Going With The Flow —  Spring 2022 Rock Art Trip (Part 2)

Prologue…

For quite some time I have entertained the notion that someday I would take a raft trip down the San Juan River and see some of the rock art and archaeology along that corridor, including sites south of the river on Navajo Reservation land.  Although I had been to the Bluff Area many times, I just never got around to looking into a raft trip.  That changed in early 2022 when I started poking around on the internet trying to figure out the best outfit to take an archaeology based trip with on the San Juan River.  As I recall, I googled San Juan River Raft Trip and petroglyphs and up popped the website of Tsé Kooh Outfitters, and the specifics on their “Water and Rocks” trip scheduled for late April of 2022.  When I read “Join Tsé Kooh Outfitters and recognized archeologist, rock art specialist and author Carol Patterson…” it looked to me like this is just the trip that I had been looking for.  Of course, I knew Carol Patterson by reputation and had read some of her work, so I was certainly excited about the possibility of going on this trip.  I contacted Cody Little, owner of Tsé Kooh and in short order signed up for the trip.  Cody indicated that in addition to Carol Patterson there would be other archaeologists on the trip and that some of them were going to be doing some research into the acoustical characteristics and anomalies of some of the sites that we would be visiting.  He also stated that he had permits to hike up Chinle Wash on the Navajo Reservation and I found that prospect quite intriguing. 

With the Tsé Kooh rafting trip set as the crown jewel of the trip, I began to fill in the details of the time I would be spending on the way up and back to the Four Corners/Bluff area.  There were a number of sites that I wanted to visit along the way so I began planning in earnest.  In short order, I had the trip pretty much planned and reservations and arrangements in place.  What follows is my account of this trip.  I have divided my blog into four parts, as follows:  1. Getting There; 2) A Few Days in Bluff; 3) Water and Rocks Rafting Trip; and 4) The Trip Home.  I hope you get a sense of the many wonderful people and places I experienced on this trip through my words and photographs.  So, without further fanfare, here is “Part 2–  A Few Days In Bluff”!

Part 2 — A Few Days In Bluff

Saturday, April 23, 2022 — Montezuma Canyon

I left Farmington in the rear view mirror on Saturday, April 23, 2022 and headed north to spend the day exploring Montezuma Canyon.  You can enter Montezuma from the north, by heading east on a road just south of Monticello, Utah.  Or you can enter the canyon from the south, with access on a road that heads east out of Blanding, Utah.  I had planned to enter from the south entrance near Blanding, wanting to explore the Montezuma Creek petroglyph sites first, in the morning sun.  Unfortunately, I missed my turn (onto Hwy 160 north of Shiprock, from Hwy 491 North) and ended up going through Cortez, Dove Creek, and Monticello.  But that was ok, because I always enjoy the beautiful scenery along the northern route into Utah.  I stopped in Monticello for gas, and bought a couple of salads for my dinners the next two nights.

Shortly before Blanding, I stopped at Recapture Reservoir to stretch my legs.  It was a beautiful morning to take a walk at a beautiful lake, the largest in San Juan County. 

In short order I passed through Blanding and turned east, headed for the south end of Montezuma Canyon.  My first stop was at the Montezuma Creek Petroglyph Site, which is the largest rock art site in the canyon, covering over a quarter of a mile of canyon wall and a number of panels.

I spent a couple of hours walking the ledges at the Montezuma Creek site and also explored the area around the bend (past the corral), finding one small panel with a couple of spirals.  I then headed up canyon to the Covered Wagon Ruin, a small site with only one wall remaining and a panel of petroglyphs that features the namesake image of a covered wagon.  

Next on my list of the sites I wanted to visit was the “Watched Over Ruin”,  with its namesake petroglyph “watching over” the ruins below.  This little site also has some other interesting petroglyphs associated with the ruins. 

Next, I had hoped to visit the “Two Shields Ruin”, named for two large shield pictographs.  Unfortunately, it was not meant to be —  I just couldn’t find a way to cross the creek/wash without getting very muddy and wet.  I knew my schedule was tight anyway, so after walking up and down the wash for quite a way and finding no way to cross, I finally gave up and moved on to the Three Kiva Pueblo. 

I didn’t stay long, but I am glad I took time to make a brief stop at Three Kiva Pueblo.  I never get tired of climbing down into kivas, especially those that have been as nicely rehabilitated as this one!

Not far up canyon from the Three Kiva Pueblo is a small site with a couple of ruins.  One is called “The Double Granaries” and the other is called “High Ruin”.  I made a quick stop and took some photos, but since there was no rock art to be seen, I didn’t stay long. 

My next stop was a large site known as the Bradford Canyons Ruins.  There are multiple well preserved structures on several different ledges/levels of a sweeping canyon wall.  While there are a few pictographs down low in an area protected with wooden rails, I studied my photos of the canyon walls and found no other pictographs or petroglyphs.  There are probably some up there, but I didn’t think it wise to try to climb the high ledges of this extensive site.  I enjoyed my stop at this beautiful spot in Montezuma Canyon!

I followed up my visit to the expansive Bradford Canyon Ruins site with a stop at one of the most photographed spots in Montezuma Canyon:  The Honeycomb Ruin.  This little structure is very well preserved and framed with some interesting geology that resembles a honeycomb.  The sandstone weathers in this fashion due to salt deposits that dissolve in a manner that forms the honeycomb effect.  I love this little ruin!

On my way to my last site of the day, I spotted a small ruin and climbed up to it.  It is difficult to see from the road since it is obscured by vegetation and in an unusual position on the canyon wall.  Just one of many little granaries in Montezuma Canyon that are easy to overlook!

The last archaeological site I visited during my day in Montezuma Canyon was a petroglyph panel known as the Shaman Panel.  The panel has a number of anthropomorphic figures and a large element that some identify as the Spider Woman from the Hopi creation story.  In any event, it was a beautiful panel that I enjoyed sitting in front of and pondering as the evening shadows began to creep into Montezuma Canyon.  My photos don’t do this site justice but I hope they give you some sense of this sacred place.

After my visit with the Shaman Panel, it was time to continue northward, and, eventully, out of Montezuma Canyon.  This part of the canyon was quite different than most of the landscapes I had encountered to the south —  it was on a much larger scale, and quite grand in spots, with shear, colorful bands of sandstone that were both magical and magnificent. And, if the natural landscapes were not enough, there were fascinating man made additions along some of the canyon walls.  There were large alcoves, some appeared natural, some were definitely made by modern machinery and means, and all were unique in their purpose, whether that be storage or habitation.  I will let my pictures tell their unusual and unexpected story. 

As I exited Montezuma Canyon and headed south toward Bluff, I had mixed feelings about my day in the canyon.  On one hand, I am very grateful I got to spend a day in this amazing and beautiful place.  On the other hand, it almost seemed disrespectful, the way I dashed from site to site, with almost no time for contemplation or exploration.  And I was saddened by the realization that I will probably never set foot in Montezuma Canyon again.  But, I guess, you never know!

I made it to Bluff just as the sun was setting and checked in to the Recapture Lodge.  It felt like I was home.  When I am in Bluff I try to stay at Recapture if possible.  The folks that own and run it are so nice and kind, and it has a cozy, comfortable feel that is hard to beat.  I enjoyed a dinner of the salad I had bought in Monticello that morning, along with some avocado and cucumber from home.  My head hit the pillow that night with dreams of Comb Ridge!

Sunday, April 24, 2022 — Comb Ridge, From Bottom To Top

I was up early on Sunday morning, excited to spend the day on Comb Ridge.  It had been a long time since I had spent any time in this wonderful place and I was raring to go.  My primary objective for the day was to visit the iconic Procession Panel.  How I had never made it to Procession is a mystery, because it has always been high on my list of places to visit on Comb Ridge.  But logistics required that I carefully order my day according to the locations of trailheads along Butler Wash Road.  Therefore, my first stop of the day would be the Double Stack Ruin, since I would reach that trailhead first.  

Double Stack Ruins

After a brief stop to get my day use permit, I headed north on Butler Wash Road (which was in pretty good shape this trip) for approximately 3.9 miles to the Double Stack trailhead.  I parked, then set out to hike to the site.  It was a pleasantly scenic hike, and not very difficult.  

As I approached the alcove where the Double Stack Ruin was located, the first part of the site that was visible was the upper ruin, a large rectangular structure that is “stacked” above and on top of the main site. 

As I progressed further into the alcove, the lower level ruin of Double Stack gradually came into view.  The most prominent feature of the lower level ruins is a high section of standing wall– its doorway and two higher up smaller openings almost make it look like it has a face.  There are a number of other partial structures on the lower level, which is surrounded by a log fence to keep the cattle out.  There was a lot to explore at Double Stack!

To the left of the high standing wall there was an area of what appeared to be storage structures, with little steps and toeholds built in.  Above this area there were a large number of hand pictographs in red, yellow, and white. 

In addition to the masonry structures and handprint pictographs, there were numerous metates/grinding slicks at Double Stack, along with pottery sherds, lithics, and interesting chinking on the masonry work.

I had arrived at the Double Stack trailhead at 7:15 a.m. Sunday morning.  It took about three hours to hike to the site, explore, then hike back to my vehicle.  It was time well spent —  this site had a little bit of everything and was well worth the hike!  But now it was time to see if I could find the Procession Panel.  I drove about 2.6 more miles north on Butler Wash Road (6.7 miles total from blacktop) to reach the procession trailhead.

The Procession Panel

I left the Procession trailhead about 10:30 a.m., headed for the site.  I knew it would be a long, slow climb up to the site, which sits high atop a majestic viewpoint  near the top of Comb Ridge.  My hike started slowly as it seemed to take an awful long time to navigate the wash and began the trek up the sometimes steep slickrock slope.  About half way up, I began to see dark rain clouds near the top of the ridge and my destination.  Fortunately, the rain stayed away and I eventually made my way to the top of Comb Ridge and the Procession Panel.  

The route finding and climbing was done.  I was about to make the final short climb, turn the corner, and experience the Procession Panel.  Would I be disappointed, or exhilarated??!

The Procession Panel is magnificent in size, in scope, and in its placement on the landscape.  There are 179 figures in three lines marching toward a circle that some scholars think represents a Great Kiva.  A work of art this grand, and this important, takes up a lot of space.  It is difficult to photograph the Procession Panel because of its massive size and length.  The next three photos break the panel into three parts (left, center, and right) in an attempt to show you more detail in the panel.

I am prone to getting my hopes up, then being disappointed.  I was expecting to be disappointed by the Procession Panel.  I was not disappointed — in fact, this magnificent work of art exceeded my expectations in every possible regard.  I was walking on clouds of happiness as I descended Comb Ridge that day.  It will be a day that I will always cherish and that I will never forget!

Split Level Ruin

Next up on the agenda was a visit to Split Level Ruin.  The trailhead was another 2.9 miles north of the Procession Panel Trailhead (for a total of 9.6 miles from black-top), so it didn’t take me long to find myself there, ready for yet another hike on Comb Ridge. I was really looking forward to visiting this site, and seeing the unique petroglyphs and pictographs that were reportedly to be found there. 

After hiking through the wash I followed a double track toward a grove of cottonwood trees and then dropped down into the canyon where the Split Level Ruin is located.  Not long after heading up the canyon there is a large boulder on the right that has a few red pictographs on it. 

After looking at and photographing the red hand pictographs, I continued up the canyon until I reached the Split Level Ruin site.  I took a trail up to the right that offered a good view of both levels of the site.  On the upper level, there is a large intact structure and a couple of partial walls, and some interesting green pictographs.  The ruins on the lower level are attached to and made part of several very large boulders. 

The upper level of ruins at the Split Level Site is not accessible, but several pictographs can be seen and photographed from below.  The most impressive are two large green and white pictograph that are closed circles, and resemble targets.  The third large pictograph has only green paint and looks like a half circle with with a smaller complete circle inside of it.  Besides these three large pictographs, there are two red handprints and five other small red elements nearby.

The lower level of the Split Level Ruin Site has an amazing array of features to explore and experience.  First, there is an incredibly large number of metates/grinding slicks, bedrock mortars, and incised sharpening grooves.  It seems like every nook and cranny had these features. 

The Split Level site also had an interesting assortment of pictographs and petroglyphs, as well as miscellaneous artifacts, such as pottery sherds and corn cobs.  I enjoyed looking at all this site had to offer!  

Below are photos of some of the petroglyphs at the Split Level Site.  Some were on boulders within the footprint of the site while others were on the wall along the eastern approach to the site.  There was very little patina on the rock surfaces so the petroglyphs were difficult to see and photograph. 

I enjoyed the several hours I spent at the Split Level Ruin Site.  I am very happy that I took the time to visit this wonderful place!  From Split Level I headed to my last stop of the day, The Big Feet Petroglyph Panel.

Big Feet Petroglyph Panel

From Split Level I headed north to visit the Big Feet Panel, which is located near the top of Comb Ridge off of Posey’s Trail.  I had to make a little bit of a hike to get to this site, since the road to the trailhead was truly a four wheel drive affair.  The panel was interesting, and the landscape and view was spectacular!

