Before we left Mesa Verde National Park for the last stop on our trip in Durango, we had time for one quick morning spin to Petroglyph Point. We hadn’t done that hike since the first time my husband took me to Mesa Verde back in 2007. (In fact, this may be the very first hike I ever went on in Mesa Verde!) Ten years later seemed like a good time to check it out, and the length of the hike certainly fit our itinerary for the day.
We decided to hit the trail as soon as it opened. Since the trail starts near the popular Spruce Tree House site and the museum, access to the trail is controlled by a locked gate that’s only open during daylight hours. We thought the gate opened at 8am. Surprise! It wasn’t going to open until 8:30. What to do with time to kill and good morning light? Take pictures of yucca, of course!
Eventually 8:30 came, so we schlepped down to the gate to start our day and it was still locked. Huh? We waited a few minutes, figuring maybe the rangers were running late, yet still no signs of it opening. I hiked back up to the museum at the top of the trail to ask the rangers was up and it turned out there was some sort of coverage miscommunication, so one of the rangers came back down with me and opened it for us. Sweet! That guaranteed we were the first ones on the trail for the day so we could set our own pace and have some peace and quiet along the way.
I took some pictures along the way out to Petroglyph Point, but much of the trail was in shade since the sun wasn’t very high in the sky yet. I tried not to slow our pace too much with picture-taking, but there was one exception…
We came upon a rock along the trail that had some huge holes eroded in it. The way the light was coming through the holes, it looked like mini caverns or slot canyons. The lighting was so delicate that it took some time to get the exposure dialed in, and then a little more time in post processing to bring out the light the way my eyes saw it. I think it was time well spent based on the results.
A couple of miles down the trail, we reached Petroglyph Point and still hadn’t seen or heard another soul on the trail. It was wonderful! We took quite a bit of time at the petroglyph panel itself because it’s really interesting to study in detail when you have the opportunity to do so.
Only mere yards after you reach the petroglyphs, you start your ascent up some ladders back to the mesa top to walk back around to the trailhead through some pinyon and juniper forest. Before we climbed out, we turned around and found that the canyon was lit up beautifully in the morning sun. Picture time!
Turns out that wasn’t the only cool view. There was a tiny one right next to us as we were looking out across the canyons – a cluster of cacti thriving in a crack on one of the big boulders next to us.
Once we returned to the car, it was time to leave the park. Always a bittersweet feeling, but we still had an afternoon and a night in Durango to look forward to before the long drive home.
Since we couldn’t check into our hotel quite that early, we went directly to Ska Brewing in Durango. We’ve enjoyed their beer many times, but had never managed to make it to the brewery itself to check it out. I was sold the second I saw what might be one of the best traffic control signs ever in their parking lot (complete with aspens changing color in the background)…
Wonderful brews and a tasty lunch were had by all.
The melancholy of our trip coming rapidly to a close was starting to set in, but we enjoyed our short stay in Durango. It was a whirlwind week in Utah and southwest Colorado, but a really fun one. Can’t wait to do it again!!
– JC
Alpha Pup Photography 