Moab Area Rock Art VI
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Yellow Comet Alcove
On Saturday, Jackson and I headed back to the Moab area to hike to the Yellow Comet pictographs. After researching a way to reach them, I found that there were two different routes down into the canyon. The closest route is supposed to be difficult to find if you don’t already know where it is, plus there is supposed to be a very tricky section that I didn’t like the sound of. Luckily, I managed to find another route down into the canyon, but the hike in the canyon would be about 6 miles longer. A few weeks back I stopped by the area to see if I could find the route down and did manage to find it. This time, I parked the Jeep as close as I could to the route down and we set off on our hike.
It was a short cross-county hike to the way down. The route down is a very old constructed cow trail. At some point in the past, an unknown person created this trail by drilling holes into the sandstone and pounding in steel bars. Rock, stones, branches and dirt were used to build a trail on top of these steel bars. There’s not much left of the trail, but it was still possible for us to get down even if it was a little tricky in places.
After scrambling down some large boulders and steep scree the rest of the way, we were soon in the wash at the bottom and the rest of the hike was much easier.
After a few more miles we reached the large alcove that houses the Yellow Comet pictographs.
A photo of the panel with Jackson standing under it for scale…
A large-but-faint life-sized petroglyph of a zoomorph nearby. If you look closely, you might be able to find some other very faint petroglyphs on this wall, too.
A very faint petroglyph of an anthropomorph. This one kind of makes me wonder if there wasn’t a painted figure here that is now gone, but the scratched designs have remained?
This large, life-sized anthropomorph guards the largest alcove.
Here’s Jackson for some scale.
After exploring the large alcove, having some lunch and taking plenty of photos it was time to start hiking back to the Jeep. Near the end of our hike, we had to climb back up the old cow trail again.
Jackson climbing back up the old ‘cow trail’
After reaching the Jeep again, we still had some more time before we were ready to grab some dinner, so we stopped at the Snake-in-Mouth alcove for some photos.
While in the alcove, I stumbled across a boulder that had some very faint petroglyphs on it. I have not seen any like this before…..they seem to be darker than the rock itself….very unique!
The larger dark figure just to the left of the center looks like a gorilla walking in profile to me….
A closer look at the spiral on the right side of the boulder.
We also made a quick stop at the Centipede Alcove…
When we finished up there, we headed into town for some burgers from the Moab Brewery before heading home.
Check out my other posts in the Moab Area Rock Art Series:
Moab Area Rock Art I | Colorado River Gorge / Golf Course / Kane Creek
Moab Area Rock Art II | Kane Creek Canyon & Potash Road
Moab Area Rock Art III | Mill Creek Canyon / Kane Creek / Bartlett Panel
Moab Area Rock Art IV | The Secret Grotto & More
Moab Area Rock Art V | Hidden Valley & Behind the Rocks
Moab Area Rock Art VI | Yellow Comet Alcove
Moab Area Rock Art VII | Solstice Snake
Moab Area Rock Art VIII | Dark Angel Petroglyphs
Moab Area Rock Art IX | Mill Creek Canyon