After exploring the area around the Big Feet Panel I hiked back to my car.  I drove the short distance to the Tower Ruin trailhead.  I walked to the point where you must make a steep descent down to the ruin and decided that I would need to save that site for another time.  The temperature was dropping and the wind had picked up and, quite frankly, it had been a very long day with lots of hiking, and I wasn’t sure I would have the daylight nor the energy to make the climb back up to my vehicle.  So I called it a day and headed to the comfort of my room at Recapture Lodge.

Monday, April 25, 2022 — One Last Day of Exploring Before Joining The Tse Kooh Rafting Trip

I had one last day before joining up with the folks at Tse Kooh Outfitters for our rafting trip.  I decided to spend the first part of my day visiting a couple of spots on the west side of Comb Ridge north of Highway 95, before heading up past the Bears Ears to try to visit the Doll House site.  I left Recapture Lodge around 6:30 a.m. and found myself at the trail head for my first site of the day, the Walnut Knob Petroglyph Site.  The weather was clear and brisk and in no time I had climbed up to the site.  Walnut Knob is a beautiful spot, with several interesting petroglyph panels that I spent about an hour and a half exploring.  

After finishing up at Walnut Knob, I decided to pay a quick visit to the ruin near the head of Arch Canyon, since it was so close by.  So I headed due north across the slickrock and in short order I made it to the south rim of Arch Canyon.  From the rim, I could see the Arch Canyon ruin along the north wall of the canyon. 

As I walked along the rim toward the mouth of Arch Canyon I got a better view of the ruin.  I also could see across the mouth of Arch Canyon over to Comb Ridge and the canyon that Posey’s Trail takes as it comes down from the ridge (the area I had been yesterday evening). 

Once I got near the mouth of Arch Canyon, I found a path down from the rim and began to make my way to the ruin.  After crossing the creek a few times (I was surprised at how much water was in the canyon) I made it to the ruin.  There are just a few walls standing, but there are some nice petroglyphs and a few pictographs at the site.

After finishing up at Arch Canyon I headed toward Natural Bridges National Monument and the road that I hoped would take me to the trailhead for “The Dollhouse”.  This ruin has been on my radar for a long time, but it requires an extremely long drive up to and beyond the Bears Ears, so I had never budgeted the time to try to visit.   But, alas, it was not to be.  The road was fine until I got up to the higher elevations past the Bears Ears.  Then I started seeing a little snow by the side of the road and the road was starting to have wet, slick areas that were a little disconcerting.  I knew that there would be some steep drop-offs as I got closer to the Doll House Site, and I was worried about being able to negotiate these areas if the road got much worse.  I began seeing a lot more snow near the road and I was encountering more and more slick spots.  Eventually, I found myself at a point in the road where it was completely covered with wet, slushy snow and I knew it was too dangerous to proceed under these conditions in this remote area. 

On the drive back down from the Bears Ears and my aborted attempt to reach The Doll House, I decided to stop in at Natural Bridges National Monument.  Originally I had planned to spend at least a full day trying to find some sites that have eluded me over the years (The Remnant Panel, The Shoe, The Red Bear, and the Big Foot Ruins), but I had to cut those items from my itinerary.  I stopped at the visitor’s center and checked in.  I then drove on the loop to the Horse Collar Ruin overlook where I walked out to the canyon edge and took a few photos of the ruin from above.  I had visited the ruin several times by hiking to it from the canyon floor, but had never taken any pictures from up high on the overlook. 

After visiting the Horse Collar Ruin Overlook I drove on down to the Owachomo Bridge Trailhead.  I knew I didn’t have the time (or energy, for that matter) to take a long hike, but I thought I knew the right trail to take me to the Big Foot Ruin, which is supposedly not far from Owachomo Bridge.  I guess I was wrong, because the trail I took never looked right and I did not find the ruin I was looking for.  I hadn’t bothered to prepare an offline GPS map, so rather than wander around in the hot canyon, I decided to call it a day. Maybe next time Bigfoot!

I had arranged to meet Cody Little of Tsé Kooh Outfitters early that evening at his shop in Bluff to pick up my dry bags.  So on the way home from Natural Bridges I stopped by and introduced myself and got my dry bags so I could pack that night for the rafting trip that lay ahead.  After a steak at the Cottonwood Steakhouse, I headed back to the Recapture Lodge to pack up my gear and get a good nights sleep.  

Well, that is the end of Part Two of my Spring 2022 Rock Art Trip.  Part Three covers the four days I spent with Tsé Kooh Outfitters rafting and hiking along the San Juan River.  To go directly to Part Three, click the button below.

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