These red rocks are along on various highways near Moab in Utah.

The black shiny desert varnish adds a contrasting visual quality to the rougher texture of the sandstone; the petroglyphs add another.
Black shiny desert varnish on the red cliffs along Hwy 128.
Petroglyphs along Hwy 279. Further along people were rappelling down these cliffs. Petroglyphs at Newspaper Rock on Hwy 211.
Moab is a funky little town conveniently located between Arches National Park and Canyonlands. All the photos here were from outside the National Parks, along the highways. Newspaper Rock is the only one that required any walking. This map shows of some scenic routes around the town.
For more on this Weekly Photo Challenge : http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/texture/