Located just outside of Kanab (Utah) is the Mansard Petroglyph Gallery, reached via the 4.5 miles / 7.2km (return) Mansard Trail. The rock art is unusual in that the petroglyphs are located on the floor of the alcove – and there are several very prominent, long “grooves”. Unlike indigenous grinding grooves in Australia and North America that were used to sharpen tools, the scale and depth of the Mansard grooves suggest they may have served a ceremonial or spiritual purpose – perhaps related to water collection.
The petroglyphs surrounding the grooves are thought to date back to the Pueblo II period which is roughly between 950 AD to 1150 AD, when the ancestral Puebloans (also known as the Anasazi) inhabited the Four Corners region of the American Southwest. The figures include anthropomorphic (human-like) and zoomorphic (animal) shapes, alongside intricate geometric patterns.
There are a number of anthopormphic figures, including three-fingered humanoids and some with concentric circles for heads.
The petroglyphs include a life-like foot…
…and a bear print.
A man is depicted with a bow and arrow, which largely replaced the atlatl (throwing stick) across North America during the Late Prehistoric period (900 AD to 1650 AD).
Multiple connected spirals (which turn in opposite directions) are believed to have also been associated with ancient water ceremonies.
Getting to the Mansard Petroglyphs
The easiest and most popular way to the reach the site is via the Mansard Trail, which ascends to the top of the Vermilion Cliffs and continues to along the Masard Mesa to reach the base of the White Cliffs. The signposted trail starts at the end of Cedar Ridge North at Canyon Point, not far from Kanab.
You can also get to the site with an ATV from Johnson Canyon Road and BLM Road 104 (Sidewinder trail), which is around 16 miles / 26km (one-way).
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