There are several sitting benches along the trail to contemplate life of the ancestral Pueblo people. All this aside, Hovenweep was an excellent place to visit. “Cajun” group at Hovenweep National Monument. I strongly recommend going in the morning before the heat of the day sets in. General information for Hovenweep National Monument is available on the Hovenweep National Monument Website. Perched on a boulder, Square Tower sits near the spring at the head of the canyon. We went to Hovenweep and did the Square Tower Loop Trail a week ago. We discovered that the Hovenweep National Monument (HNM) consists of a collection of several sites spread throughout many miles. 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.Hovenweep is noted for its solitude and undeveloped, natural character. It circles around the top of the canyon, passing by many ruins like Hovenweep Castle. Here at Hovenweep we're fashionably late to NPS Fashion Week. Mountains, backpacks, roadtrips, and other adventures. The trail drops with views of Stronghold House to the bottom of the canyon. 8. Mountains where you can still experience the simple joy of riding the trail, pitching your tent, and building a campfire. Portals in the castle appear to align sunlight each seasonal solstice and equinox. Hovenweep National Monument consists of some clusters of ancestral puebloan ruins close to the Utah-Colorado state line. (image: The ancient masonry buildings of Square Tower Village are perched on the rim and on a large boulder at the head of Ruin Canyon. If you want to extend your stay make sure you spend a night or two at the Hovenweep Campground! This trail is located by the visitor's center. Stop by the visitor center, attend an interpretive program and be sure to hike all or part of the two mile self-guiding trail around Little Ruin Canyon. Type: Easy loop We had already been to Mesa Verde and enjoyed … Visitors aren’t allowed to touch or go inside any of the buildings, but they can walk close to many of them, and see all the details of how they were made. Part of the ruin was built atop a boulder that eventually slipped causing the upper walls to be thrown into the canyon. in Self Guided Walks and Trails. We started our trail towards the Hovenweep Castle, to the right of the viewpoint. Other buildings may have been built for religious ceremonies, with various buildings that align with celestial event. A nearby spring would have been an important resource for the inhabitants of Hovenweep. Then, a little ways down the trail is the Hackberry Group. Visitors are encouraged to stop by the Hovenweep Visitor Center, which contains maps, brochures, exhibits and other educational information. I explored the Square Tower Loop Trail while I was there, which circles through the entire collection of buildings. The Stronghold House to the Visitor Center path is about 300 yards. Posted by: 94RedRover. I took her advice and set out on the trailhead for the Square Tower Group whose trailhead is right behind the Visitor Center. The ranger told me that I could technically see all the sites in Hovenweep in a day but for right now I should hike around the Square Tower group of ruins and sites. RVs are welcome but with some restrictions. There are also short hikes at each outlying site ranging from .25 to 1.6 miles round-trip. This 1.5-mile round-trip hike will take you through a serenely beautiful desert landscape to the Hovenweep Castle and onward to Tower Point. Visitors aren’t allowed to touch or go inside any of the buildings, but they can walk close to many of them, and see all the details of how they were made. The Square Tower Group is the primary contact facility with a visitor center, campground and interpretive trail. The longest hike is a four mile trail (eight miles round-trip) that connects the Square Tower Unit with the Holly Hovenweep National Monument is located on land in southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah, between Cortez, Colorado and Blanding, Utah on the Cajon Mesa of the Great Sage Plain. The first thing on many hikers’ agendas is the Square Tower Group Loop Trail. Square Tower. Catch your breath, then stroll the rim and take time viewing these beautiful towers. Grab a walking stick if you want and fill up on water. The trail takes 1.5-2 hours. Download the Little Ruin Trail Guide for more information. A 2-mile dirt trail, the Square Tower Loop Trail took us around the Canyon, down into and out again while getting close to the surrounding ruins. After Hovenweep Castle, be sure to take the loop trail to Tower … left our dog and my mother in law in the car with the A/C. A moderately strenuous trail follows the canyon rim and offers excellent views of every