Round Trip Distance: 3.2 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 4346 - 4537 feet
Cellphone: 3-5 bars
Time: 4 hrs.
Trailhead: 37.28936, -109.55701
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs
The Cottonwood Wash trail is located on the north side of Bluff, Utah. Along the first couple miles of the trail we have identified over a half dozen panels of petroglyphs. All but 2 of them are right done next to the trail. Those 2, that we have labeled the High Horse Panels, require scrambling almost 200 feet up a rocky slope.
To get there turn off of Highway 191 onto Navajo Twins Drive and then go right onto Calf Canyon Drive. At the end of Calf Canyon Drive there is a loop in the road, where the prominent Navajo Twins rock formation towers above the cliffs, that serves as the trailhead. The Cottonwood Wash trail begins through the gate on the right. For turn-by-turn directions you can enter 37.28936, -109.55701 into your driving app.
The first half mile of the trail travels through private property. We circled some of the first panels in this photo to give you an idea of where to look for the petroglyphs. The arrow on the far right points to some inscriptions on the back of a boulder that were probably made by early pioneers.
The images on this boulder were cut into the rock in the same fashion as the sharpening grooves that can also be seen. The holes that look like pot marks were probably pounded with a harder rock.
Here is a closer look that shows a long rectangular reticulated pattern.
Directly across from that boulder is another one that has some images on the side of the boulder that faces to the north, or away from the trailhead.
A couple of interesting images here are of a snake with a falling man below it suggesting that the man died from a snake bite.
To the west of these 2 boulders is a much larger one that has a lot of images of concentric circles and spirals. Their offset positions suggest that some of them may have been part of a solstice calendar.
From the last boulder you should be able to spot the 2 Horse Panels high up on the face of the cliffs. There are several crude routes to choose from to get up to the panels.
The panel on the right has fewer horses but of the same style as the panel on the left.
We'll describe them as superimposed over some much older Basketmaker images creating a rudely drawn palimpsest of rock art.
The second of the High Horse Panels has a larger number of horses, a large buck deer that is nicely shaped, and then some of the same older Basketmaker images.
The next panel is a large boulder that we labeled as the 'Cowboy Panel'. It is about another half mile up the wash on the northwest corner of a side canyon that leads to a couple of alcoves.
This boulder, like the other panels, also has some older Basketmaker images.
Some of the newer images include cows and riders on horseback.
Here is a cowboy, or more likely a pioneer, that is shouldering a double pointed arrow or spear that probably is meant to represent a rifle.
The snake that the cow is kissing appears much older so this might be an attempt at humor. Notice that the cowboy on the horse has roped the front feet of the cow and is still holding the other end of the rope.
This might be a story of a rider on horseback that shot someone dead as represented by the upside down falling figure above him.
Another 6 tenths of a mile up the wash there is a boulder at the bottom of the hill right next to the trail. On the north side of the boulder is this 6 Fingered Man that looks a little like 'Tweety Bird'. To the left are a few more faint images. The hiking is mostly level and really easy between the Cowboy Panel and the 6 Fingered Man and it is well worth the little extra effort.
