Native Rock Art at the Grand Canyon

Or, My Spring Break Trip To The Grand Canyon

This was my second excursion to the Grand Canyon, but the last time I went my husband and I walked to the edge, saw it, and went back to our hotel room. So, this year I really wanted to enjoy the experience. Bonus–it was my daughter’s first visit.

We started our adventure in Williams, Arizona at the Grand Canyon Railroad Depot with a live cowboy shoot-out!

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The train ride was about 2 hours, but it hardly felt that long. We enjoyed live entertainment and a dining car, plus the passing scenery was one-of-a-kind. It was like a trip back through time to the American West of the nineteenth century.

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Disposable cameras used to be my only option for vacation pics. Now, they’re a clunky relic of a pre-cell phone world. My daughter thought turning the exposure gear and hearing each picture snap was hilarious.

After our arrival, I didn’t just want to stand at the edge, I really wanted to spend time in the National Park. I hadn’t planned far enough in advance for burro rides or anything like that (maybe next year!), but we did take the angel trail toward the bottom of the canyon. It was so early in the year, there was still snow on the ground, which made the trail slippery, but the cowboys on horseback we passed didn’t seem to have any problem with it.

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You can see patches of snow in the lower left corner.

The views were spectacular, and I’m so glad we slowed down and took our time.

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My favorite part of the trip, though, was finding the Native rock art along the Angel trail. I’m a huge fan of all things historical and archaeological, so I was definitely on a hunt for the artwork from the moment I heard it was visible from the trail. It took a while to find, but I did finally discover red animals, shapes, and humanoid figures on the canyon wall.

 

Rock Art Grand Canyon Collage
The Native rock art is red against the pale cream rock.

If anyone knows anything more about the rock art in the Grand Canyon, I’d love to hear about it!

train robbery grand canyon

Finally, on our way back to Williams our train was boarded by a nefarious gang of outlaws. Luckily, we all survived to tell the tale.

 

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<3 Anna

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