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Hovenweep National Monument, located in southeast Utah and southwest Colorado, protects six different groups of Ancestral Puebloan villages populated between 1200 and 1300. Over 2,500 people lived in the villages.

 

Visiting the Monument

The monument is divided into six different groups: Square Tower Group, Cajon Group, Cutthroat Castle Group, Holly Group, Hackberry and Horseshoe Group, and the Goodman Point Group. Two of the groups are in Utah and the rest are over the state line in Colorado. Some of them are accessible via primitive dirt roads only. The map below indicates the location of each group.

 

Entrance Fee

The entrance fee is payable at the visitor center and is US$20 per carload, or free for holders of any interagency pass (as of September 2024).

 

Camping

The Square Tower Ruins Campground is a first-come, first-served campground near the visitor center with 31 tent sites. It costs US$20 per night (as of September 2024).

 

Visitor Center

The visitor center is located at the Square Tower Group, which is the largest group of structures and the only one we visited. We had a quick lunch and learned more about the site before venturing out to hike around the structures.

Visitor center at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Visitor center

 

Little Ruin Trail

From the visitor center, there’s a paved path that runs 0.3 miles to an overlook of the canyon where the ruins were built. From the overlook, we took the Little Ruin Trail, which is a 1 ½ mile loop along the rim of a canyon that gets hikers close the ruins. We took the trail in a clockwise direction.

Canyon at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Canyon
Canyon at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Canyon
Standing on the edge of the canyon at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Standing on the edge of the canyon

 

Twin Towers

After going down into the canyon and up the other side, the first ruins we passed were the Twin Towers. The towers were two separated buildings that had about 16 rooms.

Twin Towers at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Twin Towers
Twin Towers at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Twin Towers
Approaching Twin Towers at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Approaching Twin Towers

One of the towers is oval shaped and the other is horseshoe shaped. The walls of the towers almost touch each other.

Twin Towers at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Twin Towers
Twin Towers at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Twin Towers

 

Rimrock House

Next was Rimrock House. This two story structure may not have been a house at all because it lacks room divisions.

Rimrock House at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Rimrock House
Rimrock House at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Rimrock House

From Rimrock House we were able to spot Tower Point across the canyon. Another ruin stands at Tower Point.

Tower Point at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Tower Point

 

Hovenweep Castle and Square Tower

Continuing along the trail, we were able to get excellent views of the canyon. Across is Hovenweep Castle and at the bottom of the canyon is Square Tower.

Hovenweep Castle and Square Tower at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Hovenweep Castle and Square Tower

Two D-shaped towers make up Hovenweep House. It was used as a residence.

Hovenweep Castle at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Hovenweep Castle
Hovenweep Castle at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Hovenweep Castle
Hovenweep Castle at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Hovenweep Castle

Square Tower was built in a tall thin shape and stands two stories tall. A kiva was excavated nearby.

Square Tower at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Square Tower

 

Hovenweep House

Next was Hovenweep House, which stands on the opposite side of the canyon from Hovenweep Castle.

Hovenweep House (left) and Hovenweep Castle (right) at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Hovenweep House (left) and Hovenweep Castle (right)

From there, the loop started to turn back towards the overlook and passed by Hovenweep Castle. There’s also a short extension to Tower Point.

Hovenweep Castle at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Hovenweep Castle
Walking towards Hovenweep Castle at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Walking towards Hovenweep Castle
Hovenweep Castle at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Hovenweep Castle

 

Eroded Boulder House

Across the canyon sitting underneath the Rimrock House is Eroded Boulder House. It was built under a huge rock, and a tower once stood atop the rock.

Eroded Boulder House at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Eroded Boulder House

 

Unit Type House

The next structure was Unit Type House, which looks more interesting from Rimrock House across the canyon. It contained a few storage rooms and living quarters as well as a kiva.

Unit Type House at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Unit Type House

 

Stronghold House

Finally, before heading back up to the visitor center we passed by Stronghold House. It got its name because it looks like a fortress. The structure is made up of two sections.

Stronghold House at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Stronghold House
Stronghold House at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Stronghold House
Walking past Stronghold House at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah
Walking past Stronghold House

 

Conclusion

In the end, we were satisfied with visiting the Square Tower Group only. We felt that while the other groups would also be interesting, it would have taken too much effort and too much of a toll on the car to reach them.

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Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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