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Hovenweep National Monument, located in southeast Utah and southwest Colorado, protects six different groups of Ancestral Puebloan villages.
Introduction to Hovenweep National Monument
The villages at Hovenweep National Monument were first inhabited around the middle of the 12th century and abandoned by the 14th century. Collectively, they housed over 2,500 people.
The ruins were first rediscovered in 1854 by William D. Huntington, who was on a missionary trip for Brigham Young (1801-1877). Huntington’s local Ute and Navajo guides knew of the ruins and considered them haunted, urging him to stay away. In 1878, photographer William Henry Jackson (1843-1942) and explorer William Henry Holmes (1846-1933) named the area Hovenweep, which means Deserted Valley in the Ute language.
Conservation efforts began under T. Mitchell Pruden, who surveyed the ruins in 1903 and was concerned about vandalism. Anthropologist Jesse Walter Fewkes (1850-1930) of the Smithsonian institution also recommended their protection in 1917.
President Warren G. Harding established Hovenweep National Monument on March 2, 1923. On March 1, 1951, President Harry S. Truman expanded it by adding the Goodman Point Group, which in 1892 became one of the earliest federally protected archaeological sites in the United States. Hovenweep National Monument was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.
Planning Your Trip to Hovenweep National Monument
We spent a half day at Hovenweep. Although there are six units, we only visited the Square Tower Group. We felt that while the other units would also be interesting, it would have taken too much of a toll on the car to reach them.
Before getting into some of the trails and highlights of the park, here’s some essential information to help you plan your trip:
Units of Hovenweep National Monument
The monument is divided into six different groups:
- Square Tower Group (Utah) is the main unit of the park. It’s the most developed site and the only one with services. It’s also the only one accessible on paved roads. Directional signs are located at each turn along the route.
- Cajon Group (Utah) is 9 miles south of the visitor center on a Navajo Nation dirt road. A high clearance vehicle is recommended for the last ¼-mile stretch. The trail to the ruins is 0.2 miles round-trip.
- Holly Group (Colorado) is down an unimproved BLM road off County Road 10. A high clearance vehicle is recommended, and there’s a 0.44-mile (700 meter) round-trip trail from the parking area. It’s also accessible via a primitive 7-mile (11 kilometer) round-trip trail from the campground.
- Hackberry and Horseshoe Groups (Colorado) are two separate units down the same road as Holly. Hiking the entire round-trip trail to both Horseshoe and Hackberry is 1.44 miles (2.32 kilometers), while the trail to Horseshoe only is 0.64 miles (1 kilometer) round-trip.
- Cutthroat Castle (Colorado) is down an unimproved BLM road off County Road 10. The gravel ends at the parking lot for Painted Pueblo, which is part of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. From there, it’s a 1.32-mile round-trip hike to the site. With a high clearance vehicle, you can drive all the way to Cutthroat Castle and hike 0.14 miles round-trip.
- Goodman Point Group (Colorado) is 8 miles west of Cortez. The parking area is along Road P. The ruins are extensive but mostly piles of rubble. The National Park Service “does not actively encourage visiting”.
The map at the end of this post indicates the location and trailheads for each group.
Entrance Fee to Hovenweep National Monument
The entrance fee varies depending on your mode of transportation. Prices are current as of September 2025:
- For private vehicles, it’s US$20.
- For motorcycles, it’s US$15.
- For visitors entering on bicycle or on foot, it’s US$10 for adults and free for kids under 16.
- Holders of any interagency pass are covered for one vehicle or four per person fees.
Entrance fees are good for seven days and payable at the visitor center.
Camping at Hovenweep National Monument
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 2025).
Hovenweep Visitor Center
The Hovenweep Visitor Center is located at the Square Tower Group, which is the largest group of structures. It helped us learn more about the site before venturing out to hike around the structures.
Square Tower Group
Square Tower Group is the largest collection of ruins at Hovenweep. It’s situated around Little Ruin Canyon and housed around 500 people. The structures were built in a variety of different shapes and had different functions.
A paved path from the Hovenweep Visitor Center runs 0.3 miles to an overlook at Little Ruin Canyon. From there, you can hike the Little Ruin Trail. It’s a 1 ½-mile loop along the rim of the canyon that gets you close the ruins. It’s recommended to hike the trail in a counter-clockwise direction.
Stronghold House
Stronghold House is the first ruin you’ll pass on the trail. It got its name because it looks like a fortress. The structure is made up of two sections, and what’s visible today is the upper story of a large pueblo. The rest of the pueblo, on the slope below, has been reduced to rubble. Stronghold Tower stands nearby.
Unit Type House
The next structure along the trail is Unit Type House, which contained a few storage rooms and living quarters as well as a kiva. Two openings in the wall of the room east of the kiva may have been used to indicate the summer and winter solstices. The best views of Unit Type House are from Rimrock House across the canyon.
Eroded Boulder House
Unit Type House is a great place to view Eroded Boulder House across the canyon. It was built under a huge rock sitting underneath the Rimrock House. A tower once stood atop the rock.
Tower Point
A short extension leads to Tower Point. From there, you’ll enjoy fantastic views of Little Ruin Canyon. You’ll also be able to spot alcoves where people stored crops.
Hovenweep Castle
Hovenweep Castle is one of the most impressive structures at Hovenweep National Monument. It consists of two D-shaped towers. It was used as a residence.
One log found in the ruins was dated to 1277, making it one of the latest dates on any structure in the region. As with most of the ruins around the canyon, it’s best seen from the opposite side.
Square Tower
Square Tower was built in a tall thin shape atop a sandstone boulder on the bottom of the canyon. It stands two stories tall and has a T-shaped doorway on the west side. A kiva was excavated nearby.
Hovenweep House
After the trail starts to turn back north around the canyon, you’ll pass Hovenweep House, which stands opposite Hovenweep Castle. It’s the last standing structure of one of the largest villages in the Square Tower Group.
Rimrock House
Next is Rimrock House. This rectangular two-story structure may not have been a house at all because it lacks room divisions. Rather, it has many small openings on the walls at unusual angles. Their function is unknown.
Twin Towers
The final ruins you’ll pass are the Twin Towers. They were two separate buildings that had 16 rooms. One is oval and the other is horseshoe-shaped and their walls almost touch. The original wooden lintels are still in place in one of the towers.
Completing the Loop
From there, the trail goes down into the canyon and up the other side to complete the loop. It drops 80 feet (24 meters).
