Solitude - it makes the vistas greater and the sights more spectacular. Unfortunately, solitude is getting harder to find as more and more visitors flood our desert national parks and wilderness areas. However, solitude is still easy to find if you plan ahead and are prepared for mud and dust. Many times these places aren't in national parks but they still offer similar sights.

One such special place is Utah's San Rafael Swell, a BLM area in south-central Utah between Canyonlands National Park and Capitol Reef National Park. The San Rafael Swell is a striking and varied region of canyons, monoliths and grasslands. It is the perfect destination for getting off the beaten path and is a great side trip for people visiting Canyonlands or Capitol Reef national parks.

One of the most interesting places in the San Rafael Swell is the Head of Sinbad, an area of sheer Wingate sandstone cliffs in the middle of the Swell. Named after its fanciful and mysterious rock formations, the Head of Sinbad offers many outstanding sights - nearby arches, canyons and Indian rock art.

This style of rock art is called Barrier Canyon Style and is named after the Great Gallery pictographs of Canyonlands National Park. Barrier Canyon rock art is characterized by pictographs of large life-size figures, usually with elongated, tapered bodies.

The amount of detail throughout the panel is amazing. There are small birds and other figures that surround the large figures. Also, one of the large figures has a circular petroglyph (rock engraving) scratched on its chest. Click here for a 36k closeup of this petroglyph and some of the smaller figures.

Determining what this panel means is very difficult and somewhat speculative given the its age and the fact that it wasn't created by an identifiable Indian tribe. Maybe the figures are shamans or the holy men that are thought to be a large part of Barrier Canyon rock art. One figure is thought to be causing rain - it's out-stretched arms pointing to rain clouds. Also, the snakes around the large figures are seen in other Barrier Canyon panels.

While this panel has lasted for thousands of years, it is slowly withering away under the forces of nature. This can especially be seen in the pictograph at the left of the panel - something is leeching out of the rock above the pictograph and slowly obscuring it.

Not only is this pictograph panel beautiful but it lies in absolutely stunning surroundings. The grassland and mesas of Sinbad Country are surrounded by magnificent cliffs. August, the rainy season, is a great time to go. Often, spectacular cloud formations sweep across the desert shooting off lightning bolts but little rain. Given the expansive views you can see the entire storm laid out before you.

The San Rafael Swell is often mentioned as being under consideration for possible national park status and much of the Swell is being studied for possible wilderness designation. Once you visit you'll know why - and you will want to keep coming back.