Dragonfly Canyon

Udink

Still right here.
Joined
Jan 17, 2012
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For our second incursion of the weekend into the Canyonlands region, the group did a shorter ride and longer hike than we'd done the previous day to the Harvest Scene. The objective this time was Dragonfly Canyon, where we visited several caves/alcoves and the fabulous Dragonfly pictograph panel. We parked the bikes and hiked quite a distance before actually dropping into the canyon. Once in the watercourse it was fairly easy hiking, though we encountered many full pools of water along the way.


Parking spot
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Hiking into the canyon
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Sundog
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Wild burros
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Dragonfly Canyon
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One of many pools in the canyon
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The first point of interest that we visited was a pair of alcoves that held some granaries and rock art. The alcove on the left contained many slab-lined granaries, along with some inscriptions and grinding stones. The right alcove revealed a small incised glyph on a ground-smooth surface on the ceiling. There were a few other similar prepared surfaces but with no glyphs on them. A couple more grinding stones were present in the second alcove.


Two alcoves that each hold something special
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Ooh, a pretty rock!
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E. Musselman, 10-24-??
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Grinding stone
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Slab-lined granary
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Fingerprint details in the mortar
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Slab-lined granary
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Alan in the second alcove
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Grinding stone
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View out the alcove
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Incised figure
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After leaving the twin alcoves, we stayed high and contoured above the bottom of the canyon, which allowed us to spot another cave/alcove. We wouldn't have seen it from the main watercourse of Dragonfly Canyon. This one required some climbing to access it, made easier by earlier sheepherders who had stacked dead trees against the cliff. Both inside and outside the alcove were inscriptions from early sheepherders, along with yet more grinding stones left by the Fremont or perhaps earlier cultures. Quite unusual was, among signed and dated inscriptions, the words "LOOK OUT" inscribed faintly among the other writings.


Another alcove in the distance
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Climbing into the alcove
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P. Moynier 1904
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Climbing into the alcove
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Grinding stone
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H. Moynier 1937
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Joe Lavigne 1910 (with "LOOK OUT" above)
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A. Carnier 1910
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Eddyjo Ekker 1941 28 August
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J. Garnier 1910
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Along the way to our final planned stop I spotted an unusual petroglyph on a boulder in the bottom of the canyon. It consisted of a long horizontal line with two curving diagonal lines, one of which had a couple of small bisecting lines. A map, perhaps? On the final stretch toward the Dragonfly panel I found a Canon polarizer and a fairly large four-point deer antler, both of which I packed out of the canyon. I thoroughly enjoyed my second visit to the Dragonfly panel. Once again, I spent more time admiring the rock art than just taking photos of it. The tiny details still amazed me, however.


Unusual petroglyph on a boulder in the watercourse
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Dragonfly panel
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Dragonflies
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Dragonfly and another figure
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Holding a tiny animal figure
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Whispering weiner dog
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Antennae figure
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Insect
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Rabbit
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Dragonfly and another tiny figure
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Slab-lined granaries
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During the long hike out of the canyon the group spotted at least a couple of other spots that would be worthy of exploration. We didn't have time to check them out on this trip, but they're on my to-do list for future explorations.


Hiking out of the canyon
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Another alcove that we had to pass up
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Seep below a large overhang
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My shadow on the exit hike
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Photo Gallery: Dragonfly Canyon
 
Those are some really cool pictographs and petrogylphs. Also, VERY neat to see the finger impressions in the mortar. I've looked before for info on the location of the Dragonfly Panel. In spite of coming up a little short so far, I really like that it's not highly publicized so all of the artifacts and artwork stay preserved. Thanks very much for sharing!
 
Wow! This is one of the most interesting posts I have seen here. That first incised figure is Barrier Canyon style rock art and incised BC glyphs are somewhat rare in my experience. The Dragonfly pictographs, also clearly BC, and show some stylistic association with nearby Moki Princess. Then there is the Ekker signature. The Ekkers ran sheep in the Maze District in the 1930's and 40's. Most here know of Ekker Butte in the Maze. Lastly the granary has more in common with a Basket Maker storage cyst then a Puebloan granary. Also rare. I'm going next Spring for sure.
 
Wow, that's pretty amazing. This is going on my list of places to see for sure, thanks for sharing!
 
You guys are killing me !!! My hip is rapidly failing me, day by day. How far is the actual hike into the dragonfly panel ?
 
Those are some really cool pictographs and petrogylphs. Also, VERY neat to see the finger impressions in the mortar. I've looked before for info on the location of the Dragonfly Panel. In spite of coming up a little short so far, I really like that it's not highly publicized so all of the artifacts and artwork stay preserved. Thanks very much for sharing!
Did you ever get to the Dragonfly panel ?
 
One must replace the hip to reverse the kill.
The hike is about 4 miles in ....if you go in from the closet spot. My back and knee are giving me issues, but 30 mg of prednisone gave me the power to make it in and out...
 
Wow! This is one of the most interesting posts I have seen here. That first incised figure is Barrier Canyon style rock art and incised BC glyphs are somewhat rare in my experience. The Dragonfly pictographs, also clearly BC, and show some stylistic association with nearby Moki Princess. Then there is the Ekker signature. The Ekkers ran sheep in the Maze District in the 1930's and 40's. Most here know of Ekker Butte in the Maze. Lastly the granary has more in common with a Basket Maker storage cyst then a Puebloan granary. Also rare. I'm going next Spring for sure.
Did you ever make it to Dragonfly ?
 
Did you ever get to the Dragonfly panel ?
Nope! Haven't been to Utah since I moved last July. Honestly not sure when I'll get out toward that panel anytime soon. Glad to hear you were able to find it! Great work!
 
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