During the years I spent hiking and camping with author Ward Roylance, he often shared his philosophy of natural aesthetics. In a region famous for its sweeping vistas and red-rock cathedrals, Ward reminded me that some of southern Utah’s most profound artistic treasures lie not on the horizon, but quite literally at our feet.
Ward saw this landscape as a vast realm of “inorganic art” - from monumental stone amphitheaters to intimate micro-sculptures carved grain by grain. To him, southern Utah was “a museum of nature’s surreal art, shaped by unimaginable time.” Standing on the high plateaus near Torrey, he would look out across canyons, domes, and sculpted sandstone and describe the land as something “not just seen, but felt: ancient, mystical, and ultimately beyond complete human understanding.”
While its grand panoramas first overwhelmed him, Ward came to believe that “the region’s deepest beauty lies not only in its massive temples and canyons, but in tiny, exquisite rock carvings - miniature arches, pillars, textures, and patterns etched by wind and water.” These small formations, endlessly varied and never repeated, became sacred to him - perfect natural designs rivaling the finest human art. In these details he found worlds within worlds: delicate stone filigree, dreamlike reliefs, and whimsical shapes that feel intentional, emotional, alive.
Together, Ward and I wandered and camped in many of the canyons near his home in Torrey, marveling at the intricate weathering of Entrada sandstone. Here around Moab the story is similar, even if the geology shifts. Slickrock and Navajo sandstone dominate the terrain, and in their smooth domes and sculpted pockets Rhonda and I have found the same kind of quiet magic Ward loved.
Over the years, we’ve spent countless days exploring the broad uplands between the Bartlett Flat area and the eastern edges of Canyonlands northeast of Moab. And while the horizon here is always dramatic, the real surprises often appear when we slow down, kneel to the stone, and simply look closely.
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| Bartlett Flat |
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| Bartlett Flat |
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| Bartlett Flat |
Here are a few examples of the desert’s hidden art - discovered not by looking up, but by looking down.
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