Hovenweep Towers in Little Ruin Canyon

The Little Ruin Canyon Trail is a 2 mile loop mostly along the rim of a small canyon that visits at least 10 centuries old Ancestral Pueblo Ruins sites that show a variety of building shapes. The trailhead is located at the Headquarters of Hovenweep National Monument along the remote southern Utah-Colorado border.

The sign near the Headquarters also calls this the Square Tower Trail. Among the interesting details of the Little Ruin Canyon group is the placement of the doors and windows.

Besides the Little Ruins Trail there are four outlying sites with trails in the vicinity of the Hovenweep headquarters and numerous other un-publicized sites that are part of the surrounding Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.

Following the trail counter clockwise, the Stronghold House is named for its fortress like structure. The stone blocks are thought to be very well shaped. Stronghold House has more details visible when viewed from across the canyon.

The Eroded Boulder House uses both the inside of a boulder below the rim and also has some remains on top. Binoculars are handy for viewing the Eroded Boulder. If you visit more of the sites in the area, you will see other examples of structures perched on boulders. The Holly Ruins Group, about 4 miles north has several structures perched on boulders.

The Unit Type House is an example of a basic unit of living rooms, storage rooms and a circular Kiva. The larger pueblos repeat this unit into a larger collection of structures.

The porthole openings on the east side of Unit Type House may have been used as a Skywatcher observation point. This is also an example of a doorway that is placed in a difficult location, over a drop-off.

There are two heads to the Little Ruin Canyon. Between the heads a trail leads out to Tower Point where a tower sits with a commanding view of the canyon and Sleeping Ute Mountain to the east. The alcove areas below Tower Point were used for storage of corn, beans, and squash. There the remnants of an unnamed tower visible just below Tower Point.

Hovenweep Castle has two D-shaped towers and appears to be the largest in the area.  There is a lot of speculation as to why towers were built. Some of the possibilities are celestial observation, ceremonial, defense, storage and communication with the other towers. There is a lot of rubble below the Hovenweep Castle indicating that there was a lot more here than we see now.

Hovenweep Castle has an upper story T-shaped doorway that is visible from both the east and west sides.

Hovenweep House was the center of one of the largest villages in this group. There is a lot of rubble in this area. This structure has survived due to a good foundation while the other structures have crumbled.

The Hovenweep Castle and Hovenweep House overlook the Square Tower down in the relatively lush canyon bottom. The Square Tower has a slight twist as it rises above the creek bottom. From the south rim, a T-shaped doorway is visible. The spring that supported the community is down in the canyon in this area.

Rim Rock House is not thought to be a residence structure. The trail guide has a discussion of why are there so many peepholes in these structures. A practical use might be ventilation and light, but these aren’t seen at other sites around the region. Below Rim Rock House the Round Tower is visible.

The Twin Towers had 16 rooms with one tower oval and the other horseshoe shaped. These are thought to be two of the most carefully constructed structures in the Southwest.

In the distance to the left is another view of Tower Point. The east tower has another example of a doorway in a precarious location.

The west tower has both a lower and upper story doorway. At the open end of the canyon the trail dips steeply down to the floor and then returns to the rim. It takes 1:00 hour or more to walk this rich trail.

Ancient Skywatchers at Hovenweep Castle

The Little Ruins Canyon Trail is a 2.0 mile loop at Hovenweep National Monument on the south Utah-Colorado border. The trail visits at least 10 ruins structures built by Ancestral Pueblo People who lived here until about 1300 AD.

The trail begins a short distance from the visitor center and follows around the rim of this east and west lying canyon, dipping into and crossing the canyon at the east end. The Hovenweep Castle is near the west end at the southern most of the two canyon heads.

The trail guide says there are two D shaped towers. The terrain on the canyon rim is very dry, with sage brush and a few scattered Utah Juniper trees. The stonework at the Hovenweep sites is considered to be very good and to show a variety of styles and shapes.

These structures have some T-shaped doorways, a feature seen on many of the Ancestral Pueblo sites all around the region, including at Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon. Some of the smaller holes are thought to be related to observations of the sun.

The port holes that are thought to be related to sky watching are on the first story of the west side. The port hole to the right of the west side is thought to be related to the setting sun summer solstice and the port hole around the corner to the right relates to the winter solstice.

The interior of Hovenweep Castle is closed, so visitors can’t observe the beams of light themselves.

Many of the Hovenweep structures have portholes so the solar observations seem like they must have been noticed after construction.

