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!

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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:

Horseshoe Canyon Pictographs, Canyonlands (10.14.2013)

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