Exploring Ancient Petroglyphs: Hidden Valley Hike in Moab, Utah
- peteuga
- Nov 7, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
Hidden Valley is a 3-7 hour hike to an extensive petroglyph panel along the Moab Rim directly to the south of downtown Moab,Utah in an area known as "The Behind the Rocks". Planning is key for this excellent hike. If the snow has been lite, this hike can be completed as a Moab winter hike. The trail has a lot of sun exposure during the summer and can be too hot. Spring and fall are always good time to plan for this hike.
Hidden Valley is one of those hikes that can be as long as you want it to be. Some people hike up to the valley and go a short distance, then turn around. Others spend hours searching for petroglyphs and are well rewarded for their efforts. On my first hike to Hidden Valley, I spent a long time looking for petroglyphs and eventually hiked all the way back to Kane Creek Drive via the Moab Rim Jeep trail. This made for an all-day hike, if you choose this option, be sure to bring plenty of fluids and pack a lunch.
From the parking lot, a steep climb through a boulder field will take you straight up to a large open valley 1000 ft above the town of Moab. Don't underestimate the effort required to climb 1000 feet. Once on top and in the valley, the trail is mostly flat. The valley is about 1.5 miles long and is open to mountain bikes, though I have never seen one here. The climb and descent to get up to the valley is not worth the effort with a bicycle. This is also a great pet-friendly trail for those staying in our pet-friendly Moab Vacation Rental 10A8.
Once you reach the head of the valley at the pass, you will see a user made trail going north towards town. This trail leads to a south-facing cliff that is extensively covered in Canyonlands Basketmaker II style petroglyphs. This area is considered one of the best petroglyphs sites in Moab.
I really love the above pictograph, which shows a figure inside another figure. Considering that the larger figure overlaps the desert big horn sheep, I wonder if the image of the figure in the stomach is older than the larger circle figure. Also, were the little scrapes made by the original artist or added later, possibly by vandals?
The more you explore the more rock art you will find. I recommend this as a winter hike if the snow isn't too deep. During the summer, noise from ORVs on the Moab Rim trail can be distracting. In the winter, you can have the entire trail and panel to yourself. There are lots of images of animals on this panel, and I assume they are the big horn sheep that once inhabited the area.
If you enjoy these types of images, there are a lot more in the Behind the Rocks area. One of the best places to see them is along the hike to Magic Theater Arch, located near the end of this hike on Kane Creek Drive.
I didn't think much of this photo when I took it, but later, when I was showing it to my wife, she brought something very interesting to my attention. If you use a little imagination, this petroglyph appears to show two people being abducted by aliens and floating to the sky. What do you think this rock art scene shows? Aliens taking people away or simply a different angle of some type of animal.
You can return to this hike time and time again and always find something new. On one hike, we climbed to a valley above Hidden Valley, which can be seen in the picture above. The hike included a lot of scrambling, and the upper valley was much narrower than the lower Hidden Valley. In the distance, in the right center of the photo, is downtown Moab. When you are in the valley, you cannot see Moab, and you feel miles away from civilization. One other side of Moab Valley is the Right Fork of Mill Creek, and it also has a similar vibe of being way out, even though you are right next to town.
Once you think you have gone further than anyone has ever been, you will see that others have already passed this way. I'm not sure where Rightway Wrongway Way goes. We tried but could not get over the lip of the canyon into the Behind the Rocks. I personally think the trail leads to the Solstice Snake, in the heart of Behind the Rocks.
If you are considering a Moab adventure we would recommend checking out the townhomes at Moab Adventure Condo. We stayed with them and it was so nice to have room to relax and not be stuck in a cramped hotel room. Since the cost of the rental was split between two families it actually ended up being cheaper than a hotel room and much nicer. Not to mention the pool and hot tub were just sets from our condo.
