ITINERARY | Four Corners & Trail of the Ancients
THE DAY-BY-DAY GUIDE TO ROAD TRIPPING THE ANCIENT HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FOUR CORNERS REGION, FROM MESA VERDE TO MONUMENT VALLEY AND BEYOND
OVERVIEW
1-WEEK ITINERARY TO THE FOUR CORNERS & THE TRAIL OF THE ANCIENTS
Take a journey back in time along the Trail of the Ancients in the Four Corners region. In addition to the spectacular desert scenery you expect in the Southwest, here you’ll discover the rich archeological heritage of the Ancestral Puebloans who built elaborate dwellings and kivas into the cliffs of the region.
This itinerary flies in and out of Durango, making a loop through all four states of the Four Corners region (New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado), and loosely following the Trail of the Ancients National Scenic Byway. Along the drive, you'll see some of the most epic sites in the American Southwest from the movie magic of Monument Valley to the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde and from the needle formations of Canyonlands to the fall foliage of the San Juan Mountains. You'll check off two National Parks, two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and two 2 Navajo Nation sites, as well as at least a half dozen other park units, including lesser known but high value sites like Bears Ears, Natural Bridges, Hovenweep, and Canyons of the Ancients.
At each stop, the landscapes change dramatically. You'll see vast high desert scrubland cleave into sheer red sandstone canyons and mesas before morphing into an alien expanse of rock spires and then erupting into steep alpine peaks. The common thread is the rich Native history that's woven throughout the region, marked by countless kivas, towers, cliff dwellings, and petroglyphs created by communities of Ancestral Puebloans. You'll also find that each night is blanketed by the same inky black sky. Astrophotographers and novice star admirers alike will be dazzled by a Milky Way so clear you can see its star clouds with the naked eye. All this beauty and variety might just make this road trip one of the best in the Southwest, if not one of the best anywhere.
There's a lifetime of exploring to be had in this corner, or should I say these Four Corners, of the world, but let me share how we spent 10 days hitting the highlights!
CHECK OUT THESE DESTINATION GUIDES TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR TRIP:
GENERAL TIPS FOR YOUR TRIP
Before we dive into the daily details of the itinerary, here's a a few helpful hints as you plan, prep for, and explore on your trip!
WHO THIS TRIP IS BEST FOR
This is a great first trip in the Southwest! You'll see some heavy hitters like Monument Valley and Mesa Verde while also getting away from the crowds in places. Plus, the trip offers a ton of variety from red desert mesas and rugged canyons to high desert and alpine landscapes.
Anyone interested in Native American history will be in heaven; everywhere you turn there is another dwelling or petroglyph, and so much of it is up to the traveler to discover.
To get the most out of the trip, you will need to be decently active, otherwise you'll be missing out on some of the signature activities. I talk more about this in speed & physicality below.
This isn't a great trip if you must have your four-legged friend in tow. Many of the parks and sites restricted access to dogs, particularly because of the potential damage they can cause at archeological sites.
SPEED & PHYSICALITY
In terms of hotel moves, this isn't a trip where you are parking yourself in one place for an extended stay. To make the most of driving distances, you are moving every couple of nights.
No day on this trip feels like a true marathon, especially since the longest days are flexible. I include tips for when to skip activities or shift them to another day. That said, to beat the heat, you will be getting up with the sun a lot of days on this trip.
Physically, this trip is outdoors focused and with that comes a fair bit of hiking. In this guide, I try to give honest opinions on the challenges of certain hikes. I also have provided ways to skip the two longer, truly challenging hikes (and what to do instead) if you want or need to. Aside from the Natural Bridges Canyon hike and the Chesler Park hike, all other hikes on this trip range from short walks to the easier side of moderate.
WHEN TO GO
The biggest factor for when to go will be the weather. It gets very hot in the summer and then cold and snowy in the winter, which makes the spring and fall the seasons with the most pleasant temperatures.
The weather will also affect access, when it gets really hot in the summer sandy roads can get so dry that the sand becomes loose and impassable. During monsoon season, which typically runs from July to early September, roads can become impassable with mud and hikes can become dangerous due to flash floods.
Summer, however, can have its merits if you are really interested in photography as the Milky Way core is at its highest elevation and visible for most of the night. Monsoon season can have pros and cons; its clouds make for interesting sunset photos or chances to shoot lightning, and the rain can make vegetation perk up with green, but the same storms can make it hard to see the stars at night. Spring and fall are also excellent picks here as the skies can be very clear and the Milky Way is still plenty visible. Flowers bloom in both the spring and fall, and leaves will change between late September and early October.
Despite the weather, summer vacation still attracts the biggest crowds to the family friendly sites like Mesa Verde and Monument Valley. Peak visitation will align more with the best weather in places like Bears Ears and Canyonlands.
While the Spring and Fall can be excellent options, be sure to double check the dates for when tours are offered of the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde, generally from May to mid-October.
Once you've picked a season, you may want to consider specific dates based on the moon phase as the light from a full moon can make astrophotography more difficult.
BUDGET & SPENDING EXPECTATIONS
The all in cost for this trip is pretty flexible depending on a few different factors, mostly how much you want to camp vs. stay in hotels, but overall it's a relatively affordable trip.
You can do this trip as 100% camping if you want. If that's the route you go, you'll only be spending somewhere between $15-30 per night for a camp site.
Alternatively, you could stay in hotels 100% of the time, which will obviously increase costs. We did a mix of the two and ended up spending an average of about $250 a night (excluding the Hunt's Mesa night since I'm counting that as an activity below).
As far as activities go, you'll have a handful of park fees and tours, usually between $10-30 each. If you have an American the Beautiful Pass, several of these fees will be included. Note that the pass does not work on Navajo Nation sites.
Dining was also easy to keep low cost. We ate backpacking meals while camping, which were usually between $10-15 each. Even the nicer, sit down meals on our trip were still casual and affordable, usually around $50 for the two of us without alcohol.
The biggest splurge on the trip will be the Overnight Mesa Tour, which was about $1,500 for the two of us after tip. Keep in mind this includes a guided tour, multiple meals, and you don't have to pay for lodging on this night. Plus, it was a real highlight of the trip!
The final things you'll have to pay for will be a flight and rental car - that is unless you're lucky enough for this trip to be within driving distance! These definitely add to the cost of the trip, but they're highly variable depending where you're coming from, points, status, luck, etc. Because of this I'm not going to factor these costs into a total cost, but you should if this applies to you. I will say that flights and the car were in the range of normal; I wasn't surprised that they were more or less expensive than I expected.
So what does this mean for all in costs? If you're camping 100% of the time you could do this trip for somewhere between $200-250 per day including all your campsites, activities, tours, and dining. If you do what we did and stay at a mix of hotels and campsites, expect about $350-500 per day, also including all lodging, activities, tours, and dining. You'll also have to factor in the price of a rental car and flights to these totals if you don't live within driving distance.
PREPARING FOR YOUR TRIP
Some reservations will be need to made well in advance, particularly if you are looking to visit during one of the more popular times of year. We planned our trip somewhere between 9 months to a year in advance and already had to shift dates by a week because of availability. Pay close attention to the booking windows for park campgrounds and tours. That said, we did hear good news from some of our neighbors at Natural Bridges that they were able to snag a last minute cancellation.
