Category: Places to Visit

There are many places to hike, camp and visit in Anasazi country. Here are my first-hand accounts of visits to some of these places. I am intentionally leaving out most of the great places to discover. Get some maps and guide books and take the time to explore on your own. You will be amazed what you can find!

Comb Ridge

Upper Butler Wash Near Comb Ridge

Butler Wash drains the eastern slopes of Comb Ridge and joins the San Juan River a bit west of Bluff, UT. About 30 miles to the north, Butler Wash disappears where Comb Ridge blends into Whiskers Draw. The main section of Butler Wash is between Utah 95 on the north and US 163 to the south. I consider Lower Butler Wash to be that section south of US 163 where Butler Wash travels a short distance to its junction with the San Juan River. The middle section between the highways I refer to as Butler Wash. The section of Butler Wash north of UT 95 is what I consider to be Upper Butler Wash.

Canyonlands

Island In The Sky – Canyonlands National Park

Canyonlands National Park, located just outside Moab, Utah, is an interesting park that covers a vast area of inaccessible canyons and mesas. Canyonlands is divided into three units and it’s not possible to visit more than one unit in a day. The Island In The Sky district of the park is easily accessed from Moab and many people first visit Canyonlands by driving through this unit of the park.

Canyonlands

Aztec Butte – Canyonlands National Park

Aztec Butte rises above the Island In The Sky plateau in Canyonlands National Park. It’s a prominent landmark visible for miles and must have been well used by the Ancestral Pueblo people who once occupied this region. This entire area was heavily used by various native peoples and there are some ancient granary ruins on the top of the butte.

Other

Little Westwater Ruin – Blanding, Utah

Little Westwater Ruin, also known as Five Kiva Ruin, is an undeveloped ruin that is easily accessed and interesting to visit. The cliff dwelling is located in the Westwater Creek Canyon just outside of Blanding, UT. Blanding is in the homelands of the Ancestral Puebloans and this ruin is practically part of the town. In fact, many residents tell stories of childhoods spent playing in the ruins all summer long.

Other

Moki Dugway on Utah Route 261

The Moki Dugway (also called Mokee or Moqui) is a famous (or infamous) stretch of Utah Route 261 – the highway running north/south that bisects Cedar Mesa. The Moki Dugway is a 3-mile section of gravel road featuring 10% grades climbing through steep hairpin switchbacks straight up the thousand-foot cliff walls of Cedar Mesa. The road tops Cedar Mesa at about 6,400 ft elevation after beginning its climb from the desert at 5,400 ft.

San Juan River

16 Room House Anasazi Ruin near Bluff, Utah

16 Room House is one of a number of ruins located near the San Juan River in the area around Bluff and Mexican Hat, Utah. Many of these ruins are only accessible from the river. 16 Room House is an exception – you can get to it by driving county roads. 16 Room House is not a large ruin or especially well preserved, but it is an interesting Pueblo III, Mesa Verdean style ruin. As is typical of many Pueblo III ruins, 16 Room House seems to have a very “defensive” nature.

San Juan River

Sand Island Petroglyph Panel near Bluff, Utah

The Sand Island Petroglyph Panel is one of the finest examples of easily accessible Anasazi rock art. Located just outside of Bluff Utah it has over 100 yards of rock art that spans everything from archaic to modern times. The sheer amount of art along with the time range it represents tells us that this area must have held special significance.