Ruins & Landscapes, UT & CO; Part 2 - May 2018

Part 2 of 4 - continued from Part 1

Newspaper Rock, Montezuma Canyon, and Hovenweep National Monument

May 16, 2018 (continued)

Remember to click on a photo for a larger version (highly recommended.)

Newspaper Rock

From Bridger Jack Road we drove east on UT-211 and stopped at Newspaper Rock. This is a panel(s) of petroglyphs, many quite ancient, some of questionable heritage. There are an astonishing number of images and icons in this one small space.

Newspaper Rock. There are additional petroglyphs on either side for you to see when you visit there.

Frankly, I'm pretty sure some of the petroglyphs are from much more modern times.

Monticello

We continued on UT-211 until the routed ended (began?) at US-191 where we turned south to the town of Monticello. I wanted to stop at the BLM District Office there to see if there was more information to be had on Beef Basin. They said there was nothing other than a map for $5, which had practically no detail, but was a nice overview of the district, so Dan and I each purchased one. Seems info on the ground is hard to come by - those BLM maps I found online were the best I'd seen. Any reader who knows more is encouraged to comment or send an email.

I also wanted to ask BLM about Montezuma Canyon. Some campers I'd met at Canyon de Chelley a couple years ago raved about its beauty, but I'd not been able to find details about it either, other than one short page on the BLM website. We were given directions on how to find Montezuma Creek Road, which is unmarked, south of Monticello. I asked if dispersed camping was available in the canyon, as I'd noted from my Benchmark Atlas much of the land was shown as private. I was told "Dispersed camping is available on all BLM lands where the ground has been disturbed," or words to that affect. Spoiler: there is no dispersed camping in Montezuma Canyon.

Montezuma Canyon

We filled our gas tanks before leaving town and headed south on US-191. The info we'd just been given said the county road was 5 miles south of town. I'll tell you, if a white Chevy Suburban had not been pulling onto the highway from that road, we'd have likely driven right on by. I just measured on Google Maps and the turn-off is 5.2 miles south of the intersection of US-191 and 491 (the only traffic light in town.) There was no signage on the highway at all, and no typical country road sign once we'd turned off. There was a short, white PVC pipe someone had stuck in the ground beside the road. They'd used those black vinyl, self-apply letters to affix "CR 146" vertically on the pipe.

The smooth gravel road ran past a number of residences and small ranches east into piñons and junipers. Then almost without warning the land dropped away and the road dramatically descended about 1000' down into Montezuma Canyon. The canyon walls are steep and the creek runs down the middle. There is no way to get to the creek due to the very dense underbrush. There is nowhere to pull off the road.

There is an interesting thick band of Navajo sandstone across the canyon that seems to follow the road. Apparently the whole landscape tilted at some point in the geologic past. We stopped in the road, as there was little traffic, to get a couple photos.

Looking back up canyon from the road. The creek is in the cut. You can just see the far bank.

Montezuma Creek Road. Looking down canyon (south.)

I'd been given a brochure at the Blanding Visitor Center for the Three Kiva Pueblo, so we were keeping an eye out for that, but as I had failed to note my milage when we turned off the highway, the milage shown in the brochure didn't narrow it down very much. And I didn't really know where we were, either, the canyon rather rapidly went from interesting to unchanging and mundane with a few run-down cattle ranches and homes every several miles. The road slowly narrowed, lost much of its gravel and became rougher, but still navigable by a full-size American sedan. We saw a couple places where storage for hay or farm equipment was dug into the bottom of the cliff side.

As I had my eye peeled for the Three Kiva Pueblo Ruins, I spied some new post fencing along the bottom of a cliff to the right. It looked like the type of jackleg fence that BLM used in San Rafael Swell where there were petroglyphs and they wanted to keep visitors at a distance. There was a pull out, so I pulled out, with Dan following. There were no markers or signs at all. The fence looked fairly new, so maybe signage will follow later. I was searching the rock face along the canyon bottom for petroglyphs when Dan said, "Look up." Wow! There were cliff dwelling ruins way up there.

Un-named cliff dwelling ruins.

South house.

Central house.

Northern ruins. Storage? Fortification?