I've provided recommendations for ways to do this trip as a hotel-only, camping-only, or mixed trip. No matter what, you'll be out in nature and should make sure to bring a few items along. Make sure you have a good day pack that can hold plenty of water for hikes. Plan to wear your hiking boots and sunscreen every day. Even though it's hot, I liked wearing long sleeves and pants in a technical fabric to protect from the sun.
Since photography opportunities abound on this trip, you'll also want to consider what camera gear you bring along. I ended up renting a Nikon Z8 and lens for astrophotography and brought along my personal DSLR as well, especially for the zoom shots. You'll want to make sure you have a tripod, red light headlamp, extra batteries, and any other astrophotography gear you'll need for the shots you want (like a star tracker). I packed it all in the large Brevite Jumper backpack, which kept all the gear safe during hikes and helped me carry plenty of water (I used an Osprey reservoir in the laptop sleeve, thanks to the external zipper, and attached a magnetic mouthpiece clip to the chest strap).
ON YOUR TRIP
You'll likely be well out of cell range for the majority of your trip. Download offline maps (I had good luck with Apple Maps), any specific trail guides, official QR codes (like Mesa Verde tickets), astrophotography apps, the NPS app and park data for the sites you're visiting, etc. before you lose cell service. For any on trip needs, leverage Wi-Fi at park visitor centers.
On the subject of safety, there are several unique considerations for your time in the desert:
Protect yourself from the elements - both the heat and the cold! It gets brutally hot here, especially in the summer. Even if the air temperature seems reasonable, the ground temperature and the sun can make your body feel much hotter. One day at Canyonlands, the park published ground temperature readings; despite only a 70* air temperature, the ground temperature reached 110* by late morning. Plan your activities to avoid the midday heat. Also be aware that the desert air can get extremely cold at night; bring layers and appropriate gear for the cold.
Speaking of desert air, the dryness can literally suck you dry. Combine this with the heat and elevation and you can be easily dehydrated. You will need to have plenty of water, especially on days you're hiking. It is recommended that adults consume 4L of water per day; that easily doubles when you're hiking. Plan for packing 0.75-1L of water per adult per hour of hiking.
Flash floods can happen quickly here! These can happen any time of the year but are especially common during monsoon season (July to September). Be aware of the weather and escape routes, particularly if there's any chance of rain and particularly if you are hiking in any canyons or near streams or dry washes.
Afternoon storms can also pose a threat for lightning strikes, especially on elevated, exposed surfaces. Seek shelter in a building or remain in your car and refrain from touching the door or dash.
Keep an eye out for snakes, taking caution when hiking through thick brush or rocky outcroppings. Using a walking stick can be helpful to avoid accidentally stepping on a snake. Also take care when moving anything like a log or tarp where a snake could be camped out. If bitten, seek medical treatment at the closest facility immediately.
Bears and mountain lions are also still present here. Don't leave food out that could attract wildlife (the parks say that keeping it in your vehicle with the windows closed is generally ok), and be careful hiking alone or at night.
Tiny critters are also a threat. Check shoes and gloves and watch your hands when scrambling to avoid getting bitten or stung by a black widow spider or scorpion.
You should always practice the principles of leave no trace, but this trip has some extra considerations due to the cultural sites you'll be visiting and some of the region-specific geology.
It's incredibly important to visit with respect. Visitors are entrusted with being able to visit so many incredible archeological sites which are not only fragile but culturally and spiritually important to Native Tribes. Leave everything where you found it, don't touch or modify rock imagery, use rubber tips on trekking poles, and don't allow dogs or children to accidentally damage sites. For more info, click here.
You should also be careful how you share online, taking care to remove any geotags for Native history you discover. You'll notice I'm only sharing information for finding places that BLM or NPS openly publish in visitor guides. Not only is this important for preserving the sites but for the unique sense of discovery that the region offers.
You'll hear the phase "don't bust the crust" while you're here. It's really important to stay on the trail, even more so than in other outdoor destinations. There are many areas with what's known as cryptobiotic crust, which is a living soil that can be significantly damaged long-term just by walking on it. You're also free to walk on slickrock, which is actually just exposed sandstone and actually quite grippy; just make sure to not step in potholes, wet or dry.
SHIPROCK // PHOTO: UNSPLASH* RESTORED KIVA AT AZTEC RUINS // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* AZTEC RUINS // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO*
STOP 1: FARMINGTON, NM
1 NIGHT
Technically Durango is your first stop (since you'll fly in and out of the Durango airport for this trip), but Farmington, NM will be your first overnight. This will set you up for an easy Day 1 stop at Aztec Ruins, less drive time on Day 2, and a way to pick up supplies before you venture out into more remote locations.
Where We Stayed: Courtyard Marriott Farmington
DAY 1: Arrival via Durango & Aztec Ruins
Land in Durango and pick up your rental car. Depending on when your flight lands (ours was early in the day), pop into Durango for Lunch before heading south towards Farmington. Once you arrive head to Aztec Ruins. These ruins were mistakenly named by Spanish explorers and have nothing to do with the Aztec Empire, but they are a great first set of Ancestral Puebloan ruins to explore. This UNESCO World Heritage site is digestible, well-preserved, and features a fully restored kiva so you can better picture what these structures would have originally looked like.
ITINERARY FOR THE DAY
Flight to Durango | Late morning arrival
Optional: Explore downtown Durango | Flexible based on flight timing
Drive | About 45 minutes
Aztec Ruins | About 1.5 hours
Pick up supplies, check into hotel, and dinner | We ate at 3 Rivers Brewery
TIPS FOR YOUR TRIP
Activities for the day
If you can spare the extra Friday off work, catch a flight in the morning to give yourself time to explore Durango and Aztec Ruins; otherwise just make the quick drive from Durango to Farmington before settling into your hotel for the night.
Listen to the free audio tour at Aztec Ruins to add extra color to your visit. The Ranger staff was also very helpful and there were several Native artisans creating baskets and pottery at the visitor center that helped bring the site to life.
Supplies & prep
Pick up any camping supplies you didn’t bring with you (like camp fuel and water) in one of these larger towns before journeying on.
Pick up some cash to have on hand - not only to tip your Navajo guide but also to pay for things like entry fees, souvenirs, etc.
Download offline maps for the full area of the trip before you leave Durango or Farmington; most of the trip will have very poor or no service. I used Apple Maps for this and had a good experience with it knowing the locations of trails, sites, etc. even while offline.
I also recommend downloading the NPS app and saving Aztec Ruins, Natural Bridges, Canyonlands, Mesa Verde, and Hovenweep for offline use for the same reason.
RELEVANT RESOURCES
JOHN FORD POINT AT MONUMENT VALLEY // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* FORREST GUMP POINT AT MONUMENT VALLEY // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* SUNSET BEHIND THE MITTENS AT MONUMENT VALLEY // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO*
STOP 2: MONUMENT VALLEY
2 NIGHTS
What do Forrest Gump, the Lone Ranger, Thelma & Louise, and National Lampoon's Vacation all have in common? They were filmed here at Monument Valley. Even if you don't know that much about the place, you've surely seen its iconic Mesas before. There are few places that feel as classically Wild West as here. Be one of the few people that ventures beyond the Mittens and discovers the backcountry with a Navajo guide. We set up our trip to start with an overnight guided campout on Hunt's Mesa and the creature comforts of the aptly named View Hotel so you can get the best of both worlds.
