Hiking in Hovenweep National Monument: Beautiful Ruins
Located in Utah, and mere minutes from the Utah-Colorado state line, stands beautiful ruins. These remains are completely un-excavated and how they stand is how they were left. Welcome to Hovenweep National Monument.
Within Hovenweep National Monument, there are 6 sites standing and being protected here. Built between 1200 and 1300 A.D., there are a variety of structures to see. From towers on canyon walls, to homes built into boulders and even storage rooms built into the canyon itself. These beautiful ruins deserve to be protected and should be seen by everyone.
There are 5 hiking areas here. And while nothing will lead you to the summit of a mountain, they will guide you to some incredible sites. So without further ado, let’s dive into why you will want to hike in this historic place.
Important Links
Hovenweep National Monument website
Hovenweep Hours of Operation (Beware of Seasonal Closures)
Visitor Center Location
Hovenweep National Monument has several pod-like locations included in it. However, the best place for you to get started is the Visitor Center in Montezuma Creek, UT.
The visitor center is a little over 1.5 hours from Durango, CO, 50 minutes north of the Four Corners Monument, and about 2 hours from Moab, UT. If you are anywhere in the four corners area, this is a great place for a day trip.
Fees
Just like most national locations (monuments, parks, etc.), Hovenweep National Monument has a fee to enter. A person on bike/foot will have to pay a $10 fee to enter. A Motorcycle will have to pay a $15 fee and a vehicle will pay $20 to explore the park.
Hoping for a bit of a discount? If you are looking to visit other national places within a 12 month period, you will benefit from the America the Beautiful Pass. This $80 pass will give you access to all of the National Parks for 12 months!
So if you plan to see Hovenweep more than once, or the nearby national places in a short period of time, I highly recommend you invest in that pass.
A Quick Note – Be Prepared
Hovenweep National Monument sits between 5,000 and 7,000 feet of elevation depending on the area you visit. If you are coming from a lower elevation be prepared with plenty of water and sun protection at this higher altitude.
There is also little-to-no cell phone service in the entire area. Be prepared with a downloaded map to ensure that you can get around safely.
Pack plenty of water for the desert climate and be prepared with plenty of sunscreen and sun-protecting clothes.
Hours and Seasons
Hovenweep National Monument is open daily and year round. All of the hiking trails are open from sunrise to sunset everyday.
However, the visitor center has varying hours of operation depending on when you go. So here’s what you need to know.
GENERALLY, the visitor center is open on Thursdays – Mondays from 9am – 4pm and closed Tuesdays/Wednesdays.
In the Summer (June 1 – September 6) the visitor center is open from 9am – 4pm everyday.
However, in the Winter months they are only open on weekends. So if you are planning a visit, I highly recommend looking up their official hours on this website!
Parking
At the visitor center there is plenty of parking. You can find the exact location here at this link. As for the other locations spread throughout the protected park, there are several parking spots available at each trailhead location.
The Visitor Center
Starting at the Visitor Center is a great way to get your bearings, ask for directions, or even watch an informational video. Inside the visitor center is great information about the monument and a Park Ranger who will be able to offer suggestions and directions.
Upon request, there is an informational video that you can watch. This will give you some great information about the area, the people who lived here, and why they left. If you have 20 minutes, this is definitely worth watching!
However, if you only have a short amount of time to spend at Hovenweep National Monument, here are a few suggestions of how to best fill your time.
I Have THIS Much Time: What Should I Do?
I have 1 hour or less – Check out the Hovenweep Visitor Center and walk from the visitor center to the side of Little Ruin Canyon. You can then continue to the left to the Hovenweep Castle and Square Tower. This trail is 1 mile out and back from the visitor center.
I have 2 hours – Check out the visitor center and follow the paved trail to the Little Ruins Canyon. Hike this entire loop, which is about 2 miles long and will allow you to see all of the ruins in this canyon.
I have half a day – Check out the visitor center, the Little Ruins Canyon and Loop trail. If you have a 4×4 and high clearance vehicle, ask a ranger about the outlying sites. The Holly Site, as well as the Horseshoe and Hackberry Sites are nearby and can either be hiked to (12+ miles round trip) or driven to.
I Have a Full Day to Spend at Hovenweep National Monument
I have a full day – After you have checked out the visitor center and the Little Ruins Trail, you have a few options. You can either choose to hike the 12 miles to the Holly, Horseshoe and Hackberry Ruins or you can drive to some outlying sites! Two of the lesser seen areas are the Cajon Ruins, or the Cutthroat Castle Ruins.
