Head of Sinbad Pictographs San Rafael Swell, Utah

Head of Sinbad Pictographs – San Rafael Swell, Utah

The Trek Details

The Trek in a snapshot

Location

San Rafael Swell, Utah

Managing Agency

BLM

Pets

Allowed

Fees

None

Restrooms

None

Camping

Not allowed

Trail Condition

Good dirt and rock trail. Very short trail

Sights

Head of Sinbad pictographs

Water Info

Bring a liter of water per person. No water

Best Season

All

Distance

I hiked about 1/10 of a mile

Time Required

About 1 hour roundtrip from where you leave I-70

Parking Elevation

7078 ft

Summit Elevation

Varies slightly

Elevation Difference

Varies slightly

Trek Planner Maps

Trail Map

Trail Map is for Trek Planner Insiders only

This content is locked

(memberships are currently unavailable)

GPS Coordinates

GPS Coordinates are for Trek Planner Insiders only

Experience. Discover. Explore.

The Trail

Follow along on our adventure then go out on your own!

Be a responsible explorer

A high-clearance vehicle with 4-wheel drive is recommended.  I drove here in my low-clearance Impala with no problems.  If there were recent rains or even snow, then I would only visit in a Jeep, truck, or ATV.

From I-70 you get off at the Temple Mt. Road and the Buckhorn Draw Road exit.  Head south on Temple Mt. Road and follow my map below to the pictographs.



The Head of Sinbad Pictographs are a small group of painted pictographs located off of I-70 in the San Rafael Swell.  Alltrails.com states that this is a 3.6 mile roundtrip hike, however, I drove just fine to the wooden fence making this less than 200 ft of walking.  Not sure what they were talking about, but I could easily drive with my low-clearance vehicle to the site.  If there were recent rains or even snow, it would be harder to drive close.  A high clearance vehicle with 4-wheel drive would be preferable.

Note: Do not touch the rock art.  It might be tempting to get very close, but please do not touch the rock art or carve your own name in the rock.   These are located higher off the ground so it will keep most people from touching it.

These distinct red and white pictographs are quite eerie.  A human-like figure is holding a snake while circular objects are on one side.  Unfortunately, the meaning behind these has been completely lost, so we are left to speculate what was going on here.  A common theme among many pictographs and petroglyphs including the Head of Sinbad, are snakes.  I have seen snake petroglyphs from Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, California, Nevada, Arizona, and even Mexico.

One of the figures has a snake over its head.  The other figure is holding a snake, and another figure has a snake going towards its head.

The level of detail on these petroglyphs is incredible.  The original author(s) must have used fine brushes to create such clear brush strokes.





Image
Personal Thoughts

Personal Thoughts

There is something eerie about these faded red panels. They are in a quiet area and have sat undisturbed for hundreds of years.

Related Posts
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

1 Comment
oldest
newest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

[…] This is a fun little stop to a great pictograph!  We don’t know much about this and other rock art in the area, but it’s probably over 1,000 years old like some of the others nearby.  If you want to extend your stay and see some other great rock art, you should check out the Head of Sinbad Pictographs. […]

1
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x