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Tag: petroglyphs

07 February 2016

Petroglyphs at Atlatl Rock Valley of Fire State Park

View from Atlatl Rock Valley of Fire State Park NevadaThe day after hiking the White Domes loop and Fire Wave trails at Valley of Fire we started the morning with a short walk from camp to see the 4,000 year-old petroglyphs at Atlatl Rock.  A big landscape spreads out from the rock cliffs where the petroglyphs are prevalent.

Check dam near Atlatl Rock Valley of Fire State Park NevadaI’d read to look in a tiny side canyon littered with boulders just to the left of the actual “feature”.  So off we went to explore.  First we saw what looked like an improved check dam once built to hold back water in a natural dip, or tank, in the rocks.  Of course we had to climb up about 10 feet to discover water, a rare and exciting find in this dry environment.  We saw another shrinking pool hidden behind the cliffs.

Side canyon with petroglyphs by Atlatl Rock Valley of Fire State Park Nevada

 

 

I took hundreds of photos so will try not to share them all.  Yet I am fascinated by the stories told here so long ago.  The earliest people here included the nomadic Fremont and later the Ancestral Puebloan farmers from the nearby Moapa Valley who came here to hunt and gather plants.  Yet the scarcity of water probably limited their stay.

 

 

 

 

 

Petroglyphs in side canyon by Atlatl RockValley of Fire State Park NevadaSome boulders have fallen from the cliff faces as parts of the story are buried in the sand where they landed.  Seeing footprints in a row makes me think someone took a journey.  I think I see water signs, dragonfly and yucca plant.  It’s a busy panel.  What story do you see.

Petroglyphs in side canyon by Atlatl Rock Valley of Fire State Park NevadaSome panels are way up high making me wonder why there, although there is usually a ledge or sloped face making it possible for these expert rock climbers to reach their pallet.

Side canyon by Atlatl Rock Valley of Fire State Park Nevada

 

 

Plus of course there’s natures art as well where spalling and mineral leaching creates interesting patterns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Petroglyphs by Atlatl Rock Valley of Fire State Park NevadaIn fact natural processes have removed the mineral varnish and taken away some of the petroglyphs so some of the story is missing.

Stairs to Atlatl Rock Valley of Fire State Park NevadaBill and Sasha at bottom of stairs Atlatl Rock Valley of Fire State Park NevadaTo access the “featured” and unique atlatl petroglyph requires climbing a steep set of stairs put in I’m sure to keep people off the rock and destroying the multiple panels.  In fact the barrier at the top makes it difficult to photograph the entire panel.  The grid on the stairs isn’t particularly dog friendly, or Sasha friendly anyway, but we did see a guy descending with his dog.  I’ve never seen an atlatl petroglyph before.

Atlatl Rock Valley of Fire State Park Nevada

Atlatl Rock Valley of Fire State Park NevadaThe second figure from the top under the big-horn sheep is suppose to be an atlatl which is a spear thrower used before the bow and arrow for hunting by native people.  Do you think they climbed a ladder to this particular rock?  It is unfortunate that modern people felt the need to add to these mysterious stories.

Sign petroglyph meanings Valley of Fire State Park NevadaArcheologists try to figure out what the petroglyphs mean.  Row 1 left to right:  Tortoise/turtle clan, Big-horn sheep, personal signature/death, Shaman/strong medicine/powerful.  Row 2: general upward motion, sun, mystical bat woman, going up/water tank/spring.  Row 3: broad downward motion, gone/empty, four directions/crossing, coming down.  Row 4: rain, (can’t read), atlatl, four directions/friendship.

Next stop Mouse’s Tank hike where we’d see more petroglyphs.

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National Parks and Monuments, Nevada Atlatl Rock, petroglyphs, Valley of Fire State Park 20 Comments
20 July 2015

Canyon scramble to search for rock art

Map showing canyon hiked Kanab UtahIt’s a small and beautiful side canyon off Angel Canyon where Kanab Creek flows.  There’s really not an established trail so required a canyon scramble to search for rock art.

Canyon hiked Kanab UtahBill parked on a two track off the highway and suggested we scramble down a sandy bank through dense vegetation, cross the creek and back up on the other side.  Not wanting to walk in sand with wet shoes that didn’t look real appealing to me so the other option was to walk across a bridge on the highway and trail blaze, which is what we did.  Actually we followed a semi-trail that could have been made by animals and used by people too.  We still had to cross a dry wash that feeds into the creek to get to the sandstone cliffs where the suspected rock art might be.  Looking across I thought I saw some possible scratching on a patina surface which turned out to be natural.

Canyon hiked Kanab UtahMany options for kind of trails down appeared and we finally chose one that looked the least steep then slid down the sand to the bottom about 80 feet and walked up the wash looking for the best place to get back up on the other side.  Bill was post-holing in the sand on the way up and I tried to follow his steps but his stride is longer than mine, yet I’m lighter and didn’t sink in as far.  Once on the bench we worked our way to the cliff face and began to look for rock art walking up canyon.

Toadstools in canyon Kanab UtahThe sandstone formations are so breathtaking it really didn’t matter if we found anything.