Unit Type House on the north rim also has some portholes on the east side that catch the rising sun rays on the solstices.

Below the canyon rim where Hovenweep Castle sits is the Square Tower. The area at the canyon bottom is greener due to the seep springs and has plants, like the large Hackberry trees, that are not growing on the canyon rim.

The Square Tower shows a slight spiral, twisting slightly in a clockwise direction. The trail guide indicates that the spiral shape was for added strength or aesthetics. The guide also says there is a circular kiva associated with the tower. The location of the Square Tower near the spring may be to protect it. This practice of protecting the water resources appears to be common at the Hovenweep sites.

Road to Cutthroat Castle Pueblo

The normal route to the Cutthroat Castle Ruins group at Hovenweep National Monument is along the same road that leads to the Painted Hand Pueblo Trail of the Canyons of the Ancients. The upper trailhead is about 0.5 miles past Painted Hand on the bumpy road. From the upper trailhead it is 0.8 miles to the site.

This area is about 10 miles north of the Hovenweep Headquarters on County Road 10 in southwest Colorado near the Utah border.

For hikers, there is an alternate route with less driving. About 1 mile south of the turnoff for the Painted Hand Pueblo is a dirt road marked 4531. This road leads east through a Pinon Pine and Juniper forest and crosses two small washes. Climbing above the second small wash there is a small sign that says Cutthroat pointing south.

Following this route you arrive at the lower trailhead for the Cutthroat Castle site. It is only 0.1 mile to the pueblo which is located on a curve of Cutthroat Gulch. There are cottonwood trees growing here and perhaps permanent water in the sandy wash below.

The structures are arrayed on both sides of the small wash and a short trail leads around through the forest giving views from all angles.

The tall walls seem to make parallel curves. I didn't notice any rock art or pottery shards at this site.

The trail to the upper trail head has a good view angle into the parallel walls on the north side of the main structures.

Walking south along the canyon rim there are good views of the overall site looking north. Looking south from the same area, I didn't see any other structures.

This site is thought to have four towers, three round and one square and the towers seem to be paired with kivas. These towers don’t appear to have a line of sight to other towers.

If you arrived on foot along the rough road you can continue on the trail to the Upper Trailhead. The upper trail head trail follows a small wash and climbs to the north back toward road 4531, crossing it and going to a parking area that gives good views of the surrounding countryside.

The road from the upper trail head continues over to the Painted Hand pueblo. It would be possible to continue to hike to Painted Hand or to hike from there to Cutthroat Castle. I enjoyed the views from the upper trailhead then returned back to the main road, for a total hike of 1:40.

The second time that I hiked to Cutthroat Castle I made more effort scanning the nearby canyon rims but didn't notice any other ruins sites along the way. The second hike was in late December on a 45 F degree day. This hike is feasible in winter if there isn't much snow. The start point I used is next to the paved road. I spent 2:30 hours on the second hike.

Goodman Point Pueblo and Goodman Lake

The Goodman Point Ruins Group of Hovenweep National Monument is a mostly unpublicized site in the vicinity of the north end of the Sand Canyon Trail in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. 

Goodman Point was the first site in the country to receive protection, withdrawn from homesteading in 1889. In 1951 it was added to Hovenweep National Monument, though the other Hovenweep sites are many miles to the west.

The site has a good sign but it is down the trail and not visible to those driving by. There are hints that there might be something here. In summer, there may be portable rest rooms that don't have an apparent reason for being there.

There are two entrances through the fence into the site along County Road P between Roads 17 and 18 northwest of Cortez in southwest Colorado. The site fence has some tiny NPS signs that are also a clue that there is something here. In 2012 a small parking area has been constructed next to the east entrance, making this entrance more obvious.

The Goodman Point Unit consists of 42 different sites. In April 2006, Crow Canyon Archaeological Center began a six year project to examine these sites. The easiest site to view is the main pueblo site on the east side of the unit.

In 2008 many of the rubble piles had trenches cut into them, string lines placed, sandstone bricks neatly stacked and piles of excavated soil resting on plastic sheeting. The trenches were all covered with custom fitted doors, but in spring 2011 this activity appeared to be mostly finished.

Entering at the east entrance and following the trail to the head of the canyon, there are two short trails on each side of the drainage leading to the numerous rubble pile sites.

.In the drainage area there is the Juarez spring that is thought to yield 2800 gallons per day, enough water for the 500-800 residents thought to have lived here. The environment here is Pinon Pine and Juniper forest with sage brush mixed in. 

