Courthouse Wash Pictographs, Ancient rock art site near Moab, United States.
The Courthouse Wash Pictographs cover a 100-meter stretch of sheltered sandstone cliff base at the mouth of Courthouse Wash, near where it meets the Colorado River just north of Moab. The painted figures, some anthropomorphic and up to 5 feet (1.5 m) tall, follow the Barrier Canyon Style; other figures, including animals, were incised by removing desert varnish.
The site's painted figures follow the Barrier Canyon Style and are estimated at 1500 to 4000 years old. Incised animal figures, made by removing desert varnish, are attributed to the Fremont culture and dated to about 1000–1200 AD. Figures of riders on horseback date from after the 16th-century introduction of horses and are attributed to Navajo or Ute artists. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 1, 1976.
The rock wall displays artwork created by different Native American groups who used this site across many centuries. You can observe how successive peoples added their own paintings to the same stone surface over time.
The walk to the paintings is short and follows an easy path across the canyon floor. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes and visit early in the morning or late afternoon when shadows help reveal details on the rock surface.
The wall holds three separate layers of art: Barrier Canyon Style painted figures up to 5 feet tall, Fremont incised animals made by scraping away desert varnish around 1000-1200 AD, and later horse-mounted figures attributed to Navajo or Ute artists after the 16th-century arrival of horses. The site was extensively vandalized in 1980 and has since been conserved.
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