Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
86
sweat lodges, and petroglyphs at least 700 years old, and possibly as much as 10,000
years old.
It's primary excavated site is
Lowry Pueblo,
a prehistoric village that is located about
27 miles west of Cortez via US 491, on C.R. CC, 9 miles west of Pleasant View. This
pueblo, built about 1060 and likely abandoned by 1200, is believed to have housed some
100 people. It has standing walls from 40 rooms plus 9 kivas (circular underground
ceremonial chambers). A short, self-guided interpretive trail leads past a kiva and contin-
ues to the remains of a great kiva, which, at 54 feet in diameter, is among the largest ever
found. Hiking is permitted throughout the monument, but hikers are asked to stay on
developed trails. The area offers a picnic area, drinking water, and toilets. There is
primitive, dispersed camping but no developed campsites.
Canyons of the Ancients is overseen by the Bureau of Land Management, and as yet
has no onsite visitor center or even a contact station. Those wishing to explore the
monument are strongly advised to contact, or preferably stop first at, the visitor center
located at
Anasazi Heritage Center
(see above) for information, especially current road
conditions and directions. Information is also available online at www.co.blm.gov/canm,
and from the welcome center in Cortez (see the Cortez section, above). Allow at least 2
hours.
Cortez Cultural Center
The center, 25 N. Market St., Cortez (
&
970/565-1151;
www.cortezculturalcenter.org),
includes a museum with exhibits on both prehistoric and modern American Indians, an
art gallery with displays of regional art, and a good gift shop offering crafts by local tribal
members. A variety of programs is offered year-round, ranging from guided kids' hikes
to photo exhibits; and, from late May through early September, there are American
Indian dances and cultural programs most evenings, starting at 7:30pm. The center is
open daily from 10am to 10pm from June through August, with shorter hours the rest
of the year. Admission is free and you should plan to spend at least an hour in the
museum (more if there are dances or other programs).
6
Ute Mountain Tribal Park
Set aside by the Ute Mountain tribe to preserve its heritage, the 125,000-acre Ute Moun-
tain Tribal Park, P.O. Box 109, Towaoc, CO 81334 (
&
800/847-5485
or 970/565-
3751, ext. 330; www.utemountainute.com/tribalpark.htm)—which abuts Mesa Verde
National Park—includes wall paintings and ancient petroglyphs as well as hundreds of
surface sites and cliff dwellings that are similar in size and complexity to those in Mesa
Verde.
Access to the park is strictly limited to guided tours. Full- and half-day tours begin at
the Ute Mountain Museum and Visitor Center, at the junction of US 491 and US 160,
20 miles south of Cortez. Mountain-biking and backpacking trips are also offered. No
food, water, lodging, gasoline, or other services are available within the park. Some
climbing of ladders is necessary on the full-day tour. There's one primitive
campground
($12 per vehicle; reservations required). Cabins are also available for $10 per person.
Charges for tours in your vehicle start at $27 per person for a half-day, $45 for a full
day; it's $10 per person extra to go in the tour guide's vehicle, and reservations are
required. Special private tours to remote sections of the park are also offered, with a
minimum of four persons, at $60 per person per day. Credit cards are not accepted (cash
or checks only), dogs are not permitted on the property, and professional photography is
not allowed. Allow from a half- to a full day here.
