Hovenweep National Monument

Address:McElmo Route
Cortez, Colorado
Tel: (970) 562-4282

Explore six prehistoric, Pueblo-era villages spread across mesa tops and canyons! Marvel at the skill and motivation of the builders of multi-storied towers, perched on canyon rims and balanced on boulders!

Built by the Ancestral Pueblos, also known as Anasazi, Hovenweep is known for its mysterious and impressive 20 foot tall sandstone towers, in square, oval, circular, or D-shapes, with small windows up and down their sides. Archaeologists have suggested they may have been used for everything from guard towers to celestial observatories to religious sites. Visitors to Hovenweep National Monument can also explore the remains of cliff dwellings, petroglyphs, stone rooms, walls, and a reconstructed dam, and the area itself is brimming with yucca, cactus, saltbush, juniper, and even some cottonwood trees, along with lizards, snakes, rabbits, hawks, ravens, and an occasional deer or fox. There's hiking available too, at the 2 mile Square Tower self-guided trail loop, which winds past the remains of the impressive Hovenweep Castle, probably built around 1200 A.D.. Be sure to stop by the visitor center, and attend an interpretive program while you're here, too.

Paved roads lead to the visitor center and Square Tower Group from Cortez, Colorado from Highway 191 south of Blanding, Utah, and from Pleasant View, Colorado. Many of the roads in the area are dirt roads that are not maintained on a regular basis—try accordingly. Enjoy your trip to the ancient village of the Anasazi people!