Petroglyphs and Pictographs
Petroglyphs at Mesa Verde National Park
Dinosaur National Monument
While the petroglyphs we have previously seen (Mesa Verde and Capitol Reef) were 6 or 8 inches at the most, some in Dinosaur National Monument dwarfed them with many being two to six feet. This lizard is about six feet long and likely took several months to create.
Photos taken 6 July 2024
Swelter Shelter Petroglyphs and Pictographs created by the Fremont Peoples ~ 1000 years ago. Many petroglyphs in this rock alcove (named by the archeologists who excavated it) are also colored and some of the art is drawn rather than carved (pictograph vs, petroglyph)
Swelter Shelter
Vandalized petroglyph with painted stripes
Swelter Shelter Petroglyphs and pictographs
Swelter Shelter petroglyphs and pictographs. the small bighorn sheep at the bottom left was more the size of most of the other petroglyphs we have seen.
Swelter Shelter petroglyphs and pictographs
Larger petroglyphs on walls along Cub Creek. The vase and flowers shaped one was about two and a half feet tall
Bighorn sheep - larger than most other bighorn sheep petroglyphs we've seen
This carving was about three feet tall
Close-up showing how the petroglyphs were carved out of the rock and I didn't notice this until just now, but apparently this is a male.
Even back then the guys were apparently inordinately proud of their private parts. This carving was right near the previous one, and it was as though this artist was saying, "No, THIS is how you depict them!"
More giant petroglyphs farther up Cub Creek. Bob's favorite lizard, which was actually one of the smaller ones at about three feet long. Taken with the zoom lens because it was really high up on the wall.
Large decorative necklace design
There were quite a few lizards carved into this area. these were about two to two and a half feet long
More lizards. Lizards are apparently a relatively unusual petroglyph in the park, except on this wall...
Decorative necklace
Flute player. Not the best lighting, but it does highlight how deeply some of these petroglyphs are chiseled into the rock
Decorative necklace and other designs
Lizard finally perfected at ~six feet long. It likely took several months to carve this petroglyph - I imagine that the rest of the community was saying, "There goes old George carving his lizards again." It looks to me as though there is the beginning of a smaller leg, and the artist(s) decided to make the finished version much larger.
Flute player from a worse angle but better lighting
View of Blue Mountain, Cub Creek, and our van in the parking lot from the Petroglyph trail
Until I looked at this photo, I did not notice the more faint six foot lizard carved into the wall in front of this one.
If you look closely, you can see the large lizard and several other lizards below it. Bob's favorite lizard is behind the juniper tree
The wall from further back. You can still make out the large lizard
Mesa Verde and Capitol Reef Petroglyphs
Easily accessible petroglyphs - Capitol Reef National Park along highway 24 - 10 November 2023
Petroglyphs along Hwy 24 in Capitol Reef National Park - 10 November 2023
More petroglyphs along Hwy 24 in Capitol Reef National Park - 10 November 2023
The one petroglyph we saw in Capitol Gorge, Capitol Reef NP. It was getting dark, so we didn't hike in very far - 9 November 2023
Not technically petroglyphs, but these names were carved into the rock 30 or 40 feet up the canyon wall of Capitol Gorge in Capitol Reef National Park and dated September of 1911. They must have hung down on ropes from the top of the cliff to carve them - 9 November 2023
Close-up of the names carved in 1911 - 9 November 2023
Mesa Verde petroglyphs close-up - 7 November 2023
These petroglyphs at Mesa Verde National Park were up a 2.4 mile loop trail labeled "strenuous." They were NOT kidding. My knees have never recovered. This was actually a fairly large site and this is three photos stitched together - 7 November 2023