Head of Sinbad Pictographs (Locomotive Point) – San Rafael Swell, Utah

The Head of Sinbad Pictographs (aka Locomotive Point Pictographs) is the site of some the most striking and best preserved ancient pictographs in the entire American Southwest! This is a small rock art panel, but the paintings look so bold it makes it hard to understand how being exposed on the rock face for this long had barely any effect on them. The site is located about 40 miles west of Green River, Utah in the heart of the San Rafael Swell commonly referred to as the Head of Sinbad on the southern edge of a geological feature known as Locomotive Point (hence you may encounter both Head of Sinbad Pictographs and Locomotive Point Pictographs in reference to this panel).

Access to the Head of Sinbad area is made easy thanks to a convenient exit off Interstate 70 that cuts through the central part of the San Rafael Swell, but reaching this particular site requires a high-clearance 4WD vehicle due to deep sand areas and uneven road surface. Your other option would be to park further away and hike to the site, but this would make for a very exposed hike, so timing would be crucial.

The pictographs at the Head of Sinbad (Locomotive Point) are attributed to the archaic Barrier Canyon culture that dates back many thousand years. Barrier Canyon Style (BCS) rock art is generally estimated to be 1,000 – 2,000 years old, possibly older – carbon-dating of pictographs is notoriously difficult due to a lack of organic matter in the pigment and contamination from various sources both pre- and post-creation.

There are two areas with pictographs at the Head of Sinbad/Locomotive Point located along the same rock butte, but no hiking trail connects them directly. The driving (or hiking) distance is about a mile from one to the other.

Like many other historical landmarks in the San Rafael Swell, the sites are sectioned off by a split rail fence to protect these sensitive areas – this is a good indicator to know you’re in the right spot. There are walkthroughs in the fence to get closer to the panels and inspect the ancient designs from up close.

Head of Sinbad Pictographs – Main panel

The western pictograph site at the Head of Sinbad (aka Locomotive Point) is the better preserved panel and the one not to miss. It features two distinct groups of figures, positioned fairly high up on the sandstone wall, painted in deep rust-red hues. Like other ancient rock art panels, the meaning behind the symbols remains a mystery and we can only speculate what the ancient artists were trying to portray.

One of the groups of designs on this Head of Sinbad panel shows a figure with bulging bug eyes, typical for Barrier Canyon Style (BCS).

The figure has a snake slithering above its head and a mushroom-looking object on each side that almost looks as if it has been thrusted in the air based on the fraying at the bottom.

There is a half-human half-animal creature to the side with its mouth open and… is that a tongue showing?

Whatever the meaning is, the first thing that will strike you about this panel is how fine and crisp the lines are, and the amount of detail put into it. Considering this painting has been here on this rock wall for at least a thousand years, it has been masterfully done and extremely well preserved.

The next scene at this same panel just a few feet away is equally puzzling. It shows two figures and some mysterious objects.

The left figure is larger and again has the big bulging eyes typical for Barrier Canyon Style (BCS) rock art. What’s unusual about this figure compared with other BCS designs is that the eyes have the iris drawn as well.

The other anthropomorphic figure is smaller, eyeless, and has some sort of plant-like antennas on the head or perhaps some kind of a headdress. And, of course, more snakes are seen, snakes are very common in Barrier Canyon Style rock art.

There are mysterious images atop the figures. I want to say space objects in formation hovering up overhead or beaming things up in pairs right above a lone sea turtle, but I can see how the turtle is most likely a bird in flight and the rest something much more realistic, probably equally simple and nature oriented, perhaps also birds.

Between the two figures at about waist height there are seven small figures or objects with white pigment added as well. What do you think those might be?

The other separate panel at Locomotive Point is about a mile east in driving distance or on foot.

The eastern panel at Locomotive Point

The eastern panel features a group of faded images and remnants of several painted figures that have unfortunately suffered too much damage due to natural erosion of the cliff face.

One group has the top part of the panel missing, and the other looks nothing like the other panels nearby but is too faded to try to make up the nature of what might be pictured here.

