Hidden Valley & Moab Rim Loop

[IntrepidXJ]

Moab Area Rock Art XVI
Saturday, December 17, 2011

The Original Trip Report on ADVENTR.CO

On Saturday, Marty and I set out to hike the Hidden Valley and Moab Rim Loop. We had both hiked Hidden Valley before, and driven the Moab Rim trail in our Jeeps, but we both had wanted to hike the whole loop in one shot. Not only so we could enjoy the scenery on a nice winter day, but also so that we could revisit some rock art sites and hopefully find some new ones.

There was a layer of snow on the ground in Hidden Valley, but once we got up above the pass there wasn't much of it.


Hidden Valley by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

There are many excellent petroglyphs found in the Hidden Valley area, but this figure is one of my favorites.


Inside by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A wider view of the panel.


Inside Out Panel by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Another nice panel with a long line of sheep petroglyphs.


Line of Sheep by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Marty checks out the line of sheep.


Marty & Sheep by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Here's a higher panel I missed on my previous visit. There are a lot of sheep in a line around here.


High Sheep by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A nice view from up on the Moab Rim.


Partition by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A small line of backpackers march along this panel. I guess it's not only sheep that are lined up up here.


Backpackers Panelramic by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

This panel of sheep, elk and fighting men glows nicely from reflected light in the afternoon.


Afternoon Glow by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Here's another petroglyph I missed on my last visit here. Another nice snake petroglyph high above. There's actually a second smaller snake to the left, but it's hard to make out from this angle.


Hidden Valley Serpents by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

There's a few maze-like petroglyphs found in this interesting panel. Since the Behind the Rocks area is like a giant maze, I'd say it's pretty fitting.


Maze Setting by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After leaving the Hidden Valley trail, we searched for some new rock art panels as we hiked to the Moab Rim trail. This nice elk petroglyph was part of an amazing panel we found along the way.


Moab Rim Elk by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Here's a few basketmaker anthropomorphs found in the same area.


Basketmaker Anthropomorphs by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

I'm not sure what the flying creature is at the top left of this photo, but it looks like there's a few more similar figures below it.


Flying Creature by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Here's a view from below of this panel. While I was able to get up on the ledge where thses petroglyphs were carved, it was too narrow to get a good overview of the panel from up there.


Ledge Panel by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

One more photo of the large lone elk.


Lone Elk by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

As we searched around for more petroglyphs, we came across a few old ruins, which was a nice surprise. They sure had a great view from up here.


Structure by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

We found these three faint petroglyphs that might depict cranes.


Three Faint Cranes by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

This was a difficult panel to see, let alone photograph. We actually walked by it twice before realizing it was there. The most interesting part to me is the line of stick-figures at the bottom. Some appear to have duck-heads similar to many petroglyphs found further south, and a few also appear to have horns or headdresses.


Duckhead Line? by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Just another panel we found nearby. There were many names carved by CCC workers in the area.


CCC Panel by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

I spotted this panel high above on a large spire and saw no way to reach it at first, so I took a few photos with my long lens. However, after searching the area some more, I scrambled up a steep chute and ended up right next to the panel after all. That's where I took this photo from.


The Spire Panel by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A view back at the Moab Rim trail that we were hiking along. We saw no vehicles on the trail all day.


Moab Rim Trail by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

An overlook of Moab, Spanish Valley, Mill Creek Canyon and the La Sal Mountains.


Hazy View Over Moab by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Hiking down the Moab Rim Trail was pretty rough on the legs, and I think next time I hike this loop I will start here and end at the Hidden Valley trailhead. When we reached the parking area at the bottom, I took Marty to pick up his Jeep, grabbed a bite to eat, and then headed home again.

On my drive home I had to stop for one last photo. I seem to drive by the Fisher Towers almost weekly and rarely do I stop for a photo anymore, but the light was hitting them nicely as I drove by this time so I grabbed my camera and took this photo.


Fisher Towers Sunset by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

We couldn't have asked for a better December hike near Moab. Not only was the weather nice and mild, but we also managed to visit quite a few petroglyphs along the way.

>> Moab Area Rock Art XVI Photo Gallery