Measuring with Google Maps, the ruins are roughly 20 miles from where the road enters the canyon. I still have no name for these ruins, but did note after the fact that they are marked on my Benchmark Atlas. If you have a GPS: 37.585741, -109.269097

After taking photos, we kept heading south on Montezuma Canyon Road and probably didn't drive more than a couple of miles before we came upon the Three Kiva Pueblo Ruins. This time there was a sign. We pulled in and looked around. I took a few photos of the one kiva that is visible. Archeologists have determined there were two more kivas.

Three Kiva Pueblo.

Inside restored kiva.

Dan climbs up from inside kiva.

We continued along our way. We came to an unmarked 'T' junction with CR-206. I guessed we should go to the left. The road was now wide with thick gravel. After a few miles I pulled over to consult the maps and see which way the GPS navigation app chose to take us to Hovenweep National Monument. The app's choice looked good, so we turned onto that route. Regardless of which direction your travel, getting to Hovenweep requires good maps and/or a trust-worthy GPS navigator.

Hovenweep National Monument

Note: trails in the national monument are open sunrise to sunset. There is currently no entrance fee. If you intend to camp and the campground is full, or you simply prefer to disperse camp, the national monument is surrounded by BLM lands where dispersed camping is allowed. I'd suggest driving NE from the main location on the paved highway. There are side roads that may contain camping spots, including the roads that lead to the outlying ruins. Camping is not allowed within the national monument boundaries.

When we arrived at Hovenweep, we drove directly into the campground. When I'd been here before there was one camper in the whole place (admittedly this was mid-day in late fall.) Today at about 6:30pm there were only a handful of the 30 sites unoccupied. After some hemming and hawing we chose a "RV Only" site near the top of the campground, figuring if anyone cared, two campers = one RV. No one cared and there were single vehicles in other RV sites. Though there are no hook-ups at the individual sites, there are centrally located facilities with running water and flush toilets.

Our sunny site in the Hovenweep Campground.

We were greeted like we were old friends by the fellow in the camp across the road. In response to our blank faces he reminded us we'd met him and his wife on their electric mountain bikes at Bears Ears. Small world. I also chatted with Jason next door in his lifted Tacoma.

We had been lucky with very mild and sunny weather these last few days. It was very warm here in Hovenweep, almost hot. Nonetheless, as we sat around the Little Red Campfire that night we raised a toast to our most enjoyable time together, as Dan would be heading toward home after we walked the loop trail in the morning.

Thursday, May 17

Hovenweep National Monument (continued)

Our campsite in the morning light.

We broke camp and drove to the visitor center parking lot where the main loop trail begins.

Hovenweep Square Tower Unit

Dan and I set out on the trail that runs along the canyon edge, then completes the loop by dropping down into the canyon and up the other side. I warned Dan I might skip that part to save my knees. It was a lovely morning with clear blue skies. We took lots of photos, admired the unique tower ruins, and wondered about the peoples who inhabited this land all those years ago.

Twin Towers, Eroded Boulder House and Rim Rock House.

Dan on the Tower Point Trail.

Hovenweep Castle.

Square Tower, for which the entire unit is named.

Looking back up canyon: Hovenweep House, Square Tower, & Hovenweep Castle.

A closer view of Eroded Boulder House.

I was feeling pretty good, so decided to attempt the canyon descent, but after just a few of those deep steps both my knees were crying "uncle", so shouted at Dan I'd meet him back at the visitor center.

By the time I made it back to the visitor center Dan was anxious to take off. He had reservations at Gouldings for the night and was going to drive through Monument Valley. I strongly encouraged him to drive the through road in Valley of the Gods on the way there. (He did and was glad I'd recommended it to him.)

Holly, Horseshoe, Hackberry

I turned right at the highway toward Colorado. I had originally intended to skip the three closest outlying ruins, but at the last moment decided to visit them. I'd driven the road last time I was at the national monument, but a big rainstorm was on the horizon, so didn't stop to walk to the ruins themselves. The road is impassible when wet. There were side roads that might lead to dispersed camping spots.

