Week 40: the one where we followed the trail of the ancients.
From Colorado to Utah and back again!
Hello, hello! How the heck is it March? And how is my three week artist residency at Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (CANM) in Colorado already over? That went by way too fast! (If you missed them, you can check out my residency posts here, here and here.)
Monday started out sunny and warm, but then right as we started packing up to leave a cold wind blew in and it started snowing! Of course, right?
When we turned in the keys to the house where we’d been parked we talked to the rangers about our plans to go dispersed camping near South Sand Canyon Trailhead in CANM — and they all advised against it due to the storm — so we decided to drive about an hour away to the campground at Hovenweep National Monument in Utah to be safe.
But first we headed into Cortez to get some supplies…
Fan Girl Moment
I had a bit of a fan girl moment when we stopped at Walmart in Cortez — the same one that Kara and Nate went to on their bike trip across America. I rewatched that part of the video, and it turns out that when we stopped to get lunch we were actually parked one spot down from where they did. What a small world!
Backing up a bit, watching Kara and Nate really helped get us through our van build and the pandemic — so many things went wrong during our build and we had so many delays due to supply chain issues. Their videos really helped to keep our spirits up.
I highly recommend watching their van life series!
As we headed to Hovenweep the weather cleared up, thankfully.
Hovenweep National Monument
We made it to Hovenweep National Monument in Utah without incident, whew! It snowed some more that night, but by the time we woke up on Tuesday it had mostly melted.
We hiked the Square Tower Group Trail right from our camp spot — there are so many amazing ancient structures built along both sides of a canyon, all with views of Sleeping Ute Mountain.
From the park website:
Human habitation at Hovenweep dates to over 10,000 years ago when nomadic Paleoindians visited the Cajon Mesa to gather food and hunt game. These people used the area for centuries, following the seasonal weather patterns. 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. By the late 1200s, the Hovenweep area was home to over 2,500 people.
It’s hard to describe the feeling we got walking in the footsteps of the Ancient Puebloans. It’s a mix of awe, respect, and wonder all at once. And recognizing that we’re on sacred ground.
I hope these photos can do justice:
I was filled with peace and gratitude as I hiked.
I really hope this special place will stay preserved forever. (If you haven’t been following the news, many public lands are threatened with mining, drilling, and logging. Hovenweep is on their list for oil drilling. I won’t say more because I want to keep this post positive, but it’s really got me down. Even if the pueblos stay safe, the noise and smell of drilling and pumps will change the whole feeling of this special place.)
I took a moment to do a quick sketch, and even though it’s pretty wonky I’m glad I had the chance to get Hovenweep in my brush.
Painted Hand Pueblo
Wednesday we headed back to Painted Hand Pueblo in CANM to dispersed camp — finally!
When Ranger Amala was giving us an orientation tour the first week of my residency she showed us two dispersed campsites, both with views of Painted Hand Pueblo. Little did I know that with the winter storm it would be 3 weeks until we could get here!
Photos don’t do the camp spot justice, so I had to do a little video. See if you can spot the van at the beginning in the upper left corner, than watch as it sweeps down the canyon to Painted Hand Pueblo and over to Sleeping Ute Mountain:
Since Painted Hand Pueblo was so close by we hiked there twice — I felt so lucky and grateful to be able to camp near this special place.
Here’s a zoomed in view of Painted Hand Pueblo from camp:
And here it is up close:
We each spotted a pottery shard while we were hiking — it is such an incredible feeling to be able to hold a small piece of history in your hand. We carefully returned each shard to where we found it, of course. Note: do not pile pottery shards on rocks, and of course do not take them home with you!
This view of Sleeping Ute Mountain from camp never got old. And see that sagebrush area to the left? We hiked through that on the field day with the CANM archeologist.
It’s such a special feeling to see where we’d been, and think about those who had been here before us.
Another Winter Storm!
Thursday brought another winter storm with high winds and whiteout conditions.
Some gusts were so strong they shook the van!
Here was my view out the van window:
We stayed warm and cozy in the van — so glad we weren’t in a tent!
Cutthroat Castle, Hovenweep
The trailhead to Cutthroat Castle, another unit of Hovenweep National Monument, was about a half mile from camp so of course we had to hike it.
According to the park website:
Cutthroat Castle is Hovenweep’s most northern outlier site. It is also the only pueblo in Hovenweep built in and along the sides of a canyon’s drainage rather than along the canyon rim.
Nestled among the pinyon-juniper forest, and with the canyon walls rising protectively around it, Cutthroat Castle has a more intimate and secluded feel. A primitive trail winds through this beautiful scenery and offers an adventurous hike with sweeping views of the surrounding area.
Seeing all of these pueblos so close together, yet managed as different park units really hits home how artificial park boundaries are — not to mention state boundaries.
They’re all connected.
Sand Canyon, CANM
Sunday we left our Painted Hand home and headed for South Sand Canyon at last. I was really eager to hike the trail since I’d read so much about it.
A mile into the hike is Saddlehorn Pueblo — it’s so picturesque that I couldn’t stop taking photos:
I just love these colors.
There was a view of Sleeping Ute Mountain right across from the pueblo:
Another mile down the trail was Corncob House:
And then not far after was Double Cliff House:
We wanted to keep hiking but it was getting late and I was worried about finding a camp spot for the night, so we sadly headed back.
Can’t wait to hike this the whole way!
I’m happy to report that we were indeed able to find a dispersed camp spot — back in CANM again — and with a view of Sleeping Ute Mountain to boot. Doesn’t get much better than this.
We don’t know where we’re headed after this — for now I’m going to paint, and Jason is going to rest up. It was in the 60’s today, but looks like we have another round of snow in the forecast for later this week. We’ll see what happens!
That’s it for this week — as always, thanks for joining us on this journey! — Lisa, Jason, & Walter-the-Van
Another great write-up Lisa!
I've been learning so much about America from your emails. I knew very little before I started reading your adventures (I'm in Australia). I always love the photos, but they're even better on my new tablet!
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You’re not too far from Valley of the Gods, the Moki Dugway, and Muley Point which were all awesome when we visited them last spring. We boondock camped here near Muley Point and the view was stunning! (37.2566244, -109.9707684)