The Intestine Man is one of my favorite ways to introduce people to petroglyphs near Moab, Utah, and the surrounding area. I often take first time visitors to this site on the way into town to visit our condos at Moab Adventure Condo. Since it is on the north side of town, it is located just as you start to enter into the cliffs of the Moab area, which makes the area so famous. The pictographs are located right near the road; yes, Snake in the Mouth is actually a Pictograph, not a Petroglyph. Even if a member of your group is not able to hike the long distances that are often required to find the best hidden treasures in Moab, they should be able to visit this petroglyph site without much effort. The site is located on the north side of Utah Hwy 313, just as Sevenmile Canyon splits into two canyons.
When the canyon splits, the road stays right to stay in Sevenmile Canyon. You will notice a small paved area on the right side of the road where you can park your car along the shoulder of the road. Tip: While in the Moab area, if you find a pull-off along the side of the road, there is likely something interesting to see. Finding ruins, an arch, or pictographs like this is always more interesting than looking them up first, the thrill of discovery is what keeps me coming back to Moab year after year.
Park at the small pull out and follow the short trail up toward the closest rock wall. There you will find an interpretive sign and fencing. If you stay about 30 feet back you should be able to find several rock art panels of various designs. To the left, up canyon, you should be able to find the
Intestine Man. It may take a minute to find him, but after you do, you will be like, "Why didn't I see that?". Other nearby panels depict hunting scenes and feature goats or sheep, this panel is known as the TV Sheep Petroglyph. The Intestine Man is not intestines but instead a snake drawn inside of a man's body. It was once possible to climb up to the panel but that is now longer recommended. First, the climb is dangerous, and second, once on the ledge, you are so close that you will be unable to see the panel. One neat side note about this panel is that if you fly into the Grand Junction Airport you can see a really neat replica of the Intestine Man in one of the terminals.
If you have time or if you are like me and simply determined to see everything in Moab, you can find many more minor panels in this area. The best are located directly across the street from the Intestine Man. At the mouth of South Fork Sevenmile Canyon there are many etchings behind the fence and some trees.
If time permits, you may want to make the short hike to the Snake in the Mouth. It is located high up on the edge of the south wall of Sevenmill Canyon. To find it, cross the street from your parking spot and walk downstream for about 200-300 yards. Then start making your way towards the top of the steep slope that goes about 3/4 of the way up the canyon wall.
This scramble is somewhat steep, so I would not recommend it for kids. Also, this spot stays snow-covered for most of the winter. At the top of the scramble, there is a small ledge with a shear wall. It may take a few minutes of searching, but you will soon locate Snake in the Mouth petroglyph; he is near the middle of the wall.
Both the Intestine Man and Snake in the Mouth are good examples of Barrier Canyon style, pictographs. Barrier Canyon pictographs can range in age from 2000 to 6000 years ago. Do you think any of our modern billboards will still be there in 6000 years?
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