allowed, butvehiclesmustnotbemore than20’ fromtheedgeof a There arenoformalcampgrounds.Primitive, dispersedcampingis it isnotopen. Cross-country motorizedtravelisnotallowed.Ifaroutesigned, Visitors observemorethan100birdspeciesthroughouttheyear. trespassing orblocking driveways. Private propertyisinterspersed throughoutthemonument. Pleaseavoid motorized travel. Canyon, andCahoneCanyon)areopen onlytonon-mechanized/non- Three BLM Wilderness Study Areas (CrossCanyon,Squaw/Papoose BLM routes. Bicycles areallowedonlyonexistingcounty roadsanddesignated horseback travel. 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. includes Wildlife elk, mountain deer, lion, coyote, fox, rare snakes and rare lizards. Falcons and eagles hunt in the area year-round. rest oftheMonumentisopentofootand route surface.
must stayonthedesignatedroutes . The Guided tripsareprovidedbypermitted private companiesonly. Contact Recreation Management Area, Recreation In theSandCanyon/RockCreekSpecial Monument headquartersforalist. is onthe HeritageCenter grounds. Escalante Pueblo, builtduring the1100s, Anasazi Heritage Center visitors Canyons of the Ancients National Canyons of the Monument encompasses more than 170,000 acres of high desert in the southwest corner of Colorado. Part of the Bureau National of Land Management’s Landscape Conservation System, the monument is managed to protect a rich landscape of cultural and natural resources. Monument headquarters are located provides up-to-date near Dolores, which Anasazi Heritage Center, at the visitor information, maps, exhibits and advice on travel conditions. Thousands of archaeological sites have been recorded in the monument, Some, such as and thousands more await documentation and study. those with standing walls, are obvious, and other sites consist of rubble As These sites all need protection. mounds or depressions in the earth. you explore the monument, please do your part to protect the natural beauty and archaeological integrity of the landscape. Some archaeological sites are clearly identified, while others are The BLM experience. intended as exhibits in an ‘outdoor museum’ Drilling wellpads in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument Drilling wellpads in Canyons of the Welcome
Lowry Pueblo Photo by Lanny Wagner Monument arepreservedatthe Anasazi Heritage Center(monument Artifacts excavatedfromsitesinCanyons ofthe Ancients National Ancients NationalMonumentHeadquarters. If youhaveafewhours,visitthe Anasazi HeritageCenter, Canyonsofthe Trip Ideas headquarters). This museumexplains Ancestral PuebloanlifeontheGreat Sage Plainandbeyondorientsvisitors. Interactive exhibitsillustrate Ancestral Puebloanlife from archaeological and Native American
BLM
Heritage Centeris10miles(16km)north ofCortez. 970-882-5600 foradmissionfeesandhours. The January 1, Thanksgiving andDecember25.Call accessible. The Center is opendaily, except The Anasazi HeritageCenterisfullywheelchair- library. also hasamovietheater, curationfacility and recent historyoftheFourCornersarea. The Center videos andteachingmaterialsaboutthe ancientand panoramic hilltopview. The museumshopoffers books, self-guided interpretivetrailleadstoEscalantePueblo,whichoffers a encourage discoveryandexplorationofthepast. A ½-mile(3/4-km), perspectives. Artifacts, microscopes, a loom and other hands-on experiences COLORADO Painted Hand Pueblo Photo by Lanny Wagner Lanny by Photo Pueblo Hand Painted S ONS Y the Anasazi HeritageCenterforwinteraccessibility status. turns togravel,butisusuallypassable by allvehicles. Ask thestaff at County RoadCCandgo9miles(14.5 km) west. This asphaltroad To reachLowry, turn westoff Highway 491 atPleasant View onto overnight camping. have drinkingwaterorservicesexcept pit toilets,andthereisno area, toiletandtrailareallwheelchairaccessible. The areadoesnot Lowry Puebloalsohasinterpretivesigns andbrochures,thepicnic a GreatKiva. Lowry Pueblohasstabilizedstandingwalls, 40rooms,eightkivasand recreation sitewithinCanyonsofthe Ancients NationalMonument. Lowry PuebloNationalHistoricLandmarkistheonlydeveloped HeritageCenterandLowryPueblo. If youhave½day, visitthe LowryPuebloandPaintedHand Pueblo. If youhaveaday, visittheAnasaziHeritageCenter, clearance vehicle. There areno services or facilities. Hand Trailhead. To getthere, youshouldhave agoodmapand a high- Hand sign andkiosk,thenturn left.Followdirtroad 1miletoPainted County Road 10south11.3 miles (18km).Look forthesmallPainted Lowry Pueblo CIENT OF THE TIONAL MONUMENT CAN AN NA S Park TION erde V ONS esa Y M National P ANASAZI CIENT OF THE 491 0 AP & INFORMA HERITAGE CENTER CAN 16 M 491 AN
