Exploring Ancient Ruins

The American Southwest is a land of intriguing landscapes, with distinctive sandstone arches, unique rock pinnacles, numerous slot canyons and, most fascinating of all, mysterious ancient ruins.

While traveling through southeastern Utah, my husband, Mike, and I discovered the South Fork of Mule Canyon. Easy to explore, you’ll want to make time to visit the canyon, managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Once the home of Ancient Puebloans (better known as the Anasazi), the canyon contains dwellings that were occupied from about the eighth century, though the heaviest concentration of ancient peoples lived here between 1000 and 1150.

The Anasazi made the southern Colorado Plateau and the upper Rio Grande drainage their home. The area included what are now southwestern Colorado, northwestern New Mexico, northeastern Arizona, and southeastern Utah—a region we now call the “Four Corners.” But the area was different when the Anasazi lived here. Since then, people have suppressed fires, clear-cut forests, redirected water flow and allowed grazing on grasslands. The land has changed, but the ruins of the Anasazi live on.

Visitors will find two Mule Canyon ruins, both of which should be visited. The easiest one to see is just off State Highway 95, about 23 miles west of Blanding, and the other is a short distance away. Plus, neither is far from a number of other Utah attractions, including the Natural Bridges National Monument and Valley of the Gods, which should supply added impetus for visiting the area.

Underground Rooms
The open, roadside ruins stand beside paved parking. A paved path encircles some restored ruins, including a tower and a large underground room called a kiva. The long-abandoned ruins were once covered by wind-blown sediment, which actually served to protect them from complete destruction. The area was finally excavated in 1973; a year later, the National Park Service stabilized and reconstructed them, as necessary.

Today, the modern Hopi use the restored kiva for the same purpose as the Anasazi—as a ceremonial center for religious events. In addition, visitors will see ancient pit houses, the earliest dwellings of the Anasazi. A block of 12 underground rooms is thought to have provided shelter and storage for two or three families.

Surface Ruins
The aboveground dwellings are found nearby. To reach the ruins at the South Fork of Mule Canyon, drive a half-mile east on State Highway 95 and then turn north on County Road 263 (Arch Canyon). The trailhead, and limited parking, is approximately a quarter-mile up the graded road (a $2 day-hike fee for a backcountry permit is required).

From the trailhead, we walked up the juniper- and pinyon pine-blessed canyon—with an occasional lovely ponderosa pine thrown in for good measure—and just enjoyed being in the great outdoors. We moseyed up the unmaintained, but easy-to-follow trail, and were enthralled just knowing that the ruins found here have never been excavated or restored. It was like walking back to a time about 700 years ago when the Anasazi left their belongings and vanished. No one knows why the Anasazi retreated, but it’s a wonderful gift to be in a place like this and wonder.

We found the first aboveground, or surface ruin, about a mile up the trail. This is on the north side of the trail and consists of five rooms. We found some of the rooms very well preserved—the place makes for amazing photographs.

The Anasazi eventually moved from pit houses to the surface dwellings so prominent in the Southwest. These dwellings are usually found under large alcoves. The overhanging rocks protect the dwellings, thus they are still visible to today’s visitors.

Hard Life
The exploration continued as we proceeded up the canyon. As we hiked, we thought of the Anasazi and their fine basketry. We imagined dry farming as they did, raising corn and squash, and how difficult it was for these ancients who hunted with spears, gathered wild plants such as pinyon nuts, Indian rice grass, and sunflower seeds, and used flat stones and stone mallets (metates and manos) to grind both domesticated and wild seeds into flour. It was a busy life.

As we continued along, we found one or two ruins for every one of the four miles that we hiked. The trail continued, but we retreated so we’d have more time to spend at each ruin. We were happy that we’d brought our binoculars, as some of the ruins are partway up steep cliffs and are inaccessible. The binoculars gave us a bird’s-eye view of our surroundings and helped us to better see and enjoy the magnificent sites.

Though the canyon is open all year, spring and fall are the best times to visit. Summers can be quite hot and winters are often cold. Because visiting these ruins is such a special treat, visitors need to be respectful and leave everything in its place. The ancient sites in this area have been left for visitors to enjoy and explore, and travelers should heed the old adage, “Take only pictures, leave only footprints.”

For more information, contact the Bureau of Land Management’s Monticello Field Office, (435) 587-1500, www.blm.gov/utah/monticello/rec.htm.

Donna Ikenberry is a writer and photographer who lives in South Fork, Colorado.