not Even Once!
Not Even Once!

This Post Has 6 Comments

  1. Brett

    Love seeing pics of hieroglyphs and all the desert canyons. Really nice to see these ones so well preserved, really hope they stay that way. Thanks for posting!
    Brett
    http://www.thefrugalhiker.com

    1. calipidder

      Thanks!

  2. Anne

    Hello there, I did this hike in spring 2012. It was my first time in Utah, first time in Canyonlands NP. I drove a Toyota Camry rental all the way to trail head. Had to search for the last intersection from the main dirt road, the sign was lying on the ground… These landscapes convinced me 100%. The pictograms were amazing. I will never forget that. Thanks for sharing your pictures 🙂

    1. calipidder

      Thanks for stopping by! What an incredible place for your first visit to Utah! The southwest never gets boring.

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