MAY 2009
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| THE HOLY GHOST IN THE GALLERY |
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| HORSESHOE CANYON TRAIL |
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| THE GALLERY |
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| SANDY TRAIL THROUGH HORSESHOE CANYON |
Horseshoe Canyon belongs to Canyonlands National Park as a detached island located near the Maze District. To reach the trailhead you will take a dirt road coming east off of State Highway 26, just across the street from the road to Goblin Valley. The road is not too bad, but there is a long sandy section you will need to be careful on.
The hike from the trailhead to the gallery is about three miles. The trail begins with a steep descent into the canyon from the parking area above. This is a very beautiful canyon with a soft, sandy path leading between red rock walls the entire way. Its only a six-mile round trip hike to The Gallery, but walking on the loose sand will slow you down.
You will pass two or three rock art sites before reaching The Gallery. There are side trails leading to them and they are not hard to find since the canyon is so narrow. The main destination on this hike is The Gallery, which is a large wall filled with many large pictographs. When I was there in May of 2009, there were two sets of binoculars located in metal boxes below the wall to allow you to see the art in more detail. I hiked this trail in the evening, and remember seeing a couple people towards the beginning of the hike, and then having the entire canyon to myself. I must have started fairly late, as I can remember rushing to make it back out of the canyon and to my car before it got too dark.