Temple Mountain Wash Pictograph Panel (San Rafael Swell, UT)

The Temple Mountain Wash Pictograph Panel is a roadside attraction with unique ancient rock art right at the edge of the southeastern section of the San Rafael Swell near Goblin Valley State Park, Utah. A paved road provides easy access, and no hiking is required to view the panel. The Temple Mountain panel is unique for two reasons – it features some of the largest prehistoric painted figures in Utah and contains both Fremont and Barrier Canyon Style images.

Dog-friendly: Yes
Fee: No

Ancient pictographs up close; a mountain in the desert colored by the setting sun. Text overlay - Life-size ancient rock art, San Rafael Swell, Utah.

Fremont vs. Barrier Canyon Style

Pictographs (images painted onto stone using natural pigments) and petroglyphs (images carved into stone) made by the Fremont people are quite common across the American Southwest. The Barrier Canyon Style (BCS) displays are attributed to a more distant ancient culture, the existence of which is hypothesized largely from the unique rock imagery they left behind. Most of the Barrier Canyon Style panels are concentrated in the San Rafael Swell area and Canyonlands National Park.

The Fremont culture is believed to have inhabited the area from approximately 300 to 1300 A.D. The culture having left the Barrier Canyon Style images is estimated to have existed possibly as far back as 6000 – 7000 B.C. through 100 – 1100 A.D.

Temple Mountain Wash Pictograph Panel

The original panel is estimated to have been over 100 feet long. A large section of the sandstone has unfortunately flaked off the cliff face, destroying a good part of the ancient gallery. There are two surviving groups of designs left, one on each side of the panel.

Very large human-sized pictographs high on a cliff face in Utah's San Rafael Swell. — Temple Mountain Wash Pictograph Panel – San Rafael Swell, Utah

Note the size of the images – some were made life-size or larger.

The left side of the panel shows a remaining portion of a large concentric circle, a typical Fremont rock art element, next to a Fremont figure with horns that has been vandalized by bullet holes.

Fremont pictographs - part of a concentric circle and a Fremont figure with horns, damaged by bullet holes. — Fremont pictographs

The group of images on the right appears to be mostly Barrier Canyon Style, with some very clear designs and many faint ones.

Combined, the Temple Mountain pictographs are likely at least 1,500 years old, possibly several thousand years older.

Two massive Barrier Canyon Style anthropomorphic figures can be seen on the right side of the panel, with many faded silhouettes to the right of them. Not all Barrier Canyon Style paintings were made this large, which makes this Barrier Canyon Style panel unique.

Barrier Canyon Style pictographs at Temple Mountain in Utah showing animals, huge human-like figures, and other elements. — Barrier Canyon Style pictographs

The tallest figure with a rectangular body seems to be holding a snake. The informational kiosk states that it’s around 6 feet tall at this point after the top and bottom parts chipped away.

The other figure with broad shoulders and tapered body has darker pigment and appears more recent. Speculation exists whether it’s Fremont or Barrier Canyon Style. It’s painted over a slender anthropomorph with bug-like head and large hollow eyes. Can you see its tiny hand sticking out from behind the larger figure?

A close-up of ancient rock art with emphasis on an obscured image of a slender figure behind a much larger figure. — A large anthropomorph with wide shoulders, obscuring a slender bug-eyed Barrier Canyon Style figure

Upon closer inspection, the images reveal an intricate amount of detail that Barrier Canyon Style designs are known for, such as pecked dots or other added elements, or the dog-like animal with individual hairs painted on its tail. The white lines across the images are also intentional and made using both painting and pecking techniques.

Barrier Canyon Style pictographs - details on paintings with lines, dots, and even individual hairs painted on a dog's tail.

The image to the right of the dog looks a lot like some sort of a headless animal with wavy lines where the head would have been. The snake above shows the same flow-like lines as well. Is it blood?

We don’t know much about the meaning and purpose of prehistoric rock imagery, but that’s also one of the best parts about exploring these ancient sites. Take a moment and let this hand-painted masterpiece guide you on what feelings or messages you think the authors tried to convey. This is a truly remarkable pictograph panel even with the extensive amount of damage it has suffered.

Life-size Barrier Canyon Style pictographs in Utah. Text overlay - Unique life-size rock art, San Rafael Swell, Utah.

Directions:

The Temple Mountain Wash Pictograph Panel is located just off of Temple Mountain Road in the southeast section of the San Rafael Swell, Utah near Goblin Valley State Park. The panel is along a paved section of Temple Mountain Road – no 4WD or high clearance is required to visit the site.

Access is from Hwy 24 in the segment between I-70 and Hanksville. Follow Temple Mountain Road from Hwy 24 towards Goblin Valley State Park (west) for approximately 5 miles. Past the turnoff to the state park which will be to the left, continue straight on Temple Mountain Road for 1 more mile. The panel will be on the right.

Know before you go:

If needed, a large free BLM camping area (with toilets!!) and scenic views is located 1 mile west further down the road, and another one, smaller and less scenic, 0.5 miles back east.

Things to do nearby with easy access: