Return to the Great Gallery

[IntrepidXJ]

Saturday, October 22, 2011

The Original Trip Report on ADVENTR.CO

I've wanted to return to Horseshoe Canyon and the Great Gallery all year, but I decided to put it off until October when I knew the weather would be nice and the cottonwoods would be changing colors. When I found out that my friend Lisa was trying to put together a trip there for the Flickr Rock Art Group this weekend, I marked it on my calendar. This was also the last weekend of the year that there would be a ranger guided hike into the canyon which I wanted to attend so that I could get closer to the Great Gallery.

Luckily, besides Lisa and her son, only two other people showed up for the hike which kept the group small. I probably would not have liked hanging out with a bigger group than that. I had never gone on a ranger led hike before, but I really enjoyed it and learned a few new things along the way. The ranger also pointed out a few pictographs and petroglyphs that I had missed on previous trips which was nice. It was very nice getting up close and personal with the Great Gallery at the end of the hike, too.

Our first stop was the High Gallery. Here's an overview of the full panel.


High Gallery by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A closer look at a few interesting figures on thee right side of the High Gallery.


High Gallery Detail by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

On our way up the canyon we came across some calm water in Barrier Creek that made for some interesting reflection photos.


Barrier Creek Reflection by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The ranger we spent the day with talks with the two other people in our group.


Ranger Guided Hike by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Next stop was the Horseshoe Gallery. Here's an overview of the main panel found here, followed by a few closeup photos.


Horseshoe Gallery by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr


Man's Best Friend by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr


Horseshoe Gallery Figures by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr


Horseshoe Gallery Spirits by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr


Horseshoe Gallery View by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Above the Horseshoe Gallery we visited some more pictographs and petroglyphs that I had managed to miss on my previous trip here, including this newer hunting scene.


Horseshoe Hunter by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Also found up there was this groove in one of the sandstone slabs, which alone wasn't very interesting, but these drilled holes inside are something I have not seen before. I wonder why they are there?


Small Holes by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The next stop up the canyon was at the Alcove Gallery. These pictographs are located in the back of a very large alcove, but they are also some of the most damaged, too. There are a few historic inscriptions right over part of this panel.


Historic Inscriptions by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Here's a closer look at a few of the figures that were spared from the inscriptions.


Alcove Gallery Detail by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A very unusual horned anthropomorph found in the alcove.


Horned Anthropomorph by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Here's another large panel in the alcove that is pretty well faded.


Fading Spirits by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Looking out from the alcove into Horseshoe Canyon.


Alcove View by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

 

[IntrepidXJ]

The last stop in the canyon for us was at the very impressive Great Gallery. This is just part of the very large pictograph panel. Click the image to view a much larger sized version on Flickr.


Great Gallery Panelramic by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Here's a few figures found high above and to the left of the main part of the Great Gallery.


Big Man by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A closeup of the smaller figure pictured above.


Small Man by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

I was looking forward to seeing and photographing these small pictographs that are hidden behind the rockfall near the main panel. In order to view these small pictographs, you need to climb up the rock pile which requires a park ranger to open the gate and let you up there. If you look closely, you can see that the heads of all of these figures have been pecked out for some reason.


Pecked Out by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

An overview of the famous Holy Ghost Panel.


Holy Ghost Alcove by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A closer look.


Holy Ghost Panel by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Here's one with me in it for scale which was taken by Lisa.


Holy Ghost & I by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The following photos show many of the different and interesting anthropomorphic figures found at the Great Gallery.


Great Gallery Wall by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr


Great Gallery Scene by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr


Great Gallery Ghosts by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The faint line of sheep in this portion of the panel reminds me of the Ascending Sheep Panel in the San Rafael Swell.


Horseshoe Ascending Sheep by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr


Along the Crack by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

This large figure reminds me of one found at the Ekker Site in the San Rafael Swell.


Man & Dog by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A view down Horseshoe Canyon as we hiked back to the trailhead.


Horseshoe Canyon by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

I also stopped to take a photo of this dinosaur track on our way out of the canyon.


Horseshoe Dino Track by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

I was originally planning on camping in the area and spending another day searching for new rock art, but the road I wanted to take was washed out. In the end I decided to just head back home and call it a day trip.

>> Return to the Great Gallery Photo Gallery

 

[nwoods]

Absolutely fantastic.

 

[cnynrat]

We've visited here twice, the second time with the benefit of taking the ranger guided hike. It never fails to amaze me. Great photos!

 

[MTBMark]

When I was there a about a month ago I also did the guided tour and the ranger I was with said the he thought the holes might have been added by cowboys in the area by using spent shell casings.

Thanks for the posts btw, always look forward to your threads.

 

[Moody]

Great photos, I love it down there. There are other things in that canyon system as well.

Is the fence at the Great Gallery not there anymore?

 

[IntrepidXJ]

Is the fence at the Great Gallery not there anymore?

It's still there, but if you are there with a ranger they will open the gate and let you get closer.

 

[Moody]

Nice! I haven't ever been there when a ranger was there...

 

[IntrepidXJ]

Until this trip I hadn't either. I specifically went on a ranger-guided hike this time so I could get up close and personal with the Great Gallery, even though I usually prefer to explore on my own.

Nice! I haven't ever been there when a ranger was there...

 

[cchoc]

Very nice, thanks. My wife and I went some years ago in July and she still hasn't forgiven me. I want to go back in cooler weather but even then may have to go by myself - she really hated the walk back up in the sand, and also that it was 111 degrees when we got back to the top.

 

[katuah]

There's a fence?


EDIT: When I was last there in, uh, maybe 2003? I don't recall any fencing. We were there in March, and no one else was around, although we did pass two small groups of hikers on the way in. I had to search around to find the info box. This was right around the time of the whole Aron Ralston incident, I think.

 

[IntrepidXJ]

There's a fence?

There's a little chain fencing in front of the Great Gallery....I have no idea when it was placed there. You are not supposed to climb up to the gallery anymore unless there is a ranger present.

 

[cnynrat]

There's a little chain fencing in front of the Great Gallery....I have no idea when it was placed there. You are not supposed to climb up to the gallery anymore unless there is a ranger present.

The chain was there in November 2009 when we made our first visit, so it's been there for at least that long.