where can I take my sort of elderly mother to see some rock art

[dentedvw]

Before she can't see it anymore? I know it sounds like she's dying, but that's not really true, but she's old enough that it's not that far off.
Right, so she can walk, but not climb. She can't walk real far, a mile maybe. This Easter weekend might really be the last chance, she's going back to Michigan and has never seen rock art, or ruins, etc.
Suggestions?

[Iceaxe]

My first three suggestions would be Moab, Moab and Moab.

Moab has at least 100 panels of excellent rock art that are viewable by car or with a very short walk. If you have a real 4x4 you can easily double that number. I'm out of town at the moment but check out the Moab section of climb-utah.com for some suggestions to get you started. If you need more help I would be happy to help you set up a great one day driving trip.

Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

[jman]

Moab is probably your best bet for roadside artwork.

The Parowan gap comes to mind as well.

[Iceaxe]

If you want ruins you need to visit Cedar Mesa. You could put together a great Moab/Ceder Mesa vacation.

Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

[Scott P]

Some of the best rock art sites I can think of:

Newspaper Rock
Dinosaur National Monument (Island/Rainbow Park)
Ninemile Canyon
Thompson Canyon
Buckhorn Wash

The panels at Dinosaur NM are probably the best ones accessible by vehicle (or with only a few feet of walking). Ninemile Canyon has the most numerous ones. Newspaper Rock and Thompson Canyon are some of the best single panels.

As mentioned, Moab does have some very nice panels, but I'd highly recommend that you not visit Easter Weekend. It will be a extremely crowded and traffic will be as bad as it is in Los Angeles (the big Jeep Safari will be then).

For roadside ruins, there are a few in the Cedar Mesa area (Mule Canyon, East Slickhorn, etc.). Beef Basin has many roadside ruins, but Easter may be too early for the road to open and you need a 4wd. Canyonlands has a few roadside ruins in the Needles as well, both on the paved roads and along the 4wd tracks.

Hovenweep National Monument, Chaco Culture National Historic Monument, and Wupatiki National Monument all have good roadside ruins. Walnut Canyon too, but I haven't been there.

[peterb]

You are getting great advice here (as usual). If you are in the Blanding area on your travels, I'd recommend a stop at the Edge of the Cedars Museum. It has the largest collection of Ancestral Puebloan artifacts in the area including the astounding Scarlet Macaw Sash.



They redid the museum several years ago after a sprinkling system malfunction damaged the museum. As part of the rebuilding, renowned rock art expert and artist Joe Pachak was commissioned to cover many of the walls with recreations of rock art. Included is rock art that was lost forever when Lake Powell was flooded.


There are also displays to teach you about the different rock art styles. There is the ruin of an Ancestral Puebloan greathouse on the grounds of the museum as well.




The Edge of the Cedars Museum is a "must see" if you are interested in Ancient Puebloan Culture. The collection of pottery and textiles is jaw dropping.






Also, if you continue south from Blanding to just south of Bluff, you'll find the Sand Island petroglyph site. These extensive panels are easily viewable right from the park road.

http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/prog/mor...nd_island.html

Good on you for getting you mom out there...have a great trip!

[Deathcricket]

Not sure where you are or if it's worth the drive to Saint George for it. But there is some really cool ones in the "Petroglyph Park", and it's roadside. It's basically a rock covered head to toe with markings and they built a little park to keep it preserved.

Edit: Ok google maps embed is broken I guess... Just paste this into your browser window or click this link and it will show the exact spot
https://maps.google.com/?ll=37.052916,-113.615496&spn=0.001258,0.002064&t=h&z=20

[MPH]

Drive to moab via buckhorn wash...awesome panel

[Iceaxe]

What exactly are you after? Do you want to show her some nice rock art and call it good? Or are you looking to spend a weekend trip visiting rock art or just a day? Where do you live? Want something close? You want to see pictograph, petroglyphs or both? Want to see a particular culture?

Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

[DOSS]

I vote for the panel on the north side of the road in Capitol Reef.. simply amazing :)

[dentedvw]

You guys always have the best input.