I first drove to the Holly site, the farthest from the highway. The last section of the road is a bit rocky and rough - definitely needed high-clearance. I parked and walked the short ways to the ruins. Wow! The tower built covering a big rock is amazing - it's almost like its floating in air. Construction must have been quite a feat.

Information board at the parking area.

Look how the towers cover the entire top of the rock.

Looking back from near Holly House to Holly Tower and the pueblo ruins.

I drove back and parked at the trailhead for Horseshoe and Hackberry ruins. The day was turning hot. I stood in what little shade I could find to consume a protein bar before hiking to the ruins. I was smart enough to take my Camelbak with me.

Information board at the trailhead.

Trailhead next to the road.

Both Horseshoe and Hackberry consist of pueblo ruins and a tower structure separate from the pueblo. The tower and main building for Horseshoe are standing, as is the cistern structure below at a spring.

Horseshoe Tower.

Horseshoe House.

Closer view of Horseshoe House wall. This is where I really began to appreciate the difference between the Hovenweep ruins and most others I've seen in the Southwest. Most, like at Chaco, are built with stone shaped by nature with minimal hand work. Here each stone is laboriously shaped to the desired form.

Here you can see the cistern structure below Horseshoe House.

The Hackberry tower is standing, but the pueblo - much larger than at the other sites - is in complete ruin with only a few short walls standing.

View of Hackberry House and pueblo ruins.

On the walk back to my truck from Hackberry I met a young man with a backpack and handcase. He was dressed much like a park ranger, but without NPS insignia. We spoke, he seemed friendly so I asked what he was up to. He said he was a volunteer walking to a remote climate monitoring station that logs temperature and precipitation. Once a year someone visits the monitor and downloads the previous year's data. It wasn't until later I realized I'd not asked for whom he was gathering the data (not that I don't think he was legit, just curious.)

I next drove into Colorado and visited Lowry Pueblo in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, however I will save that for Part 4 to keep all of that national monument grouped in one post.

The narrative continues in Part 3.

SE Utah - May 2014 - Part 2

I spent 6 days exploring southeastern Utah. This included two national parks I'd never visited, Canyonlands and Arches. It would also take me back to Muley Point and to discover a few new areas between those destinations. 

I will divide the trip into three or four parts to aid digestion. This is part 2.

Remember you can see larger versions of the photos by clicking on one of them.

BLM Indian Creek Recreation Area

and

Canyonlands National Park: The Needles

Note that Canyonlands National Park is segmented into three distinct districts. Island in the Sky is to the north, is the most visited of the districts as it is close to Arches NP, and is located atop a high plateau; my visit there will be in a subsequent post. The Maze is the most undeveloped; I didn't visit this area. The Needles is located in an intermediate zone surrounded by high bluffs, but also containing deep canyons.

Monday, May 5th continued.

Newspaper Rock

North of Monticello, I turned west on SR 211 toward The Needles. My first stop was the BLM Newspaper Rock Recreation Site. This large petroglyph panel represents multiple cultures and times. No one really knows what it all means.

Newspaper Rock

I continued NW on 211 and checked out the Creek Pasture Camping Area. They recommended it to me in the Monticello BLM office, because it had trees and shade. All the shady spots were taken and those available were unappetizing. Plus, the sites seemed too close together for my comfort level. They'd also recommended the new Superbowl Camping Area, but I decided instead to drive up the road toward Lavender Canyon to see if I could find a nice dispersed campsite. I took a spur road and found a quiet spot with lots of shade. It was next to Indian Creek, but there was a fence between the site and the creek - probably to keep the cattle out of the creek. (By the way, the information on the Indian Creek area on the BLM website is woefully out of date. I recommend you contact the Monticello BLM office for current info.)

Dispersed camping on BLM land in Indian Creek Canyon.

Tuesday, May 6th

The Needles

I headed in to Canyonlands NP first thing after breakfast. Driving into the park I was astonished at the large numbers of wildflowers blooming. The Evening Primrose were especially prolific and interesting, as their blossoms are larger than the green part of the plant.

This species of Evening Primrose blooms all during the day.

