Alvey Wash Site 1

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 0.3 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 6035 - 6063 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: 37.71767, -111.62854
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs, pictographs

Alvey Wash is located in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument south of Escalante, Utah. Driving through the area it is easy to spot a handful of rock art sites that are within a short distance of the Smoky Mountain Road. This post is for the first site that we came across which is really kinda 2 sites in one.

Weavers Cave

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 2 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 5486 - 5739 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 2 hrs. 30 mins.
Trailhead: 37.76696, -111.42706
Fee: none
Attractions: pictographs

Weavers Cave is a well known site that is located in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument near Escalante, Utah. Found at the site are 3 shallow alcoves that each have large numbers of intricate Barrier Canyon Style pictographs depicting, among other things, what look like sewing needles and blanket patterns. A couple of former habitation sites can be found on the opposite side of the canyon, one of which includes a grinding slick, and another with a partial piece of masonry wall.

Collet Top Arch

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 0.8 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 6446 - 6505 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 1 hr.
Trailhead: 37.47118, -111.44881
Fee: none
Attractions: Scenic arch, ruin, pictographs

Collet Top Arch is located in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument near the town of Escalante, Utah. Found tucked away in a small alcove beneath the arch is a cliff dwelling style ruin that is still in almost perfect condition. A few pictographs can also be found in another small alcove that is on the backside of the same sandstone point as the arch.

Upper Escalante River

Rating: 
One-way Distance: 13.1 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 5205 - 5834 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 3 hrs. 45 mins.
Trailhead: Upper Escalante River
Fee: none
Attractions: rock art, ruins, natural bridge

The canyon of the Escalante River, from the town of Escalante, Utah, downstream for 13 miles to where it is crossed by Utah Highway 12, has a half dozen interesting rock art sites, several ruins, a few natural arches, and the Escalante Natural Bridge. This post covers the upper 3 miles of the canyon where most of the rock art sites that we know about are concentrated.

Bridgeport Rockshelter

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 0.16 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 4734 - 4750 feet
Cellphone: 0 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: Bridgeport
Fee: none
Attractions: rock shelter, petroglyphs

The Bridgeport Rockshelter is on the north side of the normally dry King Creek, about 420 feet from the Bridgeport Trailhead. Found at the site is an old rockshelter that is nestled beneath the overhang of a large boulder and several panels of petroglyphs.