Canyons of the Ancients National Monument protects an archaeologically-significant landscape located in the southwestern region of the U.S. state of Colorado. The monument encompasses and surrounds three of the four separate sections of Hovenweep National Monument, which is administered by the National Park Service. The monument was proclaimed in order to preserve the largest concentration of archaeological sites in the United States, primarily Ancestral Puebloan ruins. As of 2005, over 6,000 individual archeological sites had been identified within the monument.
Trails Map of Sand Canyon & Rock Creek Trails in the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (NM) in Colorado. Published by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) for Hunting Season Game Retrieval of the Dolores Ranger District in San Juan National Forest (NF) in Colorado. Published by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).
Camping on Public Lands in Colorado. Published by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Canyons of the Ancients NM
https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/colorado/canyons-of-the-ancients
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canyons_of_the_Ancients_National_Monument
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument protects an archaeologically-significant landscape located in the southwestern region of the U.S. state of Colorado. The monument encompasses and surrounds three of the four separate sections of Hovenweep National Monument, which is administered by the National Park Service. The monument was proclaimed in order to preserve the largest concentration of archaeological sites in the United States, primarily Ancestral Puebloan ruins. As of 2005, over 6,000 individual archeological sites had been identified within the monument.
Lowry Pueblo Photo by Lanny Wagner
COLORADO
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is accessible via
county-maintained paved and gravel roads.
www.co.blm.gov/canm
or contact
the Bureau of Land Management at:
Anasazi Heritage Center
27501 Highway 184
Dolores, CO 81323
ph: 970-882-5600
www.co.blm.gov/ahc
For More Information, visit
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491
Road G
National Monument
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Hovenweep
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Drilling wellpads in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument
Wildlife includes
deer, elk, mountain
lion, coyote, fox,
rare snakes and rare
lizards. Falcons and
eagles hunt in the area
year-round.
Some archaeological sites are clearly identified, while others are
intended as exhibits in an ‘outdoor museum’ experience. The BLM
allows a variety of
uses such as hiking,
cattle grazing,
mountain biking,
horseback riding, oil
and gas development,
research, hunting and
conservation, in the
monument, but not
every use is allowed
on every acre.
Thousands of archaeological sites have been recorded in the monument,
and thousands more await documentation and study. Some, such as
those with standing walls, are obvious, and other sites consist of rubble
mounds or depressions in the earth. These sites all need protection. As
you explore the monument, please do your part to protect the natural
beauty and archaeological integrity of the landscape.
Mesa Verde
National P ark
Canyons of the Ancients National
Monument encompasses more
than 170,000 acres of high
desert in the southwest corner
of Colorado. Part of the Bureau
of Land Management’s National
Landscape Conservation System,
the monument is managed to protect
a rich landscape of cultural and natural
resources. Monument headquarters are located
at the Anasazi Heritage Center, near Dolores, which provides up-to-date
visitor information, maps, exhibits and advice on travel conditions.
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Canyons
ANASAZI
HERITAGE CENTER
MAP & INFORMATION
A NCIENTS
Welcome
BLM
OF THE
CANYONS
NATIONAL MONUMENT
A NCIENTS
OF THE
perspectives. Artifacts, microscopes, a loom and other hands-on experiences
encourage discovery and exploration of the past. A ½-mile (3/4-km),
self-guided interpretive trail leads to Escalante Pueblo, which offers a
panoramic hilltop view. The museum shop offers books,
videos and teaching materials about the ancient and
recent history of the Four Corners area. The Center
also has a movie theater, curation facility and
library.
If you have a few hours, visit the Anasazi Heritage Center, Canyons of the
Ancients National Monument Headquarters.
Guided trips are provided by permitted
private companies only. Contact
Monument headquarters for a list.
The Anasazi Heritage Center is fully wheelchairaccessible. The Center is open daily, except
January 1, Thanksgiving and December 25. Call
970-882-5600 for admission fees and hours. The
Heritage Center is 10 miles (16 km) north of Cortez.
Painted Hand Pueblo Photo by Lanny Wagner
Trip Ideas
Visitors observe more than 100 bird species throughout the year.
Cross-country motorized travel is not allowed. If a route is not signed,
it is not open.
There are no formal campgrounds. Primitive, dispersed camping is
allowed, but vehicles must not be more than 20’ from the edge of a
route surface.
Artifacts excavated from sites in Canyons of the Ancients National
Monument are preserved at the Anasazi Heritage Center (monument
headquarters). This museum explains Ancestral Puebloan life on the Great
Sage Plain and beyond and orients visitors.
Interactive exhibits illustrate
Ancestral Puebloan life
from archaeological
and Native
American
In the Sand Canyon/Rock Creek Special
Recreation Management Area, visitors
must stay on the designated routes. The
rest of the Monument is open to foot and
horseback travel.
CANYONS
If you have ½ day, visit the
Heritage Center and Lowry Pueblo.
Lowry Pueblo National Historic Landmark is the only developed
recreation site within Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.
Lowry Pueblo has stabilized standing walls, 40 rooms, eight kivas and
a Great Kiva.
Lowry Pueblo also has interpretive signs and brochures, and the picnic
area, toilet and trail are all wheelchair accessible. The area does not
have drinking water or services except pit toilets, and there is no
overnight camping.
To reach Lowry, turn west off Highway 491 at Pleasant View onto
County Road CC and go 9 miles (14.5 km) west. This asphalt road
turns to gravel, but is usually passable by all vehicles. Ask the staff at
the Anasazi Heritage Center for winter accessibility status.
If you have a day, visit the Anasazi Heritage Center,
Lowry Pueblo and Painted Hand Pueblo.
Bicycles are allowed only on existing county roads and designated
BLM routes.
Painted Hand is a beautiful
standing tower perched on a
boulder. The site has never
been excavated, but stone
rubble shows where rooms
were built against the cliff face
and on boulders. The site gets
its name from outlined hands
on a boulder (such paintings
are called picto