Where We Stayed: The View Hotel (also offers cabins & camping), Overnight Hunt's Mesa Tour (We split our time with one night at each)
CHECK OUT THIS DESTINATION GUIDE FOR EVEN MORE INFO:
DAY 2: Four Corners & Hunt's Mesa Overnight in Monument Valley
Today you'll venture from Farmington to Monument Valley with a few fun stops along the way. First, you'll visit the Four Corners Monument where the borders of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet. Come prepared with a cheesy pose in mind to snap a quick picture, but then make sure to check out the Native artisan vendors; I bought a beautiful pair of handmade turquoise earrings. After, journey to Monument Valley making a few easy stops to dip your toe in at Bears Ears along the way. Don't worry, you'll do more here later on the trip. You'll then meet your Navajo guide who will take you into the backcountry and up the rugged Hunt's Mesa for sweeping sunset views of the valley below before firing up a cookout underneath the blanket of stars.
ITINERARY FOR THE DAY
Drive | About 1 hour 20 minutes
Four Corners Monument | About 1 hour
Drive | About 1 hour
Sand Island Petroglyphs | About 30 minutes
Bears Ears Education Center | About 15 minutes
Drive | About 1 hour
Monument Valley Overnight Hunt’s Mesa Tour | Our tour started at 2PM. You'll be driven up the Mesa for sunset photos, a cookout, astrophotography, and an overnight camp out on the Mesa
TIPS FOR YOUR TRIP
Planning & starting your day
Start pretty early so that you can meet your Navajo guide on time (our meeting time was 2PM) - be sure to double check time zones! Arizona does not follow daylight savings but Navajo Nation adheres to Utah time, which does!
Keep an eye out for Shiprock on your way from Farmington to the Four Corners - you can see it from up to 50 miles away!
Double check the hours for the Four Corners Monument - we discovered the hard way on a previous trip that they are very seasonal!
Bluff Area
When you stop at Sand Island, there are two areas of petroglyph panels, the upper and lower panels; the upper panels near the boat launch are more easily overlooked
Make a quick stop at the Bears Ears Education Center as it's a bit harder than most parks to find useful visitor otherwise. The staff were super friendly and had a bunch of literature that helped us plan our trip. You can also check out the resources I've included in the relevant links section below if you prefer to download information offline in advance:
Monument Valley
As you drive towards Monument Valley, you'll pass along a few sites, notably the famous Forrest Gump point. Stop if you have time, but don't worry, there's more time built into later days on this itinerary.
You will have to pay an entrance fee to access the area where the View Hotel is, which is where we were meeting our guide. You'll have to pay this again each day, so don't pay for the scenic drive until tomorrow.
If you want to explore more than the self-guided scenic drive and very limited hiking in Monument Valley, you'll need to go with a Navajo guide.
I highly recommend the overnight Hunt's Mesa tour if you are interested in photography as it gives you an opportunity for incredible views from exclusive locations at sunset, sunrise, and for astrophotography! That said, the ride up the Mesa is very rough, so it may not be for everyone.
Preparing for your overnight & photography
Bring the right gear for astrophotography if you’re interested - the stars will be incredible! Also make sure to consider your photography setup for sunrise and sunset.
If you want the best photos, plan your compositions before the sun goes down because it gets so dark it's hard to move too far a night without a plan. Generally the Milky Way will be in the south. It's more to the southeast in the spring and then moves to the southwest by fall. It also changes when and how high it rises in the sky depending on the season. It is at its highest peak in the sky during the summer, spring is low and closest to dawn, fall is low and closest to dusk, and it doesn’t rise past the horizon at all in the winter.
It's also helpful to have some sort of star gazing app downloaded (even if you aren't taking photos). You can use AR to set up shots or just show you what constellations you're looking at!
Pack a small bag for your overnight tour with just what you'll need for the night (change of clothes, medications, photography gear, etc.) rather than bringing along all of your stuff.
Don't worry, you won't have to lift a finger to set up camp and the gear is top notch. The camp mattresses and sleeping bags were super comfortable (we were all talking about them the next morning!), the guides just recommend that you bring your own pillow.
Wear hiking boots for the overnight mesa tour. There's not much hiking, but you will want some grip to get to some of the photo spots.
RELEVANT RESOURCES
Bears Ears National Monument: The official BLM site
Bears Ears Partnership: A site with official Bears Ears visitor information, a little more user-friendly than the BLM site
Bears Ears Cedar Mesa Trip Planner: Contains info similar to what you'd find in a National Park Map with maps, general info, a list of day hikes, and more
Trail of the Ancients Scenic Drive Through Bears Ears: Detail on some of the highlights in and around Bears Ears with a handy map
DAY 3: Monument Valley
Before heading back down the Mesa, you'll have one more opportunity to break out your camera to capture sunrise over the Valley (which might have been my favorite photos of all)! Your guide will then take you back down to the Valley floor, going a different way this time so you can make some stops at natural arches, ancient ruins, and dino tracks as you go. Once you get back to the Visitor Center, you'll have the chance to get up close to the landmarks you saw on your tour as you make the drive along the scenic route or even hop astride a horse for the ultimate cowboy experience. You'll spend the night right there at the View Hotel, where all you have to do is step onto your balcony to enjoy sunset and the stars putting on a show over the Mittens.
ITINERARY FOR THE DAY
Hunt's Mesa Overnight Tour | You'll go to a spot for sunrise, have a cookout breakfast, and then be driven back down the Mesa. We also made a couple stops along the way. We returned about 11:30 AM
Self-guided Monument Valley Drive | About 2 hours
Sunset from balcony | At the View Hotel
Dinner | At the View Restaurant
Stargazing from balcony | At the View Hotel
TIPS FOR YOUR TRIP
Returning from your tour
Have some cash hand - not only to tip your Navajo guide but also to pay for things like entry fees, souvenirs, etc.
As you re-enter the area where the View Hotel is as you return from your tour, you'll have to pay the entrance fee again. If you want to do the scenic drive, make sure to pay for that at the same time, otherwise you'll have to exit and wait in line again to add it to your entrance fee.
Scenic drive and the rest of your day
We had some downtime and opted for a more relaxed day, only doing the self-guided scenic drive after our tour, but you may have time to do another tour (our guide recommended Mystery Valley) or explore beyond Monument Valley (e.g., sites on the southern edge of Bears Ears or at Forrest Gump Point), if you want.
Plan carefully, however. When we finished our scenic drive around 3:30, the gate was closed for new cars. Additionally, the main entrance booth for the hotel area closed at 7, and it was a little unclear what happened if you arrived after that.
Our favorite stops along the scenic drive were the close-up view of the Mittens, the Navajo Code Talkers Point, and John Ford Point.
At John Ford Point, you can pose for a photo on or with a horse on the edge of the mesa - bring some cash if you're interested!
There are also opportunities for horseback trail rides within the scenic drive area if you’re interested.
The road through Monument Valley was unpaved but for the most part very driveable. Just watch out for the last hill - our 2WD small SUV slipped a bit on the steeper gravel, but it was more the fault of our rental car than the road.
Dinner & the night sky
We ate dinner right at the hotel, which was really convenient. You don't have to be a guest to dine there, but the restaurant is open only to hotel guests after 7PM.
The star photography was not quite as good at the hotel due to the ambient light, but it was very convenient to be able to stargaze right from our balcony. Leverage the headlights from the late tours to "paint" the Mittens in the foreground of your photos.
