Trail of the Ancients
Places to Visit
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The Anasazi Heritage Center is a museum for interpreting the history and culture of the Four Corners region.
Location: Located at 27501 Hwy 184 in Dolores.
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Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (CO)
Covering almost 164,000 acres of high desert, this area contains more than 5,000 recorded archaeological sites, and thousands more await documentation and study. The area has the highest known archaeological site density in the United States.
Distance from byway: On the byway Directions: From Colorado: 10 miles south of Dove Creek along Dolores County Road 6 (approx. 1 hour); 4 miles west of Cahone via Dolores County Road R (approx. 1/2 hour); 11 miles west of Pleasant View along Montezuma County Road CC (approx. 1 hour), also 5 miles west of Pleasant View via Montezuma County Road BB then 2 miles south along Montezuma County Roads 12 or 10 (approx. 1 - 1 1/2 hour); 2 miles west of Yellow Jacket via County Road X then 5 miles south along County Road 15 then 2 miles west along Montezuma County Road U (approx 1 hour); 1 and 1/2 miles south of Arriola on US Highway 491, then 10 miles west along Montezuma County Roads P and N (approx. 1 hour); 5 miles south of Cortez along US 491 to the junction with Montezuma County Road G, then along Road G 44 miles to the Utah border and San Juan County Road 402 (about half way from either Colorado or Utah is the Sand Canyon Trailhead) [approx. 1 1/2 hour]. From Utah: 15 miles east of Bluff via US Highway 163 to Montezuma Creek then 7 1/2 miles west of Montezuma Creek via Utah Highway 262 to Aneth then 24 miles north via San Juan County Roads 402, 401, 413, and 213 to connect with the western end of Montezuma County Road 10 noted above (approx. 1 1/2 hour). Also from Bluff, 15 miles east via US Highway 163 to Montezuma Creek, then 7 1/2 miles west of Montezuma Creek via Utah Highway 262 to Aneth, then 13 miles north and east via San Juan County Road 402 to the Colorado border where the road becomes Montezuma County Road G (approx. 1 1/2 hour either way).
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Cortez is the largest community near Mesa Verde National Park and offers the most services for visitors. The town is nestled between the majestic La Plata Mountains, the brooding Sleeping Ute Mountain, and the sharp-hewn silhouette of Mesa Verde.
Location: In southwest Colorado, about 10 miles west of Mesa Verde National Park, right by the junction of US 666 and US 160.
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Dolores, home to McPhee Lake, offers a variety of boating and recreational activities. It houses the Anasazi Heritage Center and headquarters for the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. The Dolores River is the heart and soul of this community.
Location: Just east of the junction of Highways 145 and 184; northeast of Cortez.
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Excavated in the 1930s, the Lowry Pueblo was dedicated as a National Historic Landmark in 1967. It is a 1,000-year-old Ancestral Puebloan village, built around AD 1060 and inhabited for about 165 years.
Location: At the end of the graded, gravel, Colorado Highway 88, about ten miles west of Pleasant View, Colorado, which is on Highway 491.
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Spectacular remnants of the society, skills, and traditions of the Ancestral Puebloan Indians can be found at the Mesa Verde National Park. It's a strong step into the past and in the perfect setting.
Location: Three miles off of Highway 160, 10 miles east of Cortez.
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The Ute Mountain Tribal Park, full of Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites left in their natural, unreconstructed state, offers the tourist a hands-on experience with the past.
Location: The visitor center is at the junction of US Highways 160 and 491.
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Bluff was established in 1880 by the Hole-in-the-Rock Mormon pioneers at the site of an ancient Puebloan community. The original fort is still standing, and the community is dotted with Victorian era sandstone homes.
Location: On US-191, 21 miles south of Blanding, about 50 miles south of Monticello.
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An easy hike takes you to these cliff dweller ruins, which include several different kivas (ceremonial rooms) and other stone structures.
Location: Along Highway 95, nine miles west of Blanding.
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Edge of the Cedars State Park and Museum (UT)
Southeast Utah's only formal archaeological repository houses artifacts depicting both the ancient Pueblo culture and more recent cultures of southeast Utah.
Location: 660 West 400 North, Blanding.