I am not real familiar with rock art of different cultures, so I wouldn't know which to choose. We have seen very little ourselves. We would be thrilled to see her get out and enjoy it, as she loves to travel, but doesn't get to do it much. She likes to see things like this, but has never been able to until now, only because we live here now.
We plan to "camp" from the van and a tent, it's capable of most rough roads, and we plan to do a couple of days, depending upon how she gets along with the inflatable mattress in a tent. If the first night goes well, hopefully we can spend all three days viewing art, and perhaps that museum as well, because that looks great!
We would bring our own Jeep, but of course the Moab area will indeed be a zoo, so that's for another trip. I am extremely grateful for the suggestions that avoid the Moab area for this reason. We will definitely go back and see more of that another time. We were there canyoneering a few weeks ago down in Moab/Arches and I was excited to see some art right on the side of a road, and a ruin in an alcove at the other end of the day too.

[dentedvw]

Going to Capital reef would be great though, because it's beautiful, and it's a few hours closer than places like Blanding. Six hours in the van is asking a lot of a Grandma and a nine year old, and a wife.
Now, if we could just squeeze in a bit of canyoneering for wife and I.

[peterb]

You are in Woods Cross I assume. With only a couple of days, Capitol Reef would be the most reasonable. I don't know when you're going but the forecast is chilly for camping there right now...especially for your mom. You could stay at Austin's Chuck Wagon if it's too cool.


The petroglyphs there are in great shape and are easily viewable from the boardwalk. If you have some binoculars, they come in handy for checking out the details since you can't approach them. Make sure to follow the boardwalk to discover smaller groupings away from the main panel.



The little schoolhouse and Gifford house are interesting as well.







If you left Capitol Reef to the north through Hanksville back to I-70, you can see the Temple Mountain Pictograph (painted on not chipped in) on the road into Little Wildhorse Canyon. This is a mangificent Barrier Canyon style panel and is visible from the road. You can also park and approach but it is high on the wall above you.

After you leave Hanksville headed toward I-70 the turn toward Goblin Valley SP is about 19 miles. Continue on toward Goblin Valley SP but stay right toward Little Wildhorse. This is all paved so far but goes to dirt as you enter The Swell. Watch on the right side for the panel as you enter the canyons...it comes up quick and is easy to miss.



Well worth a walk over and a look through binocs.



If you have time after that, you should drop by Goblin Valley as well. It is an amusing patch of hoodoos that is level and easy to take a short stroll in among even for your mom.



After that, you could head on up to I-70 and home...a nice scenic loop and you'd see petroglyphs and pictographs.

[Old Jeeper]

How 'bout Fremont Indian State Park? http://www.stateparks.utah.gov/parks/fremont

I've never been there but it sounds like good place to go.

[accadacca]

Did someone vandalize this one? That blows...

[peterb]

If you're talking about the black figures below, I think it was. Since this is right near where a uranium hunting boom town sprang up in the 1950s and 1960s, I suspect someone then did this.

The figure on the left looks like it is a van or truck done in the style of Ed Roth's Rat Fink artwork from that period. To the right of that appears to be a Walkie-talkie handset of the type that was used at that time...or maybe it is an old TV set. Then the little guy holding a geiger counter or microphone.

Disappointing for sure but it could've been worse. All the bullet holes I see in rock art bums me out. At least, when I paint these, I can choose to leave them out...and I do.

[JanetAbruzzi]

Well, these places are great :)

[wnorton]

Well, these places are great :)

I concur. Al these sites are great.



From wnorton using an iPad and Tapatalk HD.

[dentedvw]

I figured I owe a check in and a thanks to all the suggestions. We stopped in at Meadow Hot Springs on the way down. Had a great time there, as usual. Stayed the night in Clear Creek Canyon, then stopped in at Fremont Indian State Park. That was a great suggestion, I even got my mother out on one of the hikes, she even scrambled up the rocky section. I loaned her some BD trekking poles, and it really helped out. She said it's the most she's walked in two years. Whoa.
Then we camped out again in the campground in Capital Reef, which was not my cup of tea, too many RV's, generators, etc. Daughter liked it though, kids to play with. Mother stayed behind and ran shuttle for us as we hiked up to and then down a wash to the main road with our daughter, which was okay. She can rappel out of the tree house all day long, but is scared on rock. Not sure what to do about that.
We drove back the next day, and all had fun, mostly.
So, thanks again to all for the suggestions, it was awesome. Gave my mother some great memories and got her out hiking.

[Mtnseeker1]

That's so cool you took the time to share this with here. Your the man.