Petroglyphs, Rock Art, and Caves of Zion and Southern Utah

The “color country” of southern Utah offers stunning scenery, spectacular hiking, challenging climbing, awesome photographic opportunities, and fascinating archaeology and history. A lifetime would not be enough to explore all that this area offers.

Recently my husband and I have visited some locations in southern Utah where we were able to explore a few caves and observe some prehistoric petroglyphs and pictographs. These sites inspire wonder and awe, as we try to imagine why the art was created and what it means. 

Pictographs are painted with pigment, and are more likely to be found
in caves where they are somewhat protected from the elements.

My purpose is to share the wonder of some examples of this prehistoric Native American rock art, that may go back a thousand years or more, and to encourage respect and reverence for these priceless artifacts.

Petroglyphs are carved into the rock

Petroglyphs may be found on exposed rock as in
this example and the image above.

The dramatic, sometimes layered, swirling, twisted, and jumbled rock formations of southern Utah contain some amazing and surprising spaces. A fascinating geologic phenomenon of southern Utah is its wonderful slot canyons. In fact Utah has been said to have the largest concentration of slot canyons of anywhere on earth. I wrote about the Kanarra Creek slot canyon in a previous blog post. 

Kanarra Creek slot canyon near Kanarraville, Utah

Water and wind erosion over long periods of time create both the slot canyons and other fascinating formations like caves. 

Rock formations such as these can contain caves.

In the relatively soft sandstone cliffs there can be hidden entrances to caves formed by erosion of the rock formations. Some of the cliffs and caves contain petroglyphs and pictographs.

Every cave entrance is unique. This one is so narrow
that it can be challenging to squeeze through.

After squeezing through a tight opening in the face of
a cliff,  to access a hidden space in the rock,
the interior of  a cave can sometimes be quite large

Some petroglyph and pictograph sites have attracted vandalism, and so there is increasing interest in protecting them from too much attention. While even the light touch of a finger can leave oils that over time will damage the ancient markings, vandalism has included defacing of the art, damage by off-road vehicles, and even removal of rocks themselves. A well known case of vandalism of petroglyphs in California, in which part of a rock face was actually removed and carted away, was covered by the Los Angeles Times and New York Times in 2013 when the rock panels were recovered. Now, in many cases national park websites and rangers will not officially reveal the locations of ancient Native American rock art.

Petroglyph in southern Utah

I am respecting that caution in this post, so I am not naming the locations of the caves or the rock art shown here.

Rock art can be found throughout southern Utah including areas around Moab, St. George, and in national and state parks. There are undoubtedly hundreds of sites of petroglyphs or pictographs, many or most of them on government land in national and state parks, reserves, and on sites maintained by the Bureau of Land Management. 

Entrance to a cave containing ancient pictographs

These pictographs are near the entrance to a medium sized cave

Close-up of pictographs in cave

Southern Utah has been inhabited for 7,000 years, most of that time pre-dating written history and therefore considered “prehistoric.” Most of the rock art is thought to have been created by the Anasazi, Fremont, and Paiute peoples, over hundreds of years, and some examples may go back a thousand years. It is not unusual for a single site to display art from different periods and peoples.

Photographing some of the pictographs in a cave

This portion of cave wall is covered with pictographs,
some of them quite faint and barely visible.

Research is ongoing to determine the age of various examples of rock art. There seems to be no general agreement by scholars on the meaning of the art, which may depict people, animals, and geometric shapes. Was it ceremonial? Religious? A form of documentation of important events? Related to hunting? There is speculation that some sites may have significance with regard to the lunar calendar, perhaps marking the summer solstice.

Pictograph in cave

Petroglyphs and pictographs are irreplaceable cultural treasures. If you are interested in observing examples of ancient rock art yourself, some internet research, together with local inquiries, including inquiring with park staff, are a good place to start. Please treat any rock art you find with great care and respect - no touching, no food or fires nearby, or any activity that could disturb the art. Follow the well-known saying: “Take only pictures, leave only footprints.”