structure. It's possible that as many as 500 people occupied the Square Tower area between 1200 and 1300 CE (Common Era). Tower Point is named for the remains of a tower at the point where a side canyon branches off of Little Ruin Canyon. Hovenweep is still one of those places that has been kept a secret so you often are only sharing the 30-site CG with a few other campers. Hiking – Rim Rock Trail near the Visitor Center is a remarkable hike 2-mile trek around the Square Tower ruins. The Square Tower Group, located in and around Little Ruin Canyon, which is a short walk from the visitors center, has the largest collection of ancestral Puebloan structures at Hovenweep. The Square Tower Group contains the largest collection of ancestral Puebloan structures at Hovenweep. The overlook … It’s not clear what all the buildings were used for, but some buildings may have been defense structures, possibly protecting water and food supplies. The Square Tower site hosts the monuments Visitor Center and main facilities. So much to see it was quite spectacular. Square Tower Group . Square Tower, for which the group is named, is a three-story tower built on a boulder at the head of Little Ruin Canyon. The Square Tower Group sits at the edge of Little Ruin Canyon. Showcasing the ruins of structures built between A.D. 500 and 1300, the Square Tower Loop Trail starts at the Canyon Overlook of the Hovenweep National Monument. Location: Southern Utah, Four-Corners area The remains of nearly thirty kivas have been discovered as well as a variety of other structures. The Tower Point Loop is about 0.5 miles. I spent a night in Hovenweep National Monument last January, checking out the amazing ancenstral Puebloan ruins there. Related Hovenweep NM Photos. Description: A National Monument near Four Corners, with beautifully preserved ancestral Puebloan ruins. 12S E 670012 N 4139557. Square Tower Group Trail - Hovenweep National Monument, Utah. It’s first-come first-served and make sure you bring some cash to pay for the campsites. Although Hovenweep National Monument is largely known for the six groups of Ancestral Puebloan villages, there is … hikes are also possible at Square Tower including an accessible 300 yard sidewalk to a viewpoint overlooking a large portion of the canyon. These multistory structures form the heart of the settlement at Little Ruin Canyon and are positioned at the head of the canyon near a spring. Season: Year-round By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. The Square Tower trail is located in Hovenweep National Monument in southeast Ut… GJHikes /2011/12/hovenweep-square-tower.html • 0 • PLACE. Required fields are marked *. Distance & Gain: 1.8 miles, flat The Square Tower Loop was an excellent interpretive trail. Hovenweep Castle. Petroglyph in Canyons of the Ancients NM, Hovenweep NM, CO. Start your visit at the Square Tower Group, the base camp for Hovenweep. A moderately strenuous trail follows the canyon rim and offers excellent views of every structure. Also visible in the canyon is Square Tower. The Square Tower village has the most buildings, and lots for visitors to see and do, including the main visitor centor and campground. From there, a short drive will take you to the other villiages. This place was fascinating, with intricately built stone towers, some over 700 years old. The builders collected water from springs that seeped out of the canyon walls, and subsisted on corn that they grew around the outskirts of the village. I stayed in the Hovenweep campground while I was there, located near the Square Tower village. Square Tower Group can be explored via three trails: The Rim Trail Loop around Little Ruin Canyon is about 1.5 miles. Next up is Hovenweep Castle and Square Tower, quickly followed by Hovenweep House. The Square Tower Loop was an excellent interpretive trail. Still, Hovenweep was a great stop, and I recommend. Of the six units of Hovenweep National Monument, the next most visited, after the main Square Tower ruins, are the Horseshoe/Hackberry and Holly sites, all in Colorado, and all dating from around 1300 AD. Photographer Details ... Jacque C. Keiser. As mentioned previously, there is access to Little Ruin Canyon/Square Tower Group from the campground, but there is also a 4-mile one-way trail that leads to the Holly unit. The Tower Point Loop Trail is located 27.7 miles from Cortez, Colorado (CO) in Hovenweep National Monument. And perhaps if you are in really great shape it is! I wanted to check these out too, but they required 4-wheel drive to get there, so I ended up settling for the Square Tower Group only. There is an option to take a trail into the canyon as well. 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