There are very large rubble piles on both sides of the trail. The short brochure has a map of the site showing the locations of towers, kivas, and the village enclosing walls. I didn't see any intact wall sections but the amount of rubble is enormous. Goodman Point Pueblo seems to have a high number of Kivas, maybe more than 100 for the 500-800 residents.

Along with the Sand Canyon Pueblo, this is one of the largest pueblo sites in the area, and it is interesting that Sand Canyon and Goodman Canyon are adjacent. The site enclosing walls are reasonably easy to pick out, long and low structures on the east end and also along the north side.

The site map shows a great kiva on the south side of the canyon. Although the rubble piles are confusing for amateurs, there is a large circular area with a depression in the center that is reasonably recognizable. I walked around this large area for about 2:00 hours on a 44 F degree late March day.


Goodman Lake Hike

Goodman Lake is thought to be an Ancestral Pueblo reservoir and it is associated with the Goodman Point Pueblo. It is about 0.5 miles to the south but the direct route from the Pueblo is blocked by a strip of private land.

On the east boundary of the Goodman Point Unit of Hovenweep Monument there is a 0.5 mile strip of Canyons of the Ancients Monument. This strip of Ancients allows for a hiking route around the private property.

I followed the trail that is on the north side of the Goodman Point Pueblo to the east side fence and then followed the fence line south. On the south side of the private property I continued west while staying close to the fence. There is a minor drainage to cross. After crossing, there is a large sandstone outcrop with a berm at the east end. Recent historic ranchers may have dredged and enlarged the existing ancient reservoir.

It took me about 0:45 minutes to arrive at the reservoir from the east end of the Goodman Point Pueblo. It is thought that Ancestral Pueblo farmers used this reservoir in the centuries before the construction of the main pueblo. There is also water in this area from the small Mona spring but I didn't see where it is located. During my late October visit the reservoir was dry.




                                                                                                                

Little Ruin Canyon Trail in Fall

The Little Ruin Canyon Trail is located at the Visitor Center of Hovenweep National Monument along the south Utah and Colorado border. The 2 mile loop visits at least 10 Ancestral Pueblo Ruins sites, mostly perched along the canyon rims.

Little Ruins Canyon appears to be dryer and more desert like than most of the surrounding Canyons of the Ancients area. The mesa top area is mostly Sagebrush, Mormon Tea, Cliff Rose, Prickly Pear Cactus, with a few scattered Utah Juniper trees. These plants are identified with small signs on the trail segment close to the Visitor Center. The canyons only a few miles further north are much thicker Pinon Pine and Juniper forest. Most of these plants retain some green color into the fall and winter seasons.

The trail here at the Hovenweep Visitor Center provides more ruin site viewing in a short distance than most trails in the region. The nearby Sand Canyon Trail has many small sites and Chaco Canyon in northwest New Mexico has very large sites. Sun Point at Mesa Verde has many sites visible from one view point.

Following the loop trail clockwise, there is an 80 foot descent into the canyon and a climb out the other side. The canyon interior is closed except for special tours. Several of the ruins sites can be viewed from this low angle including Stronghold House, the Twin Towers and Eroded Boulder House. Climb a little higher and Point Tower, Unit Type House, and Rim Rock House are visible. The canyon bottom has thicker vegetation than the canyon rim area, with some Rabbitbrush visible. The canyon head area has some Hackberry Trees.

The upper end of the south fork of the canyon head has some of the largest and most impressive of the Hovenweep Towers. Hovenweep Castle across the canyon head is the largest and most impressive. The Square Tower down below the rim is the most mysterious and seems to have been build with slight spiral. It overlooks the spring that provided water for the overall site.
 

There are a few small structures that aren’t pointed out. From the Tower Point loop segment looking north there are some small storage structures in the shallow alcoves under the rim. In fall, these small storage areas were probably stocked with the produce of the summer season.
 

Another unnamed ruins structure is at the point where the trail begins to descend into and cross the small canyon. This unnamed site would be a major find along the wild canyons of Canyons of the Ancients but is easily ignored here. Looking east, there is a view toward Sleeping Ute Mountain. 

The Holly Trail leads from the campground 4 miles north to the Holly Ruins Group, the nearest outlying site of Hovenweep. The Little Ruins Canyon Trail takes 1 or 2 hours depending on how long you linger at each site. I hiked in mid November on a sunny 45 F degree day and there were about 10 other vehicles at the visitor center during my visit.