Details: The Great Gallery in Horseshoe Canyon

A nice hike to the Great Gallery, a phenomenal Barrier Canyon style rock art panel in a remote, detached unit of Canyonlands National Park.

Horseshoe Canyon

This hike visits some truly amazing rock art panels. Please treat all rock art you discover with reverence and respect so that it may be enjoyed by future generations. Rock art is extremely fragile and easily damaged. Never touch rock panels as the oil on your fingers can speed the erosion of the rock art. Do not vandalize the panels by taking latex mold prints or rubbings from rock art or adding modern additions.

Horseshoe Canyon is part of a detached unit of Canyonlands National Park, added in 1971 to protect the area’s incredible trove of rock art. Access to the canyon is along an old jeep road, built for oil exploration in the 1920’s. If you look across the canyon during the descent you will see portions of the old road climbing up the other side. No oil was found in the area and today the road severs as a good route down into the canyon.

The old road into the canyon starts on the southwest side of the trailhead parking area (see driving directions). Follow the road as is descends on moderate grades across slickrock and dirt, dropping 650-ft. in 1.4 miles to the canyon floor. Along the way pass a water tank used by sheep ranchers at 0.6 miles and vestiges of the piping system used to fill the tank by siphoning water from the canyon’s wash. Just before the water tank on the left side of the trail are fossilized dinosaur tracks surrounded by a small ring of stones.

Upon reaching the canyon floor the trail heads south and then southwest up the canyon, traveling along the wash and its adjacent sandy benches. Soaring sandstone walls tower overhead. Scattered copses of cottonwoods grow along the wash. Depending on the time of year, Barrier Creek, the intermittent stream running along the canyon bottom, may contain isolated pockets of water.

As you proceed down canyon pass a junction with the old road heading up the left (east) side of the canyon. Flooding and washouts have rendered the road unusable to vehicles.

At 1.8 miles look for a side trail heading left (southeast) to the aptly named High Gallery, a rock art panel located high on the canyon’s sandstone wall. The panel’s faded red pictographs depict animals and human figures. Just beyond, on the opposite (right) side of the canyon is the Horseshoe Shelter Gallery, an interesting pictograph panel sheltered by an overhang. The panel includes strange figures and one animal that looks like a dog. Be sure to look for a spur trail heading right to a smaller panel with images of elk, a bison and hunters.

After enjoying these two panels continue wandering along the canyon bottom, keeping an eye out for a large alcove on the right along the canyon’s western wall, 2.4 miles from the trailhead. This panel of red pictograph with human-like figures is a little faded and, unfortunately, partially damaged by graffiti.

Beyond the Alcove Panel follow the wash’s twist and turns for 1.2 miles to the canyon’s crown jewel, the Great Gallery, protected by a shallow overhang on the right (northwestern) wall of the canyon, 3.6 miles from the trailhead. This large panel of pictographs and petroglyphs, measuring 200-ft. long by 15-ft high, is considered to be one of the best preserved collections of Barrier Canyon style rock art in the country.

The panel features 20 life size figures without arms and legs, some over 7-ft tall. Many of these figures are drawn with elaborately decorated torsos. In all there are over 80 images, including animals and some unidentifiable objects, depicted in the panel in various shades of red, white and brown.

Visitors should plan on spending some time at the site to admire the panel’s fascinating images. It is interesting to speculate on the origins of the forms in the panel, are they humans, deities, or spirits? What was the canyon’s environment when the images were drawn on the canyon walls? How long ago were the images drawn and etched on the walls? Although the exact date when the images were drawn is not known, the panel is believe to be between 2000 and 4000 years old.

It is hard to pull yourself away from this amazing site. When you do, simply retrace your steps back to your vehicle. Keep in mind you need to climb out of the canyon the return trip.

The best time to hike to the Great Gallery is during the spring and fall when temperatures are milder. Hiking is not recommended during the summer months when temperatures often exceed 100 degrees F. Be sure to carry plenty of water. Do not depend upon finding water along the way.

Be forewarned that you will spend as more time driving to the trailhead than hiking. Parties that enjoy car camping should consider spending a night at Goblin Valley State Park to shorten the trip. Campsites in the park can be reserved at Reserve America.