The Cajon Ruins are 10 miles southwest from the visitor center and require a high clearance vehicle. Once you are there, the ruins are located 0.2 miles from the parking lot. Odds are, you will have this location to yourself.
The Cutthroat Castle Ruins are about 9 miles northeast, just across the state line in Colorado. These ruins are also down an unimproved road, where a high clearance vehicle is recommended.
However you choose to spend your full day at Hovenweep National Monument, you are sure to be greeted with an adventure and plenty of beautiful ruins!
The Trails
Within Hovenweep National Monument you will find 5 hiking areas. The trails are fairly spread out and several require a 4×4 or high clearance vehicle to access the trailhead. If you don’t have a high clearance vehicle, you can either add the extra miles to your hike (Holly and Horseshoe/Hackberry areas from the visitor center) or you will probably want to skip the area (Cajon and Holly Areas).
The Trail Stats
- Square Tower Overlook and Loop Trail – 2 miles – Gain of 100 feet – Easy
- Horseshoe and Hackberry Trail (from visitor center) – 12.5 miles – Gain of 1000 feet – Moderate
- Holly Trail (from visitor center) – 7 miles – Gain of 600 feet – Moderate
Trail Areas That Require High Clearance Vehicle
- Cutthroat Castle Trail – 1.5 miles – Gain of 100 feet – Easy
- Cajon Trail – 0.2 miles – Easy
For both the Cutthroat Castle Ruins and the Cajon Ruins, it is recommended that you ask a ranger about the road conditions before driving there. Road can be unpassable after a hard rain, so be sure to ask about these areas before setting out!
Highlight of Each Trail
Each trail has a set of beautiful ruins for you to see and admire. The Square Tower Loop passes many incredible ruins like the Hovenweep Castle, Twin Towers, and Boulder House.
The Holly area is accessible via a 7 mile out-and-back hiking trail from the visitor center or a 4 mile 4×4 and high clearance vehicle road. You will see the Holly Tower, Holly House and Holly Petroglyphs all in this area. If you choose to hike or drive here, you can continue onto the Horseshoe and Hackberry areas.
Horseshoe and Hackberry are also accessible from the Visitor Center. Once you pass the famous Horseshoe House, you will continue to the Hackberry area. This area was once the largest living area, but is now mostly rubble. After you have had your fill you will return the way you came to the visitor center.
High Clearance Vehicle Needed to Hike Here
Both the Cutthroat Castle Ruins and the Cajon Ruins do require a 4×4 and high clearance vehicle to access the trailhead. It is recommended that you speak to a Park Ranger about the road conditions before attempting to drive here.
If you should choose to see these lesser-visited areas, you will be going in opposite directions. Cutthroat is southwest and Cajon is northeast. But if you are determined to see these areas, the hiking is very easy!
The Cutthroat Ruins include a 3-story D-shaped building, multiple kivas, and many beautiful remains. The Cajon Ruins feature several 2-story remains, as well as other rubble remains from the surrounding community.
Our Hike
My husband and I combined our trip to Hovenweep National Monument with a stop at Aztec Ruins National Monument. While these aren’t particularly close together, they are both incredible stops when following the Ancestral Puebloan people. Another great stop is Mesa Verde National Park, which we also enjoyed!
But back to Hovenweep. This unique national monument is an incredible place to see the un-excavated remains of Puebloan people. From impressive 3-story towers to Kivas, and everything in between, there is so much history here.
Because of an intense heatwave, we only had time to hike the Square Tower Group Loop. This 2-mile loop was beautiful and quite an easy walk from the visitor center, around the shallow canyon, into the canyon and back to the center. We made sure we had plenty of water and sun protection as it was HOT in mid-June.
As for the ruins, they were quite impressive! Truly remarkable structures stood all around that area and we marveled at the architecture from 700 years ago. If you only have a few hours, we highly recommend that you at least hike this loop!
Conclusion
Hovenweep National Monument may not be the most visited monument, but boy was it impressive! With dozens of visible ruins, you won’t want to miss this incredibly historic place.
Whether you only have 2 hours or a whole day, you’ll be amazed at the beautiful ruins that make up Hovenweep National Monument.
As always, feel free to reach out to me at averagewildexperience@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to answer any questions you might have.
-Happy Hiking!
Megan C.
Avid hiker and traveler around the US. I've been hiking consistently since I was 18 and I can't wait to teach you my tips, tricks and hiking hacks! Travel and hike with me and my camera.
