Utah State Route 279 snakes along the north bank of the Colorado river. In many places, not more than a few feet from the road are tall, nearly vertical cliffs. About 5 miles from the intersection with US 191 is a rock art site created by ancient native Americans.
This photo looks back along 279. The rock art is not visible in this photo – it’s on the walls to the left and even behind the camera.
Here is a view looking up and across the river. If you look closely, you can see part of the Moab Rim Trail on the other side of the river.
This is the sign discussing the rock art at one of the pull outs.
Much of the rock art is faded and difficult to see, especially when viewed in bright sunlight. It is better to visit during the afternoon when the area is in the shade. Even so, it often takes some looking to see these petroglyphs. I’ve added a lot of contrast in the photos below to make them easier to see.
Group 1:
Group 2:
Group 3:
Group 4:
Group 5:
Group 6:
Group 7 – sadly, there was a lot of modern day graffiti in this area. I’ve cropped some of it away, but there’s some which is still visible.
I found it interesting that the artist depicted the bear’s feet as having numerous long toes.