I wanted to get a camping site at the park's Squaw Flat Campground. This is a first come, first served area. I was there a little after 9am, but both Campground A and B were full. As I was driving out of B, I noticed folks packing their car. I asked if they were leaving. They were, so I got a nice spot. I registered and put out my site-occupied bucket. Check out time is 10am and I noticed one or two other sites opening up about that time.

I then headed out the Scenic Drive to the Big Spring Overlook.

These pillars greet you as you walk toward the overlook from the parking area.

If you hike down this canyon about 5 miles you come to the Confluence Overlook
where the Colorado and Green Rivers join.

My next stop was the nearby Slickrock Foot Trail. This is a fairly easy 2.4 mile loop, but my old, beat-up knees were less than pleased by the ups and downs. There are four major viewpoints along the trail and you follow rock cairns in order to follow the trail.

An early section of the trail still primarily on soil.

Looking south from Viewpoint 1 with the Needles peeking over the canyon walls.
Lots of purple and yellow flowers in the foreground.

Follow the cairns. Note the cryptobiotic soil in the right foreground.
These fragile crusts are formed slowly by living organisms and are an essential part of the ecosystem.

A lovely trailside, floral tableau.

Another canyon viewpoint.

This checkerspot butterfly generously posed for a portrait.

Another viewpoint. The winds were beginning to really crank up at this point.

Baby Asters sheltering in the lee of a rock outcrop.

On the way back to the car the winds were very strong. The straw hat I was so happy to have at the beginning of the hike was a liability. I finally stuffed it into my daypack despite possible damage to its brim. Sand was getting underneath my contact lenses which was pretty miserable. I even got lost for a few minutes as I could't see well enough to spot the cairns marking the trail.

I returned to my campsite for lunch. It was shielded from the wind by a large rock wall and a few trees. It was very pleasant there for both me and a little chipmunk who refused to have his picture taken.

With the wind kicking the dust and sand around, I decided no more hikes for me this afternoon. A scenic drive might be just the thing.

Lockhart Basin Road

The young woman at the Visitor Center convinced me that the 4-wheel drive trails in the park were too technical for my tastes. I'm not sure that they are as bad as she made out, or if they are just tired of folks needed rescue. I thought I'd explore up a road I'd seen on the map just outside the park called the Lockhart Basin Road. As I stopped to chat with the ranger at the entrance station to say I was going exploring, she recommend that road as being interesting.

And interesting it was, at least after the first few miles of washboard where it passes by Hamburger Rock, another of the BLM camping areas. The road then the winds into the Indian Creek Canyon where there are more dispersed camping areas. It fords the creek and climbs up the side of a hill, then squeezes between two large rock pillars right at the top and makes a sharp turn to become a very narrow road with a steep drop off, where you come to a gate. Then down the hill to gently wind in the canyon area, eventually coming out onto the flats where there are views of the tall bluffs to the north.

Lockhart Basin Road

I recognized from an earlier examination of a map of the area that the point of the bluff that extends the farthest into the canyon was the Needles Overlook. I drove to a location under the overlook and called it far enough for the day. I'd gone nearly 8 miles. My intention was to drive out to the overlook later on the trip.

Parked below the Needles Overlook. I loved these striped boulders.

I headed back into the park to set up camp.

My lucky campsite. Had I found one in area A, I would not have been shielded from the winds.

The view across from my campsite as the sinking sun begins to color the sky.

Despite the promise of the previous photo. There wasn't really much of a sunset this night.
I did the best I could to grab a silhouette with what little color there was in the sky.

Tuesday, May 6th

The morning looked promising, so I headed out the hard-packed road toward Elephant Hill.

A view of the eponymous Needles from Elephant Hill Road.

I'm guessing this is Elephant Hill.

Not far from the Visitor Center is a small parking area signed as Roadside Ruin.
Follow the short loop trail and you see this ancient granary structure under a rock overhang.

Not far from the granary was this gorgeous group of cactus blossoms.

Leaving Canyonlands for now

About halfway back to US-191 the canyon walls come closer together. The highway proceeds through
the gap. You can see the Abajo Mountains to the south, in the background.

Upon hitting US-191 I turned north toward Moab where I'd get a hot meal and information on camping in BLM lands around Arches, since I knew those reserved campsites were long filled.

Stay tuned for the next installment which will include Arches National Park.