Canyonlands National Park: Horseshoe Canyon
This 7.1-miler in redrock country showcases art you'll never see in a big-city gallery--some of the world's best-preserved pictographs and petroglyphs.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
This 7.1-mile out-and-back hike surrounds you with some ancient cave drawingsTK. In the first mile of this hike, you’ll descend about 500 feet. The following 0.4 miles, you’ll continue your descent through ankle-deep sand toward the canyon floor. Watch for cairns here. Once you reach the bottom bordered by massive redrock cliffs, look up and around the canyons around you. Around 1.7 miles into the hike, you’ll climb a sandy slope to the base of the cliffs to view the pictographs.
In Horseshoe Shelter, the walls are covered with rock art painted by nomadic tribes 3,000 years ago. Some intricate panels stand 6 feet tall and show humans, ghostlike figures, and animals. In Alcove Gallery and Great Gallery, you’ll find more life-sized pictographs and petroglyphs on a giant rock canvas. Practice Leave No Trace guidelines: Take photos only and don’t touch or remove archeological objects; it’s against the law.