MILKY WAY BEHIND OWACHOMO BRIDGE AT NATURAL BRIDGES // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* STANDING BENEATH SIPAPU BRIDGE AT NATURAL BRIDGES // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* HOUSE ON FIRE AT BEARS EARS // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* STANDING BENEATH KACHINA BRIDGE AT NATURAL BRIDGES // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* MILKY WAY AT NATURAL BRIDGES // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* SIPAPU BRIDGE AT NATURAL BRIDGES // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* GOOSENECKS STATE PARK // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO*
STOP 3: BEARS EARS & NATURAL BRIDGES
1 NIGHT
In addition to archeology, this trip also has an astrophotography thread running through it, and Natural Bridges is one of the best dark sky spots you'll find anywhere in the world. Not only are the conditions ideal, you have an incredible foreground of, guess what, naturally eroded bridges to frame your Milky Way views. The Natural Bridges National Monument is a little island inside of the vast Bears Ears National Monument, so you'll get to delve into its wonders as well. Bears Ears may not be a common household name, but that doesn't mean it isn't worthy, and that's kind of what makes it great. There are world-class landscapes, hikes, and historical sites here, all without the crowds, and sometimes even without the trail markers. It's a southwestern playground for visitors to discover (respectfully and responsibly, of course)!
Where to Stay: Natural Bridges Campground
Alternative Places to Stay: Comb Wash Dispersed Campground, Sand Island Campground, Desert Rose Resort & Cabins
DAY 4: Valley of the Gods & Natural Bridges
Think of this day as one epic scenic drive from Monument Valley to Natural Bridges. Disclaimer: since this day is filled with a series of small stops, plans may evolve and change depending on how the day pans out and where you do or don't feel drawn to spending your time. I've tried to lay all of those contingencies and options out in the plans below, but no matter how you do it, you're sure to see something spectacular. Some highlights include the point on the road where Forrest Gump famously stopped running, a squiggly section of canyon known as the Goosenecks, another mesa-filled valley known as the Valley of the Gods, ancestral Puebloan towers and cave dwellings, funky rock formations and more. If all that isn't awesome enough, you'll cap your day (or rather night) off with an astrophotographer's dream hike to see the Milky Way stretched behind Owachomo Bridge.
ITINERARY FOR THE DAY
Drive | Starting at the View Hotel | About 20 minutes
Forrest Gump Point | About 5-10 minutes
Drive | About 10 minutes
Mexican Hat | About 15 minutes
Drive | About 15 minutes
Goosenecks State Park | About 20 minutes
Drive & view of Navajo Tapestry | About 15 minutes
Valley of the Gods | About 1.5 hours
Option A: Drive | Via Moki Dugway | About 45 minutes
Drive to Muley Point Overlook | Adds about 1 hour
Option B: Drive with optional stops | Via Bluff | About 1.5 hours
Butler Wash Dinosaur Tracksite | Easy, 0.2 mi out-and-back hike | Adds about 15-20 minutes
Butler Wash Ruins Interpretive Trail | Easy-to-moderate, 1.0 mi out-and-back hike | Adds about 30 minutes
Stop at visitor center, set-up camp, and linner | Natural Bridges Campground
Drive | About 20 minutes
Cave Towers Hike | Easy-to-moderate, 1.2 mi out-and-back | About 1 hour
Mule Canyon Village | Paved, 0.5 mi loop | About 30 minutes
Drive | About 30 minutes
Sunset at Sipapu Bridge overlook | About 30 minutes
Astrophotography at Owachomo Bridge | About 1.5 hours
TIPS FOR YOUR TRIP
Morning scenic drive & roadside stops
Don’t be idiot when you try to get a picture at Forrest Gump Point. The road is an active highway and cars drive very fast. We saw some tourists walking out in the middle of the road without thinking twice; if I hadn’t been paying attention as a driver, I could have easily hit them.
We actually spent more than 15 minutes at Mexican Hat and walked along the road to the river. It was a nice walk, but the time is probably better spent in other places
You don't need to drive the full way down Mexican Hat road. It's a quality gravel road, but it gets a little steeper in spots, and you can easily see the Mexican Hat rock without making the full drive.
The small town of Mexican Hat is a good spot to refuel on gas and snacks. You could also stop at Bluff if you want to wait until later in the day.
Getting to Natural Bridges & driving options
I recommend driving counter-clockwise through Valley of the Gods (i.e., starting from the entrance to the south on Route 163 and driving to the entrance on the west side on Route 261). Not only does this seem to be the direction that avoids going up the steepest grades, but it drops you off right at the base of the Moki Dugway if you're heading that route to Natural Bridges.
Decide if you want to drive up Moki Dugway. It's is a 3-mile series of steep (11% grade), gravel switchbacks that take you up the shortest but most white-knuckled route to Natural Bridges. The road is supposed to passable for most passenger cars (trailers and RVs are not advised), but we chose to skip it after our less-than-ideal rental car struggled with some very easy gravel roads early on the trip. The good news is going the "long way" doesn't really change the drive time and lets you stop at some of the stops along Route 95 on the way if you want.
Ways to spend your afternoon in Bears Ears
If you are running short on time, skip doing the Butler Wash sites for now. You'll have a chance to do these on your way to Canyonlands.
We were starving, wanted to get camp set up, and wanted to make sure we could drop into the visitor center, so we headed to the campground. But, you could do the Cave Towers hike and Mule Canyon Village site first, depending on timing.
To be fully honest, we tried to do the Cave Towers hike and could not find the trailhead. After doing some digging after our trip, I found a BLM brochure that mentions the trailhead and says "make sure to close the gate behind you." We drove past this gate (located on the south side of 95 between mile markers 102 and 103) but assumed the road was closed. Alas, we'll have to go back!
If you are interested in any of the hikes mentioned above, I would check out the resources for Bears Ears hikes in the relevant links section below ahead of time to help you find the trailheads and learn more about the routes.
All the hikes I've mentioned are free, but if you want to hike into any of the Bears Ears canyons, make sure to purchase your day pass to hike at Bears Ears here. You can also look at the Trip Planner to see which day hikes are marked with a fee symbol.
Practice the principles of leave no trace as you visit and as you share online, taking care to remove any geotags for Native history you discover. You'll notice I'm only sharing information for finding places that BLM openly publishes in visitor guides. Not only is this important for preserving the sites but for the unique sense of discovery that Bears Ears offers.
Night hike in Natural Bridges
If you want to hike to a bridge for astrophotography, I would ONLY consider the Owachomo Bridge. The other hikes would be rather precarious at night (they have steep drop offs, uneven stairs, ladders, and more), and Owachomo is also the bridge best positioned with the Milky Way! Lastly, combined with the loop hike planned for the next day, you'll hike to all three arches.
Come prepared for both astrophotography (camera, tripod, headlamp, etc.) and the nighttime hike (boots, water, jacket, etc.)
RELEVANT RESOURCES
Trail of the Ancients Scenic Drive Through Bears Ears: Detail on some of the highlights in and around Bears Ears with a handy map
Bears Ears National Monument: The official BLM site
Bears Ears Partnership: A site with official Bears Ears visitor information, a little more user-friendly than the BLM site
Bears Ears Cedar Mesa Trip Planner: Contains info similar to what you'd find in a National Park Map with maps, general info, a list of day hikes, and more
Bears Ears hikes details
Butler Wash Ruins Interpretive Trail: This also has an interesting 3D tour!
