Ancestral Puebloan stone towers and one of the darkest skies in North America.
Hovenweep National Monument protects six clusters of 700-year-old Puebloan stone towers perched on canyon rims. The campground is tiny — 31 sites — and the night sky is rated Bortle 2, among the darkest in the country.
Why it's special
Walking among intact ancient architecture by day and watching the Milky Way pour overhead by night, with no light pollution from horizon to horizon.
Best time to go
April–May and September–October.
Getting there
Remote — 40+ miles from any town. Easiest from Cortez, CO, on McElmo Canyon Road.
Know before you go
- Campground is $20/night, first-come; 31 sites, big rigs to 36 ft fit in some.
- No hookups, vault toilets, no water for RV fills.
- Cell service: don't count on it.
- Bring binoculars or a telescope.
Pro tips from boondockers
- Walk the Little Ruin Canyon trail at sunset — the tower light is unreal.
- Ranger-led night sky programs run May–October.
- Combine with Mesa Verde, an hour east.
- Top off water and propane in Cortez.
Combine with
Mesa Verde, Canyons of the Ancients, Bears Ears.