435-459-9700 Just south of Moab and Arches National Park visitors can travel through time along portions of the dramatic Trail of the Ancients National Scenic Byway (U.S. 191, 163 and S.R. 261, 262), which intersects with Ancestral Puebloan history of the Four Corners area. On their road trip, visitors will see evidence of early cultures that built a life in the ruggedly beautiful Canyonlands region, including incredible cliff dwellings, learn the Ancestral Puebloan history at Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum in Blanding, and explore the ruins of the fascinating Hovenweep National Monument. Visitors should take the scenic drive through Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park then tour the Valley of the Gods and plan a stop at the remote and spectacular Natural Bridges National Monument.
The Utah portion of the Trail of the Ancients is located in San Juan, Utah’s largest county, which is almost the size of New Jersey. Between the Needles District of Canyonlands and Four Corners there are vast lands of incredible wilderness, national forest, the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park and beautiful rivers that converge within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Lake Powell. As visitors travel along the byway, they will find a seemingly infinite number of important archaeological sites and plenty of welcoming gateway towns to help you navigate it all. The area of the Trial of the Ancients is said to boast the largest site density for Native American Artifacts in North America. Locals say if you walk down any one of the magnificent canyons, you’ll find something, whether it be a ruin or an artifact. As visitors drive along the Trail of the Ancients, they will see many marked sites along the road such as Butler Wash or Mule Canyon; however, there are many other hidden gems that take just a little more research.
Those who travel along the byway say that they are awestruck by the types of rock formations that can be found nowhere else in the world. In between the many friendly towns, visitors will be struck by the grand serenity of nature. Even though there are often many travelling along the byway, the scale of the wild can make visitors feel as if they were the only ones in the world.
Must stops along the way are the Natural Bridges National Monument and the House on Fire ruin. Visitors in the summer will be able to enjoy the National Bridges National Monument’s dark sky program, the first Dark Sky Park in the county. Twice a week, rangers will bring out telescopes and allow visitors to explore various star clusters, planets, and the moon. One of the most popular ruins in the area is along Highway 95 between Blanding and Natural Bridges called the House on Fire. The ruin is built into the Cedar Mesa sandstone, and at certain times of day, the lighting makes the entire ruin appear to glow, transforming the Mesa overhang into smoke and flames. The hike to the ruin is a 3 mile trip with little changes in elevation, so it’s a good choice for families as well.