Bears Ears Arch Canyon Brochure: Details on hikes off Route 95
WOODEN SHOE ARCH AT THE NEEDLES DISTRICT OF CANYONLANDS // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* CHESLER PARK AT THE NEEDLES DISTRICT OF CANYONALNDS // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* NEWSPAPER ROCK // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* HIKE TO CHESLER PARK AT THE NEEDLES DISTRICT OF CANYONLANDS // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* NEEDLES DISTRICT OF CANYONLANDS // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO*
STOP 4: NEEDLES DISTRICT OF CANYONLANDS
2 NIGHTS
Canyonlands is already one of the somewhat less famous and less visited National Parks, but the Needles District within the park is even less so. Over 4x as many visitors venture to the more popular Island in the Sky District of this park each year. This means that visitors feel shockingly uncrowded for being in a National Park. That doesn't stop the Needles from being home to what might have just become my favorite hike ever, from having spectacular 360-degree views over its otherworldly formations, or from having inky black skies perfect for stargazing. I came here with relatively low expectations only to have them pleasantly reset by our visit.
Where We Stayed: Needles Outpost Campground
Alternative Places to Stay: Needles District Campground, BLM Campgrounds (Creek Pasture, Hamburger Rock, or Superbowl), Ulum Moab (a little farther away, but a quality option with glamping tents)
CHECK OUT THIS DESTINATION GUIDE FOR EVEN MORE INFO:
DAY 5: Natural Bridges to Needles via Bears Ears
Start off your day with a fun but challenging loop hike to see the other two bridges at Natural Bridges. You'll start by hiking down into the canyon at Sipapu, then follow along the canyon floor before hiking back up to the rim at Kachina bridge and then crossing back across the mesa top to your car. Once comfortably back in the A/C, plan to stop by the Owachomo overlook to view the bridge in the daylight. (There's no need to do the hike since you already did it last night.) It's a big start to the day, but try to save some energy for a second hike on your way out of Bears Ears to visit one of its signature sites, the House on Fire. This hike features views of a cliff dwelling whose overhanging rock roof looks like flames erupting from the structure. By this point you'll probably be ready to get to Needles to set up camp and enjoy the sunset. But, if you still have energy and time left (and you didn't get to it yesterday), you can check out the Butler Wash Sites as a final stop.
Note: If the big hike into the Canyon at Natural Bridges isn't for you, I've included some suggestions for how to modify this day in the tips below.
ITINERARY FOR THE DAY
Breakfast & pack-up camp | Natural Bridges Campground
Hike into Natural Bridges' White Canyon from Sipapu to Kachina Bridge | Strenuous, 5.6 mi loop hike | About 4 hours
Drive | From Sipapu Trailhead to House on Fire Trailhead | About 40 minutes
House on Fire | Moderate, 2.5 mi out-and-back hike | About 1-1.5 hours
Drive & quick dinner | About 1 hour 45 minutes
Optional, if not done yet: Butler Wash Sites | About 45 minutes
Set-up camp & dinner | Needles Outpost Campground
TIPS FOR YOUR TRIP
Natural Bridges Canyon Hike
Get up very early to get started on the Natural Bridges Canyon hike. The hike is strenuous and will take some time; the later in the day it gets the hotter it will be. To help out on time, we took advantage of our car and only packed-up camp half-way (i.e., we didn't put everything back into dry bags, left some things loose in the car, etc.) knowing that we'd be immediately setting everything back up later in the day.
Know your limits and know if the Canyon hike is for you. There are multiple sections that will make someone with a fear of heights feel uneasy. There are sections with steep, uneven stairs, a handful of ladders (with handholds extending past the top of the ladder), some narrow ledges, steep slickrock, etc. The trail is well maintained, and I wouldn't call it dangerous, but you are hiking into and back out of a canyon, which won't be for everyone.
If you are going to do the trail, I recommend hiking down Sipapu first thing. This is the hardest section according to the park. (I actually felt less comfortable on the Kachina section, but that's just me.) But, I think I would rather descend Sipapu than descend Kachina because Sipapu has the ladders whereas Kachina is more of the cliff-side, switchback stairs. You'll then hike along the canyon and back up Kachina and finish your loop across the mesa top, which is the easiest part that you'll want to save for when your legs are tired and the sun is out (although the Mesa top gets much more sun than the canyon).
While in the canyon keep an eye out for various Native Archeological sites. The ranger and the visitor guide talked about the Horsecollar House Ruin, but despite looking out for it, we still somehow missed it. We did see some really cool petroglyphs along the way.
Practice the principles of leave no trace as you visit and as you share online, taking care to remove any geotags for Native history you discover. You'll notice I'm only sharing information for finding places that BLM or NPS openly publish in visitor guides. Not only is this important for preserving the sites but for the unique sense of discovery that Natural Bridges & Bears Ears offer.
If you aren't up for doing the loop hike, drive the loop road and visit all of the overlooks including the one for Horsecollar House Ruin. Then you can catch up on any of the sites along Route 95 that you may have missed and / or make additional stops at Edge of the Cedars State Park or the Dinosaur Museum.
House on Fire Hike
Either download an offline map or track your distance traveled when hiking to House on Fire; the ruin would be fairly easy to miss and the trail keeps going for miles after the site. Keep an eye on the right-hand wall of the canyon as you near one-mile of distance.
We noticed there are many side paths on the House on Fire trail; as long as it's dry these are totally unnecessary and you're better off trying to stick to the wash.
Before hiking to House on Fire, make sure to purchase your day pass to hike at Bears Ears here. You'll need one to hike into any of the canyons of Cedar Mesa or Comb Ridge. You can also check the Trip Planner to see which day hikes are marked with a fee symbol.
End of your day
Depending on how fast you hike and how much you got around to the day prior, you have a good option here to visit the Butler Wash sites if you haven't yet.
If you are camping at the Needles Outpost Campground, keep track of the time; the campground has a check-in time that requests you arrive before 6PM and absolutely set-ups later than 8PM.
Make sure to check out sunset and the stars from the campground - both are incredible!
RELEVANT RESOURCES
Bears Ears National Monument: The official BLM site
Bears Ears Partnership: A site with official Bears Ears visitor information, a little more user-friendly than the BLM site
Bears Ears Cedar Mesa Trip Planner: Contains info similar to what you'd find in a National Park Map with maps, general info, a list of day hikes, and more
Bears Ears Arch Canyon Brochure: Details on hikes off Route 95
House on Fire: Information on trailhead and hike
Cedar Mesa & Comb Ridge Day Hiking Pass: Link to pay the day use fee for hiking into canyons including House on Fire
DAY 6: Chesler Park in the Needles
Hopefully you got a good night's sleep last night because the second truly big hike of the trip starts early this morning! Even if your legs are tired, the hike to Chesler Park will be well worth it since this hike may just be one of my favorites from anywhere we've hiked. The views are gorgeous - and continuous - which is a big contrast from some hikes where you're only rewarded at the end. The hike is longer and has a few challenging sections but it doesn't feel impossible or have a major fear factor. After enjoying exploring the heart of the Needles, you can check out a few very easy stops in the afternoon at the Wooden Shoe Arch, Cave Spring and its cowboy camp, and Round Storage House. If you're up for it, you can cap off your day with sunset views at Pothole Point, but the views from camp are also pretty spectacular.
