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Hovenweep
National Monument 
Stronghold House, which is part of the
Square Tower Group. (NPS photo by Neal Herbert)
Hovenweep National Monument protects five
prehistoric, Puebloan-era villages spread over a twenty-mile expanse of
mesa tops and canyons along the Utah-Colorado border. The multi-story
towers perched on canyon rims and balanced on boulders lead visitors to
marvel at the skill and motivation of their builders.
Hovenweep is noted for its solitude and
undeveloped, natural character. The Square Tower Group is the primary
contact facility with a visitor center, campground and interpretive trail.
Outlying groups include Holly, Horseshoe, Hackberry, Cutthroat Castle and
Cajon. Land surrounding Hovenweep belongs to the Navajo Nation, Bureau of
Land Management, State of Utah and private landowners.
Human habitation at Hovenweep dates back
over 10,000 years ago when nomadic Paleoindians visited the Cajon Mesa to
gather food and hunt game. These people continued to use the mesa 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.
The first historic reports
of the abandoned structures at Hovenweep were made by W.D. Huntington, the
leader of a Mormon expedition into southeast Utah in 1854. The name "Hovenweep"
is a Paiute/Ute word meaning "Deserted Valley" which was adopted
by pioneer photographer William Henry Jackson in 1874. In 1917-18, J.W.
Fewkes of the Smithsonian Institution surveyed the area and recommended
the structures be protected. On March 2, 1923, President Warren G. Harding
proclaimed Hovenweep a unit of the National Park System.
Activities in the park include short hikes,
natural quiet and some of the finest examples of ancestral Puebloan
architecture in the southwest. The trail system provides access to each of
the cultural site units. All units are open to the public but most are in
remote locations and can be difficult to reach. The Square Tower Group is
an ideal place to begin your exploration of Hovenweep. Stop by the visitor
center, attend an interpretive program, and be sure to hike all or part of
the two-mile self-guiding trail around Little Ruin Canyon. Camping
is on a first come first serve basis. For more information on camping click
here. For more information on
Hovenweep National Monument click
here.
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