Forty-One Miles of (Cedar) Mesa

I was naïve. I thought that returning to Cedar Mesa in search of more Native American Ruins (see Utah, Re-Ruined) would get me to the point where I'd have seen most of what we'd missed on our first trip to the area some two years earlier (see Ruining Around Utah). Yeah, calling that naïve is probably being generous.

While I was there, I quickly realized that I was only scratching the surface - that there was so much more in the area - that I could probably visit for years (decades even), and still have more to see. A lot like Death Valley National Park, really.

One place that really caught my attention was Comb Ridge. Beautiful while I was there, I researched it more upon returning home, and discovered that the eastern flank - which descends into Butler Wash - is literally covered in ruins and rock art.

And with that, a trip was born.

The reality is that there's probably six months worth of exploration that could be done in Butler Wash, but we'd hit some highlights in just two days and 24 miles of hikes. Then, we'd cap off the trip with a 17 mile journey on the other side of Cedar Mesa - hiking down into Bullet Canyon and making our way out via the neighboring Sheiks Canyon.

41 miles of hiking in two-and-a-half days - certifiably crazy in the 90°F heat. But I assure you, it was certifiably fun as well!

DAY 1

...As we set off towards Utah, I mentioned to @mrs.turbodb that maybe we should have taken her car on this trip. After all, the entirety of our off-pavement driving was going to be all of about 30 miles. Most of our time would be spent on foot, hiking from ruin to pictograph, with the occasional petroglyph thrown in for good measure. It was going to be a blast!...

Keep reading the rest here
We Arrive and it is Hot - Cedar Mesa #1​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Keep reading the rest here
We Arrive and it is Hot - Cedar Mesa #1​

 

...Unlike Double Stack ruins, the trail to Big Crane was very lightly travelled. We saw only a few cairns - and even fewer footprints - along the way, perhaps due to the fact that there wasn't a large ruin at the end. Instead, a single glyph decorated the wall. It was - for me anyway - the highlight of the day.

As was this little fellow below. Pushups, anyone?

Keep reading the rest here
Would You Like Another? - Cedar Mesa #2​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Keep reading the rest here
Would You Like Another? - Cedar Mesa #2​

 

...There are two significant climbs on the route out of Sheiks Canyon, and the first comes just a few hundred feet after the site I was most looking forward to seeing - solely due to its name - along the route: the Green Mask Site. As with many, the site was built into an alcove along the side of the wash, and I figured there'd be a fabulous green mask pictograph somewhere on the walls.

It turns out, there was so much more. This was one of the most interesting pictograph sites I've visited, with several civilizations inhabiting this same shelter....

Keep reading the rest here
Make it a Loop (Bullet to Sheiks Canyons) - Cedar Mesa #3​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Keep reading the rest here
Make it a Loop (Bullet to Sheiks Canyons) - Cedar Mesa #3​

 

...With 22 hours of driving in front of us, we decided that rather than our usual sprint home, we'd split the time over two days. That meant we could sleep in a bit before climbing out of the tent, and also that we could stop a few times along the way so I could show @mrs.turbodb a few things I'd thought were cool on previous trips....

Keep reading the rest here
Epilogue - Cedar Mesa #4​

​

​

​

Keep reading the rest here
Epilogue - Cedar Mesa #4​