Note: If the big hike to Chesler Park (or beyond) isn't for you, I've included some suggestions for how to modify this day in the tips below.
ITINERARY FOR THE DAY
Visitor Center | About 15 minutes
Chesler Park Hike | Strenuous, 5.8 mi out-and-back hike | About 4 hours
Wooden Shoe Overlook | About 5 minutes
Cave Spring Hike | Easy, 0.6 mi loop (or less) hike | About 30 minutes
Round Storage House Hike | Very easy, 0.3 mi walk | About 15 minutes
Dinner | Needles Outpost Campground
Optional: Scenic drive & Pothole Point hike | Easy, 0.6 mi loop hike | About 45 minutes
TIPS FOR YOUR TRIP
Chesler Park Hike
Get up early to get going on the Chesler Park hike. The hike is strenuous and will take some time; the later in the day it gets the hotter it will be. Bring plenty of water and sun protection.
Stop at the visitor center to pick up a park map and a trail guide.
Consider if the Chesler Park hike is for you. There is much less of a pucker factor from heights and cliff edges on this hike compared to the canyon hike at Natural Bridges, but the hike is fairly lengthy, has limited shade, and has some light scrambling and uneven / steep spots.
The trickiest parts of the hike are at the very beginning (a very short but fairly steep section of layered slickrock) and then once you pass through a narrow slot canyon. If you aren't up for a long distance or aren't comfortable with the challenges, it's an easy marker to turn around at the slot canyon.
If you don't want to do the Chesler Park hike (or don't want to do the full thing), you could do the Slickrock Hike planned for the next day in its place. In this case, you may wish to spend one less night at Canyonlands and could add another night elsewhere in your trip. Here are some thoughts:
An easy option would be to skip camping and stay at Ulum. It's about an hour drive from the Needles District, but that doesn't matter as much if you aren't hiking in the park a ton. Instead, you could spend your second day in the area getting pampered at the spa and plunge pool.
Another option would be to add an additional day at Mesa Verde to visit the sites at Wetherill Mesa.
A final good option, especially when the leaves are changing in the fall, may be to add a day in the Cortez area and take a daytrip up to Telluride or to add a night in Durango at the end of the trip so that you can take a ride on the Durango-Silverton Railroad.
Alternatively, if you are really up for a big hike, you could extend this hike to continue on the Joint Trail or take a slightly different route and go to Druid Arch. These hikes are each nearly 11 miles and take a truly full day; you may want to consider camping in the backcountry.
Quick afternoon hikes
The Cave Spring hike is a short loop leading to a cowboy camp, pictographs, and a spring. If you are tired after a long day of hiking, head along the flat side of the loop leading to these sites first. That way, you don't have to do the actual hiking or handful of ladders that come past that point if you don't want.
Along those lines, calling the Round Storage House Hike a hike is a bit of an exaggeration. Even with tired legs, you'll be fine to add this to your day after a few minutes in your car's AC.
Practice the principles of leave no trace as you visit and as you share online, taking care to remove any geotags for Native history you discover. You'll notice I'm only sharing information for finding places that NPS openly publishes in visitor guides. Not only is this important for preserving the sites but for the unique sense of discovery that Canyonlands offers.
At the end of the day, we went back to camp to cook another linner with the plan to relax afterward, but it was so hot, we had to find a way to cool off. We ended up jumping back in our car and going for a scenic drive down the other fork of the park road. If you're not overly tired and ok with driving back to camp at night, check out the easy hike to Pothole Point; it's one of the recommended spots for sunsets in the park. Do not walk in the potholes, wet or dry.
RELEVANT RESOURCES
CLIFF PALACE AT MESA VERDE // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* FALL FOLIAGE IN THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* SADDLE HORN PUEBLO AT CANYONS OF THE ANCIENTS // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* SKY KIVA AT CANYON OF THE ANCIENTS GUEST RANCH // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* FALL FOLIAGE IN THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* SQUARE TOWER GROUP TRAIL AT HOVENWEEP // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* SKY KIVA AT THE CANYON OF THE ANCIENTS GUEST RANCH // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* CLIFF PALACE AT MESA VERDE // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* PAINTED HAND PUEBLO IN CANYONS OF THE ANCIENTS // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO* SKY KIVA AT CANYON OF THE ANCIENTS GUEST RANCH // PHOTO: PTO TRAVEL PRO*
STOP 5: MESA VERDE & CANYONS OF THE ANCIENTS
3 NIGHTS
This corner of Colorado was already one of my favorites after memorable trips to ski in Telluride and a dude ranch in Durango, but this trip offered up an entirely new experience. Here at the foot of the San Juans, the canyons are sprinkled with the structures that once were alive with communities of Ancestral Puebloans. Today you can follow in their footsteps through sites like Hovenweep, Canyons of the Ancients, and Mesa Verde. It's the perfect capstone to your trip to conclude with some of the largest and most spectacular cliff dwellings you'll find anywhere in the world.
Where We Stayed: Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch
Alternative Places to Stay: Mesa Verde Far View Lodge, Mesa Verde Morefield Campground, Hovenweep Campground
CHECK OUT THIS DESTINATION GUIDE FOR EVEN MORE INFO:
DAY 7: Needles to Canyons of the Ancients
Before you depart from Canyonlands, head out on one final hike. The Slickrock Trail is much easier than those from the prior two mornings (a welcome reprieve for tired legs) and offers sweeping views of the very distinct Needles and Island in the Sky Districts of the park. Once finished, you'll start the drive to Cortez along a winding road ripped straight out of an old western film. Make a stop at Newspaper Rock, a densely decorated petroglyph panel filled with mysterious illustrations. You can also stop for lunch along the way; Monticello (pronounced Mon-ti-sell-oh, by the way) is the only real town before Cortez. Once you arrive, check out the Visitor Center. It has a good museum and helpful information for exploring Canyons of the Ancients, with maps and pamphlets not published online. As a bonus, there are two Ancestral Puebloan ruins on site, and the one on top of the hill has great views of the nearby San Juan Mountains (home to Telluride), which were ablaze with fall color during our visit. From Cortez, it was just a short drive to the Sky Kiva, the immersive, Puebloan-inspired accommodation where we stayed for the remainder of our trip.
ITINERARY FOR THE DAY
Breakfast & break-down camp | Needles Outpost Campground
Slickrock Hike | Easy-to-moderate, 2.4 mi loop hike | About 1.5 hours
Drive | About 40 minutes
Newspaper Rock | About 10 minutes
Drive & lunch | About 1.5 hours (add additional time for lunch)
Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center & Museum | About 1.5 hours
Dinner | We ate at El Campestre in Cortez
Check-in to hotel | Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch
TIPS FOR YOUR TRIP
Needles Area
It's not as critical as the other hikes since it's shorter, but I'd still start the Slickrock Hike fairly early in the morning to avoid the peak sun. This hike is really rewarding without being overly difficult, but I'd still wear hiking boots and pack water.
Canyons of the Ancients
Much like Bears Ears, Canyons of the Ancients is a bit harder to find useful visitor information for your trip. Make sure to pick up pamphlets and maps for where you plan to explore when you drop by the Visitor Center.
The visitor center has a high-quality museum worth checking out. It also has two Pueblo sites right on location that you can visit - the Escalante Pueblo on the hill has excellent views of the surrounding area!
