Hovenweep National Monument | Colorado National Lands

Hovenweep National Monument features five village groups of the Anaszi people, or Ancient Pueblo. It’s located in Southwest Colorado, between Cortez and Blanding, Utah. All 5 sites are located along a 16 mile road in the high desert.

The Visitor Center is located just across the border in Utah. It’s a modern facility with exhibits, info and a small gift shop. There’s a 31-site modern campground situated next to the visitor center and next to an awesome 2 mile loop trail, the Square Tower Group.

The ruin sites aren’t as well marked on the Colorado side. They are marked just by a small wooden sign with a picture of a white dove.

Ruins

All the sites offer something unique and are worth visiting. If you only have time for one, see Square Tower.

Square Tower – The most popular archaeological group at Hovenweep. A 2 mile trail wraps around all sites, including Hovenweep Castle.
Horseshoe & Hackberry – A 0.8 mile hike takes you by these two ruins.
Holly – Several ruins make up this exciting group.
Cutthroat Castle – Shares a dirt road with “Paint Hand” of Canyons of the Ancients. It’s about a mile and half round trek if you don’t a real high-clearance vehicle.
Cajun – Located furthest south is this group of several ruins.

Activities

Camping: Yes, 31 sites, open year round, $10/night, first-come first-serve. They offer great views of Sleeping Ute Mountain and are located next to Rim Rock Trail.

Hiking: Rim Rock Trail near the Visitor Center is a remarkable hike 2-mile trek around the Square Tower ruins. It circles around the top of the canyon, passing by many ruins like Hovenweep Castle. There is an option to take a trail into the canyon as well. The trail takes 1.5-2 hours.

Tips

It gets hot out here and there’s not much around. Bring a full tank of gas, water and snacks.
One of the ruins takes you by “Paint Hand”, part of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. It’s best to combine the two sites into one trip.

Hovenweep Visitor Center.