Tips for visiting the Head of Sinbad Pictographs (aka Locomotive Point Pictographs)

To make the most of your visit of the Head of Sinbad in the San Rafael Swell, consider adding the Lone Warrior Rock Art Panel and the historic Swasey Cabin onto your itinerary as well. Access to these two locations is generally much easier and both are positioned near the route to the Head of Sinbad Pictographs (Locomotive Point Pictographs), south of the interstate.

You can easily manage to visit all three in one afternoon if you are able to drive to the Locomotive Point butte. Use the directions below and visit the Head of Sinbad Pictographs first, then stop by the Lone Warrior Panel and the Swasey Cabin on the way back as navigating to these sites doesn’t require taking as many turns.

There are sweeping views of the Sinbad Valley from both pictograph sites, and plenty of secluded campsites nearby. The area is managed by the BLM (Bureau of Land Management), so there are many opportunities around for dispersed camping both north and south of I-70.

Directions

GPS coordinates:

• Western panel (better preserved): 38.87994, -110.76542
• Eastern panel: 38.88053, -110.77111

Even though both panels are located less than a mile north of Interstate 70 and the sites are within eyeshot of the highway, the route to the panels is rather circuitous. The approach shown in the directions below is made via the south side of I-70, exit 131, but there is a multitude of roads traversing the Sinbad Valley, so feel free to use the map below to determine the best route for your trip.

Getting here is not the easiest because you will have to navigate a multitude of primitive unmarked roads, with the final approach on a narrow, rough, sandy track. Use the map below for visual guidance.

The roughest segment is approximately 1.2 miles long and starts as you loop north of the highway via an underpass. Even on a good day expect to encounter sections of deep sand and uneven terrain from here on. Recent storms can render the roads in the Swell impassable, and the interstate underpass can have deep standing water if it has recently rained. On the south side of the interstate where the route starts, the roads tend to be in a much better shape as long as they are dry.

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• From I-70 take exit 131. Go to the south of the freeway. You will need to cross under if you are coming from the east (Green River, Utah). Reset the trip meter at the southern side of the freeway, and head southwest, following Temple Mountain Road.  
• At 3.9 miles turn RIGHT at the fork in the road.
• At 5 miles you’ll reach a “T” in the road – turn RIGHT.
• At 6.7 miles stay to the RIGHT where the road forks to the left. Head NW.
• At 7.7 miles make a SHARP RIGHT. Continue NW in the direction of the interstate.
• At 8.5 miles turn RIGHT, towards the interstate. (For the Lone Warrior Panel and Swasey Cabin you would turn left/continue straight here.) There is a dark creepy underpass a while later to get to the north of the interstate. There can be deep soft sand in the underpass and it can be flooded, so check first if you aren’t sure that your vehicle can handle going forward.
• On the north side of the underpass the road immediately forks. Take the RIGHT fork (the left goes to Dutchman Arch). The road will narrow down significantly and can be heavily eroded in some areas from here on.
• At 9.3 miles make a RIGHT. (Going left and then left again right after would bring you back down to the underpass.)
• At approximately 9.9 miles the road will fork again: The LEFT FORK will take you towards the butte straight to the main – better preserved – pictograph panel in about 0.3 miles. The RIGHT FORK is the route to the eastern panel about a half mile away. When visiting the eastern panel you would take a LEFT at the next fork that follows – about 0.3 miles later which then dead ends at the panel in about 0.2 miles.

If in doubt whether you’ll make it all the way to the site, park further away and hike the rest of the way towards Locomotive Butte. The hiking distance would depend on the accessibility of the area on any given day, but the max distance would be up to about a 3.5-mile round trip from where the road is not as rough.

More places of interest in/near the San Rafael Swell:

• Temple Mountain Mining Ruins
• Temple Mountain Wash Pictograph Panel
• Goblin Valley State Park
• Little Wild Horse Canyon
• Swasey Cabin
• Lone Warrior Panel
• Lucky Strike Mine

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