Shelter in canyon hiked Kanab UtahThere is a fire ring with log seats around it and then we saw this old structure which is accessed through a crack in the rock.  With a tin roof over timbers and a sweet little oil-can stove it looked pretty habitable to me.  Hard to say when the last time it was actually used but there was some rather modern trash around.

Indigenous, historic & contemporary rock art Kanab UtahWe continued ahead just a bit to the head of the canyon where we finally found the rock art, indigenous, historic and contemporary.  Once again, people add their story to the same area of rock, plus a few bullet holes.  Looked like sand deposits had buried some of the petroglyphs.

Sawed out rock in canyon hiked Kanab UtahThis sawed out piece of rock was a curiosity.  Wonder if someone cut out a petroglyph.

Circular spalled rock in canyon hiked Kanab UtahOf course the natural “rock art” is just as spectacular as the human if not more so.

Looking down canyon hiked Kanab UtahWe followed the cliff face back down the canyon admiring the views.  The truck was parked almost at the foot of the farthest bluff in the center of the above photo.

Princes Plume & Sacred Datura in canyon hiked Kanab UtahPrinces Plume was everywhere with some sacred datura thrown into the mix.

Looking up canyon hiked Kanab UtahWe went back down, crossed the wash and climbed back up again.  By now, both a little tired so had to stop a couple times along the way but we made it out to explore more the next day in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.  But those stories are for another post.

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08 June 2015

Return to Snake Gulch

Snake Gulch FR624 Kaibab National Forest ArizonaReturn to Snake Gulch, no problem, it’s a beautiful drive.

Turnstile Snake Gulch trail Kaibab National Forest Arizona

Rocky cliff top Snake Gulch trail Kaibab National Forest ArizonaI met Bill at the trailhead but we didn’t start hiking until 11am, a little late for this open low elevation June desert.

cholla, sego lily & prickly poppy Snake Gulch trail Kaibab National Forest ArizonaSaw a few flowers like globe mallow, cholla buds, sego lily, prickly poppy.

Alcove Snake Gulch trail Kaibab National Forest ArizonaI’m guessing about 1 1/2 mile hike to the first alcove of petroglyphs in this open canyon with no shade.  We crossed the dry wash to soon at what I thought looked like a trail and ended up almost bushwhacking on a slight path, could have been an animal trail, through beautiful yet nasty grasses that stick to your socks.

Petroglyphs Snake Gulch trail Kaibab National Forest ArizonaI see a hunting story in this panel of petroglyphs.

Petroglyphs Snake Gulch trail Kaibab National Forest ArizonaSome of these look like they may have been “embellished” long after the original work.  Why do people do this?

Bill Snake Gulch trail Kaibab National Forest Arizona

Rocky cliff Snake Gulch trail Kaibab National Forest Arizona

Pictographs Snake Gulch trail Kaibab National Forest ArizonaContinued about 1/2 mile to another small alcove with nice rock couches but barely any pictographs.  Had lunch here then decided to turn back as it was getting warm and Bill had to get home to pack for a trip the next day.

View from alcove Snake Gulch trail Kaibab National Forest ArizonaWe just didn’t go far enough.  Late start, warm day saved from being overly hot by a nice breeze.  Later a friend showed me photos of more elaborate pictographs of almost human-size further down the trail.  Maybe another time.

Last light on cliff top Snake Gulch trailhead Kaibab National Forest ArizonaI camped at the trailhead thinking I’d get out to try moon and star shots but ended up reading until about 9 and went to bed tired, a good tired.

Alcove in cliff face Snake Gulch FR423 Kaibab National Forest Arizona

Alcove in cliff face Snake Gulch FR423 Kaibab National Forest Arizona

Granary Snake Gulch FR423 Kaibab National Forest ArizonaThe next morning I drove very slowly out FR423 looking closely at the rock walls.  Used binoculars and saw several possibilities.  Looks like a granary or food storage area.

Rocky cliff Snake Gulch FR423 Kaibab National Forest ArizonaI sure could live here for the beautiful surroundings.  When Native Americans were here over 1000 years ago there could have been more rain.  But it’s a dry country now.

Alcove with petroglyphs Snake Gulch FR423 Kaibab National Forest Arizona

Alcove with petroglyphs Snake Gulch FR423 Kaibab National Forest ArizonaThis deep alcove caught my eye yet with a spillway below it I didn’t figure there would be any signs of human.  Then I zoomed way in, and was surprised to see petroglyphs on the well stained recessed wall.

Alcove Snake Gulch FR423 Kaibab National Forest Arizona

Alcove Snake Gulch FR423 Kaibab National Forest ArizonaThe broken down blocks on a rocky ledge looked like a patio fence.  Then looking closer it seemed like a shallow cave with black sooted ceiling.  Or maybe it’s my imagination.

There is so much more to see here that several return trips are in order but that may have to wait until fall when the temperatures are cooler.

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Hi, I’m Gaelyn, the Geogypsy

I retired after 29 summer seasons as a Park Ranger, traveling solo for 40+ years. My passions include travel, connecting to nature, photography, and sharing stories.

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