Twenty miles — as a crow flies — west of Cortez, Colorado, is Hovenweep National Monument, in the very heart of the Four Corners region. Of course, people don’t fly like crows, so it’s about a 45-mile drive. However you travel, you should put Hovenweep on your list of must-see places.
Lives of ancient farmers
Hovenweep was built more than 1,100 years ago, at a time when agriculture had evolved. The ancient Puebloans cultivated land much like farmers do today, planting corn, beans, and squash in the fertile soil of the mesa top. They leveled hillsides into terraces, formed catch basins to hold rain run-off, and built check dams to retain topsoil. In the late 1200s, Hovenweep supported over 2,500 people. Then something happened.
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History being made
By the end of the 13th century, people began leaving. Possibly they were driven away by prolonged drought. Perhaps they had over-hunted the region and depleted resources. Or there was a rise of factionalism and warfare, forcing people away.
The answer may lie in the architecture of Hovenweep’s buildings. If you’ve traveled the Four Corners region, you’ve seen Chaco National Historical Park and Mesa Verde National Park. If you’ve studied the buildings, as I have, you might decide the exodus resulted from all three — drought, resource depletion, and war.
Walls read like open books
You can see the openness of Chaco’s famous Pueblo Bonito with its 600 rooms. It broadcasts, “Welcome!” By the time people are in Mesa Verde, the welcome mat has been withdrawn. Cliff dwellings appear to be defensive. Then you arrive at Hovenweep. You’ll notice, most of the structures were built on top of rocky pinnacles. Many are called towers. The masonry is as skillful as it is beautiful. Some theorize these structures were celestial observatories, civics buildings, homes, storage facilities, or a combination of function. To my eye, they appear defensive, looking just like the torreons built in many New Mexican villages for protection against raiders.
National monument defined
The structures comprising Hovenweep National Monument stretch over 17 miles. The Square Tower Unit, with the most extensive archeological remains, is the largest section. It’s also where the visitor center and a 31-site campground are located. At the visitor center, you can get oriented to the monument and plan your visit.
North of Square Tower are the “outlying” remains of Holly, Horseshoe, and Hackberry, four miles northeast; Cutthroat Castle, eight miles northeast; and Cajon, nine miles southwest. Because significant portions of roads leading to these outliers are unmaintained dirt and gravel, high-clearance vehicles are recommended.
Hiking is really the only way to see Hovenweep
Square Tower Unit offers the widest variety of hiking opportunities, including a self-guided, two-mile trail. It loops around the monument’s largest archeological site and provides both panoramic and close-up views of the canyon and well-preserved structures. Shorter hikes are possible at Square Tower including a wheelchair-accessible, 300-yard sidewalk to a viewpoint overlooking a large portion of the canyon.
Hiking is the easiest and only way to see Hovenweep’s structures, since some hiking is required from parking areas. All the trails are designed around the structures, along with sweeping views of the surrounding area and closer looks at Hovenweep’s geology and variety of plants. There are also short hikes at each outlying site ranging from a quarter-mile to 1.6-mile roundtrips. The longest is an eight-mile roundtrip hike connecting the Square Tower Unit with the Holly Unit.
Cajon Unit — Most challenging
If you include the Cajon Unit on your visit, understand it’s on the Navajo Nation nine miles south of the visitor center. Half of the road to the site is paved, about 3 miles are maintained dirt road, and the last quarter mile is unmaintained two-track, making for a challenging, “back-in-time” adventure.
Details: Hours and camping
Hovenweep is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from March 30 to August 1. The remainder of the year, the monument closes at 4 p.m. and, in winter, is also closed all day Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The seven-day entrance pass costs $20 per vehicle.
The campground has limited-development campsites for tent camping, although a few sites accommodate RVs up to 36-feet long. Tent pads, fire rings, and picnic tables with shade structures are provided. No hookups are available. The camping fee is $20 per night, and campsites are allocated on a first come/first serve basis. For information, visit the Hovenweep National Monument visitor center.
History is not a collection of disconnected events. It’s a continuum. Drought and resource depletion could well have led to factionalism and war at Hovenweep and then to even more migration. In the Four Corners region, you can study the flow of humanity that ultimately ended up in pueblos along the Rio Grande and its tributaries. It’s a history that continues to this day.