Hiking Kanarra Creek Canyon to Kanarra Falls

Hiking Kanarra Creek Canyon to Kanarra Falls near Zion National Park is awesome. The red sandstone canyon is gorgeous. The creek runs year-round. Two 10 to 15-foot waterfalls provide a fun challenge to the hiker and are beautiful photo ops.

Kanarra Falls in Kanarra Creek Canyon with ladder and ropes as of November 2013

Entering a slot canyon for the first time takes your breath away. The rich striking colors, dramatic textures, and marvelous light bouncing and reflecting off towering stone walls of the slot canyons of Utah and Arizona are stunning, fascinating and compelling. They can be mesmerizing to a photographer.

Kanarra Creek Slot Canyon

While many slot canyons require some technical equipment and skill in climbing and canyoneering, the hike to Kanarra Falls, on BLM land near the little town of Kanarraville, Utah, is relatively easy by comparison and the canyon is both dramatic and extraordinarily photogenic. So when we saw an eye-catching photo of Kanarra Falls by David J. West and realized we were very close to this canyon, Randy said “let’s check it out,” and I jumped at the chance.

Formed by water erosion over millions of years, usually in sandstone or limestone, slot canyons are known for being extraordinarily narrow and deep. Sometimes they are barely more than a foot wide. They can be 300 feet deep. Their tall rock walls come in all the colors of sandstone from deep reds and oranges through pinks and even purple.

Reflected light makes the red sandstone almost luminous

This particular hike was about 3 miles round trip to the first waterfall, or one could extend the hike another mile round trip to the second waterfall. The hike starts out on a dirt road at the end of which the canyon narrows fairly quickly. From there the trail is not maintained. It consists of paths where people have scrambled up the banks of the creek, over boulders and fallen trees, through brush, and back and forth across the creek. 

Kanarra Creek below the slot canyon section

Winter was getting ready to close in when we hiked to the first waterfall in mid-November, wearing neoprene booties to insulate our feet - which nevertheless became numb from the cold after walking and standing in icy water for a couple of hours. We followed the path of Kanarra Creek, walking in the creek itself much of the time, and along the trails on both sides. I think there was a trail higher up on the hillside that would have been much drier, but we didn’t want to miss seeing any of the canyon or stream bed. 

Setting up for a photo in Kanarra Creek Canyon

A few hundred yards after entering the slot portion of the canyon, we could hear the sound of Kanarra Falls, and then rounded a couple of bends with the towering red sandstone walls above us, to see the waterfall. 

Hiking in the slot portion of Kanarra Creek Canyon

The log “ladder” that guides had warned “may or may not be present” was not only present, but much improved from photos we had seen - though it was not quite as photogenic as the more makeshift ladder of earlier years, with crooked wood pieces nailed onto the log. Who knows what the ladder will look like after another season and a few flash floods! We were too cold, and it was too late in the day, to climb the ladder and go on, so we did not see the second waterfall on this first trip.

A ladder at Kanarra Falls helps the hiker continue upstream

National Geographic’s AllTrails Journal names Kanarra Creek and Kanarra Falls one of the five best slot canyon hikes in southern Utah. One Zion National Park site rightly calls it the "perfect stop for the amateur looking for professional photo opportunities." Some commentators have called this hike a fun and easy family hike, great for kids. Several call it moderate. Canyoneering USA calls it "mild to moderate." The ClimbUtah.com website calls it a “semi-technical canyoneering adventure.” Photographer Joe Braun calls it “fairly strenuous.” 

If you try this hike, you should be in fairly good shape, and definitely expect to get wet. You cannot see the slot portion of the canyon or the waterfalls without walking in the creek. Read a few accounts of the hike online so you have an idea what to expect and what to wear. By all means check the weather and be aware of flash flood danger. Do not hike in the canyon if there is rain anywhere in the forecast!

A few good websites with more information and some great photos are:

Climb-Utah: Canyoneering & Mountaineering: Kanarra Creek

Canyoneering USA: Kanarra Creek

Zion-National Park Kanarra Creek

Utah Trails: Kanarra Creek Canyon

National Geographic AllTrails Journal: Five Best Hikes in Slot Canyons - SW Utah

Joe’s Guide to Zion National Park: Kanarra Creek