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west off Highway491at To reach PaintedHand,turn remnants ofpastlives. eventually destroythese Oil anddirtfromhands will respect thesefragile paintings! are calledpictographs). Please on aboulder(suchpaintings its namefromoutlined hands and onboulders. The sitegets were builtagainstthecliff face rubble showswhererooms been excavated,butstone boulder. The sitehasnever standing towerperchedona Painted Handisabeautiful o
miles (8.8 km)west. Take County Road CCandgo5.5 R ph: 970-882-5600 Dolores, CO 81323 27501 Highway 184 www.co.blm.gov/ahc www.co.blm.gov/canm Anasazi Heritage Center of the Canyons Ancients the Bureau of Land Management at: National Monument county-maintained paved and gravel roads. For More Information, visit More For Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is accessible via Canyons of the Hovenweep National Monument Exploring Canyons of the Ancients
Be Safe To Dove Creek • Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is Monticello Utah a remote, rugged and harsh desert environment. Rd H Colorado DOLORES Summer temperatures may exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), and elevation Cortez ranges from 4,875 ft (1500 m) above sea level
6 ! Durango !
d to 6,825 ft (2100 m) above sea level. a
o • Carry and drink at least one gallon (four liters) R of water per person per day. • Use sunscreen. Or Hike on the Sand • Have ample fuel for your vehicle. Arizona New Mexico Canyon/Rock Creek • Always carry a good map, water, food and first Special Recreation aid kit. Avoid travelling alone. Tell someone Road R Cahone Management Area ÆQBradfield your plans and expected route. trails. • Wear a hat, long-sleeved shirt, long pants, Cahone 6 S sturdy footwear and good socks.
1 d The Sand Canyon and Rock Canyon WSA R d Photo © Jerry Sintz
a • Use insect repellant. Expect biting gnats in
Creek trails are open for o 4 Saddlehorn Pueblo in Sand Canyon
R May and June.
d
hiking, mountain biking a
o Rd T • Watch for rattlesnakes, scorpions, mountain lions and other potentially dangerous
or horseback riding on R wildlife. designated routes only. Lowry Hiking routes can be steep, Pueblo Road CC Pleasant View 0 1
A Rich Cultural History rocky and remote. There are ) Road BB d
no services or facilities. a Humans have been part of this landscape for at least 12,000 years. Changes in o Canyons Squaw 4 2 1 R
d a cultural life over time ranged from hunting and gathering to farming. By about Papoose o d R a Canyon WSA o A.D. 750 farmers, now known as Ancestral Puebloans, occupied a widespread area If you have a second day, visit Sand Canyon Pueblo… Rd Z R
1 that included Canyons of the Ancients and much of southwest Colorado. Their
1 Sand Canyon Pueblo includes the remains of about 420 rooms, 100 kivas and Yellow Jacket d Road Y year-round villages began as clustered pit houses. Over time, these ancestors of the 14 towers. Researchers from the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center excavated Cross R of the Canyon Rd Y modern-day Pueblo Indians developed larger masonry homes with connecting walls
several rooms from 1983 to 1993, and then backfilled them to protect standing 5 M CP HE E
WSA 1 above ground. Some of these homes were built at canyon heads where there was a RE SE RVO I R
walls and preserve the site. Interpretive signs provide Native American insights and d
a Lewis McPhee spring to supply water. Other homes were cliff dwellings. In time, factors such as archaeological perspectives, show how the site was laid out, and display drawings of o To
R ÆQ Road W NA RR AG UI NN EP population growth, soil exhaustion and changing weather compromised the area’s what Sand Canyon Pueblo might have looked like in the mid-1200s. Telluride natural A nresources.cien tBys about A.D. 1300, these Pueblo ancestors migrated to New
