Hovenweep National Monument protects five prehistoric, Puebloan-era villages spread over a twenty-mile expanse of mesa tops and canyons along the Utah-Colorado border. Multi-storied towers perched on canyon rims and balanced on boulders lead visitors to marvel at the skill and motivation of their builders.

Hovenweep is noted for its solitude and undeveloped, natural character. The Square Tower Group is the primary contact facility with a visitor center, campground and interpretive trail. Other groups (or villages) include Holly, Horseshoe, Hackberry, Cutthroat Castle and Cajon.

History & Culture

Human habitation at Hovenweep dates to over 10,000 years ago when nomadic Paleoindians visited the Cajon Mesa to gather food and hunt game. These people used the area for centuries, following the seasonal weather patterns. By about A.D. 900, people started to settle at Hovenweep year-round, planting and harvesting crops in the rich soil of the mesa top.

 Directions 

Plane - Commercial airlines serve Cortez and Grand Junction, CO, Salt Lake City and Moab, UT, and Albuquerque, NM as well as other cities in the Four Corners area.

Car - The road to the Visitor Center and Square Tower Group is paved from Cortez, Colorado, on County Road G (the McElmo Canyon Road), and from White Mesa (south of Blanding) on Highway 262.

The road from Highway 666 (near Pleasant View) is dirt and may be impassable after storms. This road accesses most of the outlying units in Colorado.

All roads into the outlying units are dirt and are not maintained regularly. High-clearance vehicles are recommended for visiting these sites.

Bus - Commercial bus and van shuttles service nearby towns, but not Hovenweep specifically.

Public Transportation - There is no public transportation to Hovenweep.