I had planned on camping at Cliff Dweller Flat and hiking Eardley Canyon this weekend, but a 30% chance of rain scared me off. The long section of slot canyon in Eardley is no place to be during a storm given its huge drainage area. Instead, I slept in late at home and on Saturday morning made up my mind to hit Nine Mile Canyon once again. There were several sites I wanted to visit: some I’d seen from a distance on my last trip, some I’d gleaned from the internet, and others I learned of from a friend. At the very first site I hiked up to I encountered a small rattlesnake–I heard it before I saw it. The dogs had run past it twice before I realized what the sound was because from a distance it sounded more like an insect. I took the dogs down to the Jeep then hiked alone back up the talus slope to check out the petroglyphs. Funny–the main figure at this panel was a large snake.
The next site was a very short distance down the road and there were quite a few good petroglyphs there. Many of them were obscured by mud or patina, though their original artistry was still evident.
I passed up on hiking to a few sites that I saw and just photographed them from the road on the way to my next destination. The next stop held a few pit houses and some great petroglyphs. My favorite was a large elk that had some lichen growing in its peck marks.
Again, I stopped for some panels that I noticed from the road. I finally found the Santa and Reindeer Panel that was impossibly high on a cliff, though I think I figured out how to get up close to it–something for another trip! I also scrambled up to some granaries and wonderful white snake pictographs that I spotted during my last trip.
My last stop was at the Family Panel. I had been ridiculously close to it last time but didn’t spot it then. This time I had some info from a friend that helped me find it. The dogs were tired of being cooped up in the Jeep–luckily some clouds had moved in and made it possible for me to leave them there safely–and I drove home while consciously trying not to spot more rock art.
I continue to be amazed at your pics & you blogs . Love, love, the petroglyphs …thanks for sharing them!
Thanks, Kim! If you ever find yourself up this way, I’d be happy to take you on a tour. 🙂
Fantastic… As usual. Keep up the great work!!!.
Thanks, Rick! 🙂
Beautiful photos! You really are good at capturing the aspects of Utah I really enjoy. Thanks again for sharing your adventures!
I’m an old guy who’s gotten over a lot of hard hurdles in my life. Though I’ve not seen that particular panel w/ the snake, I’m a virtual, and sometimes in-person, explorer of the area. That exact horned spiral snake in Nine Mile Canyon has become a sort of archetype of “hope” for me. I’ve been a long time looking for a good shot of the spiral snake that I can draw for my first and only tattoo (across an old chemo scar). Thank you for the opportunity to see such beautiful works of art.
Kind regards,
Old Michael (from Tennessee)
Thanks for the comment, Michael! I’ll send you an e-mail with the location of that spiral snake petroglyph–hopefully you’ll be able to see it in person someday.
I have a photo of what you called lots of dots. I called the blue whale. I lost track of where it was in the canyon. Any chance you have any location information on that particular petroglyph? I spent two days in the canyon that trip and came home with over 900 pictures. With the guides I had and data from my cell phone I have good locations for most of my major sites. One shot I am particularly happy with is the Coyote Stars just after dawn. There are two panels just to the left of it that I had never noticed before, ending with a dot matrix on the far left.
Thanks for your help.