o Anasazi(^! Mexico’s Rio Grande Valley or farther west to where the Acoma, Laguna, Zuni and Sand Canyon Pueblo is located at the north trailhead to the Sand Canyon trail. To d 0 Rd U Heritage Dolores Hopi people live today. h 1 Painted
a reach Sand Canyon turn west off Highway 491 onto County Road P and follow d
a r a Center o Hand the map in this brochure. Eventually the county road turns to gravel, and is usually t R o
l )Pueblo Ute and Navajo people also used the Monument’s mesas and canyons for hunting
passable by all vehicles. Call for winter accessibility and ask for the free Sand U Arriola National o and gathering. Remains of hogans, brush shelters and wickiups tell their story. Canyon brochure and map before your visit to Sand Canyon Pueblo at the Anasazi Canyons of the Ancients
C Heritage Center. There are no services or facilities at the site. Road P In the 1700’s, Europeans explored the area, often led by Ute guides. Today, many National Monument descendant peoples still live in or near their ancestor’s homelands. Whether accessing the area from the south trailhead or the north trailhead, parking Road N Monument Sand is extremely limited. Please avoid parking within the county road right-of-way. Hovenweep ) Canyon Please stay out of all archaeological sites. The 800-year-old ÆQ National Monument Please Respect Ancestral Puebloan Homes il a Pueblo stone structures are both fragile and dangerous. (NPS) r The remnants of Ancestral Puebloan homes are found throughout Canyons of the T n To Mancos o y Ancients National Monument. They are an irreplaceable link to history, and are n a and Durango C especially important to contemporary Native Americans. The biggest threat to Sand Canyon d n a Trailhead S these places comes from careless visitors. Please preserve this legacy for future CORTEZ generations. Road G )
Canyons Road G Walk carefully to avoid stepping on fragile walls. Archaeological sites are extremely delicate. It’s easy to destroy walls and artifacts. Never burn wood from archaeological sites or IN A build fires in them. T N of thPleasee report U O Touching painted and plastered walls or any vandalism, M pictographs and petroglyphs leaves skin oils that E collection, or damage T damage artwork. U of archaeological Mesa Verde G resources to BLM law N Ancients I National Picnics in archaeological sites attract rodents, enforcement at 970- P Park Photo by Lanny Wagner E which tunnel and nest in the
E
882-6849 or Colorado L site. Eat elsewhere; collect and Towaoc State Patrol Dispatch S carry out your trash. at 970-249-4392. National LEGEND The Archaeological Ute Mountain Ute Reservation Leave artifacts exactly where Resources Protection ÆQ Campground found for others to enjoy; Act of 1979, the Native it is illegal to remove them. (^! Information American Graves and To Bluff Displaced artifacts mean little Repatriation Act of to the archaeologists who rely Monument Destination Point ¯ 1990, and 43 CFR ) on location as a part of their 8365.1-5(a) prohibit Sand Canyon Trail analysis; artifacts should be left for others to discover. anyone from removing Ute Mountain Ute Reservation National Park Service artifacts or disturbing Wilderness Study Areas (WSA) Leave No Trace archaeological sites Canyons of the Ancients National Monument • Camping and campfires in archaeological sites are prohibited. on federal public To the • Human waste left at archaeological sites is unsightly and unsanitary. lands without written Four Corners To 0 2 4 8 Km • Stay on existing roads and trails. Scars on the desert landscape heal slowly and permission from the Shiprock speed up soil erosion. BLM. Do your part • Do not leave “offerings” at any archaeological site. They confuse the original story, to preserve this rich 0 2 4 8 Mi compromising the scientific and scenic value of a site. heritage for future • Treat these places with respect. They represent our shared cultural heritage, and generations. Canyons of the Ancients National Monument landscape many hold special importance for contemporary Native Americans.