Chimney Rock National Monument — Attraction in Four Corners States

More expensive than most National Monuments. However, it's a gorgeous location. TAKE WATER. There are no water fountains and small waters are available for $1 each. No food available, other than a slim selection of snacks. Check the monument's website for tour times and reserve in advance. We went mid-week and the guided tour - the only one up to the pinnacle - was full. My three daughters and I did the walking tour of the lower section, a third of a mile paved loop with nine stops. An audio recording was supplied - two of them for four people. However, it was nearly impossible to coordinate the two devices and they were difficult to operate and hard to hear, even on max volume. The information contained in them was excellent, though.

The volunteers were helpful, and one in particular, Gloria, was amazing. However, my three kids did the Junior Archaelogist program and the volunteer didn't even look at their answers, let alone ask them about what they learned. We have done many other similar Junior Ranger programs across the nation and the staff always engages the children to see what they've learned and to have them do the pledge... The staff did not do any of that AND they could only find two badges for my three daughters.

I know this is a newer National Monument and, from the looks of things, they are trying to improve and expand facilities and services. However, for our $26 and 2.5 hours spent, it wasn't a great value...

What could have been a quick nice hike was ruined by a very rude park ranger. We hurried through the upper hike because everyone told us it would take about 2 hours… 30 minutes later we were done. The lady at the top told us to please stop at the bottom and check in, so we did. After waiting 20 minutes to try to talk to the lady at the store, I went outside where Ranger Danny accosted me- telling me that I owe him $20 and I better go to the kiosk and pay now. I told him that I mistakingly thought the state pass covered the monument and he rudely told me that I was wrong and again-“You enjoyed the park didn’t you? You owe me $20” When I said we were going to purchase a yearly national park pass- in addition to the yearly state park pass we just purchased, he told me that that wouldn’t cover the 30 minutes we already enjoyed. This man was very condescending, he treated me beneath him, like I was trying to steal his $20! I never felt so talked down to by a park ranger, what an absolute terrible experience- all because we were stupid enough not to know which pass covers which park. Excuse me Ranger Danny DeHondt for being such an ignorant woman. And yeah, just because you talked so very nicely to my husband only more so points out the fact that you are a chauvinistic human being. Ladies do not talk to this wolf in sheep’s clothing. He is not a...

Somehow, when planning a road trip of CO national parks (Rocky, Mesa Verde, Great Sand Dunes, & Black Canyon) and national monuments (Florissant & Colorado), this one evaded my detection. We saw signs for it, not to mention the formation it's named after, while driving on 160, and decided to stop by. Overall, very glad we did. It introduced us to the kivas that we'd see plenty of the next couple days at Mesa Verde, but also had some really spectacular scenery (and not just the Chimney Rock). What was really fascinating to learn, at a couple different places, the precision ancestral Puebloans appear to have used to line up certain structures with the sunrise and moonrise on select days of the year. The Mesa Village trail & Great House trail were both very informative and not particularly difficult (though if it's a warm sunny summer day like it was for us, you'll likely want some water for the hike up to the Great House).

The Visitor Center actually had a booth setup nearby where USFS (not NPS) employees were taking admission fees and providing information, along with a volunteer from the Chimney Rock Interpretive Association. Despite not being managed by the NPS, they still had a junior ranger program our kids were able to complete, in exchange for a badge similar to those they received at...