Canyons of the Ancients National Monument — Attraction in Cortez

Established in 2000, Canyons of the Ancients NM is administered by the BLM, not the NPS. At 175,000 acres, this site designation is managed "to preserve, protect and restore these nationally significant landscapes recognized for their outstanding cultural, economic and scientific values."

Canyons of the Ancients preserves the largest concentration of primarily Ancestral Puebloan ruins within the US. Over 6,355 individual sites have been identified within the park, with many more (estimated to be over 30,000) not fully explored.

From AD 750 to 1100, the structures built by the ancient Puebloans were basic stone pit-houses. From AD 1100 to 1300, great changes occurred. Much larger masonry structures were built on top of the existing pit-houses, and towers and cliff dwellings were built as villages notably expanded. The use of dams and reservoirs brought about extended farming of beans, corn and squash. Distinctive black on white pottery further developed. And then, about AD 1300, abandonment and migration out of southwestern Colorado occurred.

A visit should start at the Anasazi Heritage Center located in Dolores CO (10 miles north of Cortez). The visitor center and museum contains local artifacts and exhibits, a theater and research library. Directions to larger site ruins and other information is available:

The Lowry Pueblo National Historic Landmark is the only developed site at Canyons of the Ancients. It contains 40 rooms, 8 kivas and a Great Kiva. There is a picnic area (no water available) and pit toilets.

The Painted Hand Pueblo is a standing tower that was built on top of a large boulder. It gets its name from hand pictographs located nearby. A map and high clearance vehicle are recommended. There are no facilities.

Canyons of the Ancients NM deserves to be designated as a NPS site. With that, more funds and services/facilities would follow. A greater archeological examination could occur. And most important, with greater protections, maybe fewer artifacts and ancient Puebloan history would be lost through...

I LOVE THIS PLACE! Visited Canyons of the Ancients National Monument and Mesa Verde National Park at the end of August. It was nice and cool. There was a thunderstorm one night which was cooling since we were camping in the San Juan forest 30 miles away in Dolores, CO.

Highly recommend you stop by the visitor center first, which is 30+ miles away from the actual entrance to the park. You can talk with the park rangers, learn about the park, watch documentaries on the park and the natives who lived there, etc.

After you enjoy the visitor center, head to the park itself where you'll see beautiful rock scenery with small ruins. It's a humbling experience to see how much these people were able to accomplish using the resources around them. Easy hikes for you to enjoy as you visit the main sites: Lowry, Horseshoe and Hackberry to start with. It does get hot during the day so make sure you are prepared for sunny and dry conditions! Hydrate prior to going and take water (and even cold packs) with you a depending on the season.

Overall, my family and I really enjoyed this park and will definitely come back again soon.

Happy...

I camp at Hovenweep when I'm in this area. Great drive from Hovenweep to Canyon of the Ancients. Great place to ride your mountain bike and hike. I've included a picture, which shows the layout. There is one over riding rule when hiking in a desert environment. When you are halfway done with your water, you are half way done with your hike.This rule will save your life, so take plenty of water. I hiked 6 miles in, and it was both beautiful and interesting. Stick to the trails; because, the ground is so delicate. If you damage the soil, it takes years to recover if ever. Magical place. So much to see. Super views of Sleeping Ute Mountain, or I should say mountains. When you are up at Park Point in Mesa Verde Sleeping Ute looks like one mountain. When you get on the other side, you can clearly see Sleeping Ute is multiple mountains. Bring plenty of water and be safe! Have a great hike and leave it better than you...