Practice the principles of leave no trace as you visit and as you share online, taking care to remove any geotags for Native history you discover. You'll notice I'm only sharing information for finding places that NPS openly publishes in visitor guides. Not only is this important for preserving the sites but for the unique sense of discovery that Canyonlands offers.
Checking-in to the ranch
Check-in time at Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch was between 4 and 8 PM. The owners texted us and met us to drive us over to the Sky Village portion of the ranch. They also gave us a tour and told us the stories behind the décor. Many of the objects were authentic and historic or custom-created based on rock art and ruins that the owners had photographed for their book.
Depending on timing, you may want to stop in the grocery store and pick up some provisions. Our kiva had a kitchen and grill for meals when you didn't want to drive into town. The ranch provided fresh eggs and had the option to purchase cuts of beef and lamb raised on-property; just reach out to request what you'd like.
DAY 8: Mesa Verde
Today you'll explore Mesa Verde, which is both a National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings here are the real show stoppers. Not only are they impressive in scale and beauty, but in number. There are a few dwellings that you can tour with a park ranger but many more, clinging to the canyon walls, that can be viewed from a distance. We chose to tour Cliff Palace, which is the largest and most famous of the structures. Our ranger-guided tour helped immerse us in what life was like living on the edge and proved to be a real highlight of the day. Rather than doing a tour of the more adventurous Balcony House, we took a very easy hike to the viewpoint from Soda Canyon Overlook. Then to round out our day, we used the handy NPS app's audio tour to guide us through the sites and views of the Mesa Top Loop Road.
ITINERARY FOR THE DAY
Drive | About 1 hour
Mesa Verde Visitor Center | About 30 minutes
Drive | About 45 minutes for drive, but park says to allow 75 minutes
Far View Sites (if time on drive, sites are open; located about 2/3 of way on drive) | Easy, 0.75 mi walk | About 30 minutes
Cliff Palace Tour | About 1 hour
Soda Canyon Overlook hike to view of Balcony House | Easy, 1.2 mi loop hike | About 40 minutes
Audio-guided drive around Mesa Top Loop Road (with stops) | About 1.5 hours
Drive | About 1 Hour
Linner | We ate at Loungin' Lizard in Cortez
Drive back to hotel | About 40 minutes
TIPS FOR YOUR TRIP
Booking logistics
I recommend booking your cliff dwelling tour in advance. Tours open up for booking online on recreation.gov 14 days in advance.
I suggest planning Mesa Verde for your first day in the area, that way if you can't get the tickets you want, you'll have a second chance to get tickets for the following day.
Planning your day
Do some homework for which dwelling you should visit. To help make our choice, I watched some YouTube videos on what to expect, which was very helpful.
I would argue that Cliff Palace is the best for most people due to a combo of its location, accessibility, and how archeologically important it is. It's reasonably accessible but you still have to get down to it and back up via some steep, uneven steps and a series of ladders. My fear of heights was on edge but not over the edge if that makes sense.
Balcony House is incredible but more challenging to access. It has a very exposed set of "stairs" (bordering on toe holds) that made my fear of heights tingle and a very narrow tunnel that would've been a tight squeeze for my husband's shoulders.
Long house is over on Wetherill Mesa (see notes below on this) and requires the most hiking (about 2.25 mi) but seems like it may be the least steep and exposed in terms of stairs and ladders. It also may be less crowded due to its location. To be confirmed on a later trip!
Also on Wetherill Mesa is Step House, the only dwelling that you can visit on your own without a ranger and therefore without a reservation!
Ranger guided tours of Mug House and Square Tower House are also possible but are offered less frequently.
It's up to you (and tour availability) for what time of day you want to do your tour. We signed up for the 11AM slot at Cliff Palace. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you select your time:
Early in the day will be cooler; the afternoon sun can be blistering, especially in the summer. Afternoon thunderstorms can also be common, particularly in July - August.
You might also want to think about photography and the lighting throughout the day. For example, Cliff Palace faces west, so it will be more illuminated in the afternoon. You might want to time your tour for the morning to avoid the heat and then plan to photograph from a lookout later when the sun is shining on the dwelling. The park publishes some helpful photography tips here.
Think about your wake-up time. You'll need to allow enough time to drive from your lodging to the park, and then the park advises allowing another 75 minutes from the entrance to Cliff Palace (times may vary for other dwellings). You'll need to arrive 10 minutes before your tour for a safety briefing.
Thematically, it makes sense to visit the older and more ruined Mesa Top Loop Road sites first, but it's always trickier from a time-management perspective to put your timed activity at the end of the day.
If you plan to book multiple dwelling tours, the park advises to allow at least 3 hours between the start times of the tours, and to extend that to 4 hours if one tour is on Chapin Mesa and the other is on Wetherill Mesa.
At Far View Lodge, the road forks in two. One branch heads to the more popular Chapin Mesa (where Cliff Palace, Balcony House, the Museum, and the Mesa Top Loop Road are located) or the more remote Wetherill Mesa (where Long House and Step House are located). If you want to visit Wetherill Mesa, the gates to the road open at 8:30AM, last entry is at 2PM, and all visitors must exit by 4PM. Because of this, it generally makes sense to visit either Chapin Mesa or Wetherill Mesa if you’re doing a one day visit. If you really want to visit both, you'd likely have to start at Wetherill Mesa or add an extra day.
What to prep & bring for your tour
There is no reliable cell service in the park - make sure to download / screenshot your tour tickets! I also recommend downloading the Mesa Verde Park in the NPS app so that you can listen to the audio tour on Mesa Top Loop Road. If you forgot to do this before, make sure to do so on the Wi-Fi at the Visitor Center or at the Mesa Verde Museum, which is closer to the sites on Chapin Mesa.
Bring water, sun protection, and tickets for your tour. Everything needs to be hands-free in order to climb the ladders, so we used a small day pack. Our guide did say trekking poles are okay to use if you need the balance as long as you can use wrist straps to have your hands free for the ladders.
Other Mesa Verde tips
If you're short on time while you're doing the Mesa Top Loop audio tour, our favorite stops were the Square Tower House view, Sun Point view, Sun Temple, and Cliff Palace view. The other stops give a good build-up of the history and evolution of the building styles at Mesa Verde but are less visually striking.
Practice the principles of leave no trace as you visit and as you share online, taking care to remove any geotags for Native history you discover. You'll notice I'm only sharing information for finding places that NPS openly publishes in visitor guides. Not only is this important for preserving the sites but for the unique sense of discovery that Mesa Verde offers.
Planning your meals
There are several places to eat in the park, ranging from fast casual to full service to cocktails, but pay attention to hours and opening dates - some locations were already closed for the season while we were there in October.
If you didn't have time to stop at the grocery store yesterday, pick up what you need to go with your eggs and steaks on your way home today.
RELEVANT RESOURCES
Visit Mesa Verde: info about the park's lodging, dining, and 3rd-party tours
DAY 9: Canyons of the Ancients & Hovenweep Hikes
Cap off your trip with a few lesser known but incredibly worthwhile stops around the Cortez area. You'll start with a hike along Sand Canyon, which strings together a series of Ancestral Puebloan sites. We went as far as Saddlehorn Pueblo but could have easily continued to many more of the stops along the lovely little trail. After, we headed to what may have been one of the most pleasant surprises of the trip, Hovenweep. I didn't know much before arriving, but the Square Tower Group Trail proved to be another easily enjoyed trail densely packed with historic Native structures. We then made relatively quick stops at Painted Hand Pueblo and Lowry Pueblo. To cap off our final day, we were lured by the amber glow of the aspen trees into the foothills of the San Juan Mountains. We followed the winding mountain road along the Dolores River, driving as far as Rico, before retiring back to our Kiva to enjoy some property-raised steaks and a final evening under the stars.
