Ancient Ruins Guide to the Four Corners
Exploring the civilizations of the past
Ancient ruins near Durango offer a glimpse of what the Four Corners region looked like long before it transformed into the modern landscape we know and love today. Centuries worth of history remain standing in various states of disrepair, which offers an exciting opportunity to learn about cultures that thrived before us. During your vacation, consider adding a tour of these ancient ruins near Durango to your itinerary.
Mesa Verde National Park
In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt established Mesa Verde National Park as the first park dedicated to preserving the works of man. At Mesa Verde, you’ll find over 600 preserved cliff dwellings that were inhabited by the Ancestral Puebloans around 1,400 years ago. A tour of the cliff dwellings includes living areas marked with murals and handprints and even ceremonial spaces.
Mesa Verde National Park
Canyons of the Ancients
Spanning over 176,000 acres, the Canyons of the Ancients continues to preserve over 6,000 archaeological sites. The national monument in Cortez, CO, surrounds three of the four sections of the Hovenweep National Monument. Allow expert guides to take you on a guided tour around multiple heritage sites, where you’ll also come across the unique geology, vegetation and wildlife that characterize the region.
Canyons Of The Ancients
Hovenweep National Monument
The Hovenweep National Monument includes six prehistoric villages that housed the Ancestral Puebloans for nearly 700 years. You’ll discover towers in shapes such as squares, circles, ovals and unique d-shapes. One village sits perched atop a boulder, and another includes slots and doors that suggest they served as an ancient solar calendar.
Hovenweep National Monument
Trail of the Ancients
Travel through time from the ease of your car on the scenic Trail of the Ancients. A 9-hour, 480-mile-long byway takes you through multiple cultural sites that represent the history of early Puebloans, Navajo and Utes. Along this trail, you can spend as much time as you like at iconic ruin locations like Mesa Verde and the Ute Mountain Tribal Park.
Trail of the Ancients
Chimney Rock National Monument
Prehistoric Sites
Encounter even more rich history with our list of prehistoric sites in the Southwest Colorado area. While enjoying the natural beauty of the San Juan National Forest, you can travel unchanged primitive paths that have existed for over 1,000 years at Chimney Rock National Monument, or observe a stretch of rocks that date back to the Jurassic Period at Dry Mesa Dinosaur Quarry.
Prehistoric Sites
Ancestral Puebloans
With much of Southwest Colorados history revolving around the Ancestral Puebloans, knowing a bit more about their culture makes discovering the ruins even more exciting. These artists and archaeologists crafted intricate pottery with various textures, colors and designs. You can even find sandstone carvings that suggest the Puebloans were also skilled astronomers.
Ancestral Puebloans
Colorado Ruins
If you’re interested in touring Colorado ruins that once housed earlier generations of people, they can be found all across the Southwest region. Cliff Palace and Long House in Mesa Verde National Park each include around 150 rooms that may have been used to house Ancestral Puebloans. Centuries after the Puebloans disappearance, Animas Forks was once a prosperous mining-turned-ghost town after a fire.
Colorado Ruins
Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park
Colorado National Parks
You will find four beautifully unique national parks in the state of Colorado. Enjoy over 300 miles of hiking trails in the Rocky Mountain National Park, along with 30-square miles worth of sand dunes in Great Sand Dunes National Park. Discover centuries worth of preserved historical sites at Mesa Verde National Park, and traverse the Steep Black Canyon of the Gunnison that was formed 2 million years ago.
Colorado National ParksExploring ancient ruins near Durango promises an exciting adventure and opportunity to learn more about our local history. Discover more about Durango’s rich history and the top places for history buffs to visit as you plan your trip.