A Canyon Country Guide to Anasazi Indian Ruins in Colorado/Utah

Introduction

• For an introduction to the prehistoric Anasazi Indian civilization, read the narrative in Part 1:
    A Canyon Country Guide to Anasazi Indian Ruins in Arizona/New Mexico.

Map of Anasazi Indian Ruins

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Anasazi Indian Ruins Guide:  Arizona/New Mexico (Part 1) | Colorado/Utah (Part 2)

Anasazi Indian Ruins - Colorado

12. Mesa Verde National Park

    Mesa Verde is perhaps the most well known Indian cultural park in the United States. The main attraction is the many elaborate cliff dwellings in the area. The largest, and most famous, is called the Cliff Palace. Mesa Verde was one of the three centers of early Anasazi culture, the other two being Chaco to the south and the Kayenta branch in Arizona. The area has been occupied for nearly 2,000 years. The park features mesa top pueblos and pit houses (dating from perhaps 600 C.E.) as well as the cliff dwellings which were built and occupied only during the final few decades of Anasazi occupation in the 13th century. There is also an excellent museum. Many ranger-guided tours are available including the famous Balcony House tour. The drive up to the mesa is extremely scenic. The mesa tops out at over 8,000 feet so its wooded, very green (verde means green), and cool. Access and activities limited in winter. Back to Map

13. Hovenweep National Monument

    The monument protects six groups of highly unusual Anasazi ruins scattered in a high desert area broken by box canyons (shallow but steep walled). The remote and undeveloped nature of the area offers a unique experience and perhaps a perspective into the ancient world. The Anasazi lived here from about 1100-1300 C.E. While related to the Mesa Verde Anasazi, the Hovenweep people added their own unique touch to their buildings, having a penchant for towers and massive castle-like structures. And in varied shapes that included square, rectangular, round, and D-shaped! There is a campground and small visitor center. Back to Map

14. Ute Mountain Tribal Park

    The Ute Mountain Tribal Park in southwestern Colorado was created to preserve significant remnants of the Ancestral Pueblo (Anasazi) people, including spectacular cliff dwellings and rock art. Access to the park which is along the Mancos River and tributary canyons - and adjacent to Mesa Verde National Park - is by guided tour only.

    The Ute Mountain Tribal Park tours are highly recommended to anyone who is interested in cliff dwellings or any aspect of Ancestral Pueblo culture. The quality of the experience is similar to Keet Seel in Arizona's Navajo National Monument, which is generally considered to be the best preserved and most pristine of all Anasazi cliff dwellings. However the hiking and general effort of the all-day tour is quite a bit more strenuous than activities at Mesa Verde National Park. Back to Map

15. Canyons of the Ancients and Anasazi Heritage Center

    Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is one of the country's newer monuments. It contains a huge number of archaeological sites - more than 6000 recorded so far, and up to 100 per square mile in some places - representing Ancestral Puebloan and other Native American cultures. The monument is managed as an integral cultural landscape containing a wealth of historic and environmental resources. It is mostly undeveloped, mostly dirt roads. So this is a good place to explore on your own.

    The Anasazi Heritage Center, located north of Cortez near Dolores on CO-145, is also the headquarters for Canyons of the Ancients. It has a wide variety of exhibits, permanent and visiting, and other educational resources. These include a research library of archaeology and anthropology resources and a collection of over 3 million artifacts and records from archaeological projects in Southwest Colorado. Back to Map

16. Chimney Rock Archaeological Area

    Chimney Rock Archaeological Area is a San Juan National Forest Archaeological Area located in southwest Colorado off of US-160 between Durango and Pagosa Springs. It is managed for archaeological protection, public interpretation, and education. Its principal highlight is a Chacoan-style great house dating to 1076 AD, which is currently being excavated and stabilized on an ongoing basis. Hundreds of other structures have been found in the area. Daily and special tours are offered. Back to Map

Anasazi Indian Ruins - Utah

17. Grand Gulch Primitive Area

    Grand Gulch is one of the finest cultural and recreational resources on the Colorado Plateau. It winds for fifty miles before reaching the San Juan River. The lush canyon is ideal for backpacking and pack trips. And it is full of Anasazi relics. Remnants of small dwellings are scattered throughout Grand Gulch. But a big feature is the fabulous rock art, for the most part colorful painted pictographs. This is an unsupervised environment so you get to enjoy these relics in a private and natural setting. Please be aware that you are being trusted with irreplaceable things. Look but do not touch!! You do need a permit to enter this area. Back to Map

18. Canyonlands National Park - Newspaper Rock State Park

    The Canyonlands region is rich in small scale Anasazi ruins and rock art. One of the most famous sites is Newspaper Rock adjacent to the Needles District. The large flat rock wall is literally covered by petroglyphs. If you are a backpacker, you will be able to reach the famous "All American Man" pictograph on Salt Creek.

    At the nearby town of Blanding, the Edge of the Cedars State Park offers a partially excavated pueblo and a small museum. Back to Map

    
    
19. Horseshoe Canyon - Canyonlands National Park

    The Great Gallery of Horseshoe Canyon is considered the finest rock art panel in America. While this area was the domain of the Fremont people during the Anasazi era, the rock art is much more ancient. The style, which is considered very spiritual and mystical, is known as "Barrier Canyon" and is associated with the Archaic Indians during the years 2000 B.C.E to 500 C.E. Relics in the area have been dated to 9000 B.C.E Access is via 30 miles of dirt road, then several miles of pretty tough hiking into the canyon. Horseshoe Canyon - The Great Gallery Features America's Finest Rock Art Back to Map

20. Anasazi Indian Village State Historical Monument

    Located in the remote town of Boulder, Utah, this site offers an excavated Anasazi village and a museum. It is unusual because the village was established around 1075 B.C.E. by Kayenta Anasazi migrating up from the south. The area offered fertile land, plentiful water, and good climate. The village prospered for nearly 200 years and became a crossroads of Anasazi and Fremont culture. The village burned in 1275. The cause is not known nor is the whereabouts of the residents after the village was destroyed. Location: In the town of Boulder, Utah, near Capitol Reef National Park.
    460 North Highway 12 Boulder, UT 84716 Phone: 435-335-7308 Back to Map

21. Glen Canyon National Recreational Area

    The Glen Canyon area was probably on the outskirts of Ancestral Puebloan settlement. No large communities were built in this area, but a few cliff dwellings and other sites have been found. Defiance House, discovered in 1959, located three miles up the middles fork of Forgotten Canyon is one of the best preserved Ancestral Puebloan dwellings in the Glen Canyon National Recreational area. Occupied from about 1250-1285 C.E., no one knows why such a dwelling was built in such an inaccessible place.

    If you plan on backpacking or renting a houseboat, make local inquiry with the Glen Canyon NRA rangers about visiting cultural sites in the area. Back to Map

Anasazi Indian Ruins Guide:  Arizona/New Mexico (Part 1) | Colorado/Utah (Part 2) | <Back to Map> | <Top of Page>