ITINERARY FOR THE DAY
Sand Canyon Hike to Saddlehorn Pueblo (or farther, if you choose) | Easy-to-moderate, 2.2 mi out-and-back hike | About 1 hour
Drive | About 40 minutes
Hovenweep Square Tower Group Trail | Easy-to-moderate, 1.5 mi loop hike | About 1.5 hours
Drive | About 40 minutes
Painted Hand Pueblo Hike | Easy-to-moderate, 0.75 mi loop hike | About 30 minutes
Optional: Cutthroat Castle Trail | Easy-to-moderate, 1.6 mi out-and-back hike | About 1 hour
Drive | About 30 minutes
Lowry Pueblo | About 30 minutes
Lunch | We ate at the Depot in Dolores
Optional: Scenic drive along Dolores River | Flexible, about 3 hours if you drive as far as Rico
Cook Dinner | Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch
TIPS FOR YOUR TRIP
Starting your day & Sand Canyon
Much like Bears Ears, Canyons of the Ancients is a bit harder to find useful visitor information for your trip. Use the pamphlets and maps you picked up at the Visitor Center to help you plan where to explore. The map for Sand Canyon trail was particularly helpful for this day. Check out the relevant links section below for more info.
If you want to do more hiking on this day, the Sand Canyon Trail is a little treasure trove. We turned around at Saddlehorn Pueblo near mile 1 of the trail, but there is a series of archeological sites to be discovered until around mile 3. After that point, the trail gets steeper and more challenging before reaching Sand Canyon Pueblo around mile 6. If you are really interested in Sand Canyon Pueblo but not the 6-mile, one-way hike, the Pueblo can be readily reached from the road at the other end of the trail.
Practice the principles of leave no trace as you visit and as you share online, taking care to remove any geotags for Native history you discover. You'll notice I'm only sharing information for finding places that BLM & NPS openly publish in visitor guides. Not only is this important for preserving the sites but for the unique sense of discovery that Hovenweep & Canyons of the Ancients offer.
Hovenweep
Unfortunately, the Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center does not directly offer information for Hovenweep. To be fair, they are separate park units, but sometimes the Visitor Centers offer info for nearby places! Make sure you stop at the visitor center at Hovenweep not only to pay your fee but to pick up maps and pamphlets - the trail guide for the Square Tower Group was really good and offered descriptions for each of the structures!
Most of the Square Tower Loop Trail is quite easy with lots of packed sand or level slickrock sections, but there is one short section where the trail gets steeper and rockier as it drops 80 feet into the canyon. Unless you have mobility issues, the whole loop should be fine, but there is an option to see everything and only do the truly easy parts of the trail. Just start on the loop heading to the right or counter clockwise, then if the terrain looks too difficult, turn around and double back just after the Twin Towers.
The Square Tower Group is just one of multiple parcels of the Hovenweep National Monument. The other units are nearby and include Holly, Horseshoe & Hackberry, Cutthroat Castle, and Cajon. If you want to explore more, you can drive to the other units; there are also some options to hike between units.
Afternoon stops
The trailhead for Painted Hand Pueblo says the hike has "steep, technical terrain" and "uneven terrain, heights, and rough obstacles that may require the use of hands." After doing the hike, this felt like a major exaggeration to us, especially after other experiences where a park ranger advertised a hike as a cake walk that turned out to be more challenging than expected. In reality, there are two very brief sections of rocks where you either need to be able to take big steps up / down or may want to use your hand for balance, but you're not near the edge and it's really not difficult unless you are mobility impaired. Info appears to only be available at the trailhead and Visitor Center.
If you have time, especially if the leaves are changing, take a drive up the Dolores River - it’s incredibly scenic. It’s up to you how far you go. We went as far as Rico before turning around. After that point, it’s a very windy ribbon of mountain road on the climb up to Telluride.
DAY 10: Departure via Durango
Sadly, all good things have to come to an end, and today's the day you'll have to head home. We got one last taste of the southwest by hiking up the trail right behind where we were staying. The owners discovered some artifacts and marked off a short trail. You can also see beautiful views and petrified wood on the trail. After a final breakfast with the farm fresh eggs and packing up our car, it's a pretty easy drive back to the Durango airport to complete the loop.
ITINERARY FOR THE DAY
Hike to ruins behind our Kiva | About 30 minutes
Drive to Durango Airport | About 1 hour 45 minutes
Flight home | Afternoon departure
NOT READY TO GO HOME YET?
If you want to stretch this trip out for a few more days or even a full two weeks, you have some great options!
For a few more days…
Check-in to Dunton Hot Springs
Adds 3 days or more | Start at end of the current itinerary
This ghost town turned resort is situated in the same dramatically rugged, aspen-lined mountain range as Telluride. Aptly named, the resort features natural hot springs for a soothing soak after a day of activities - opt for the Well House cabin for your own private spring. Come here at the end of your trip to play cowboy for a few days or simply to relax and unwind after an exciting adventure around the Four Corners.
For another week in the desert…
Add the Moab & SE Utah's Canyon Country Itinerary
Adds 1 Week | Start after morning of Day 7 in current itinerary (after Needles District)
Feel as though you’ve crash landed on another planet as you explore the otherworldly southeast corner of Utah known as its Canyon Country. Chasms are carved into the bedrock, ranging from vast layered terraces to narrow sculpted slots. Meanwhile soaring arches and alien hoodoos rise from the red rock landscape, creating some of the region's best scenery.
Key stops:
Start after morning of Day 7 in current itinerary (after Needles District)
Goblin Valley SP, UT
(Valley of the Goblins, Little Wild Horse Canyon)
Capitol Reef NP, UT
(Hickman Bridge, Historic Fruita District, Cathedral Valley, scenic drives)
Moab Area, UT
(Arches NP, Canyonlands NP - Island in the Sky District, Dead Horse Point SP, Potash Road)
Continue on with current itinerary (Trail of the Ancients) starting with the end of Day 7 (check-in to Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch)
Depart from Durango, CO
For another week in the mountains…
Add the San Juan Skyway: Durango, Telluride, and the Black Canyon Itinerary
Adds 1 Week | Start at the end of the current itinerary
The San Juan Skyway is of America’s most spectacular mountain drives, winding through mining towns, alpine passes, and deep river canyons. Drive the Million Dollar Highway between Durango, Ouray, and Silverton, detour into Telluride’s box‑canyon beauty, and finish at the sheer volcanic walls of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
Key stops:
Start at the end of the current itinerary
Durango, CO
(Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, Animas River, historic downtown)
Million Dollar Highway
(Red Mountain Pass, Idarado Mine, Bear Creek Falls, historic Silverton)
Ouray, CO
(Hot springs, Box Canyon Falls, Tomboy Ghost Town)
Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP
(Rim Drive, Painted Wall Overlook, Gunnison Point)
(Bridal Veil Falls, Tesla history, Alta Ghost Town, historic downtown, gondola)
Depart via Durango, CO
Excited for this one!