This Monument covers a huge area, the visitors center and museum is closed currently but there is a short trail to Escalante Pueblo there. Lowry Pueblo is a short drive from there and has a huge Kiva and some interesting walls. My favorite spot was Painted Hand Pueblo. You should check out Hovenweep and if you want to get an idea of what things look like without rebuilding them, check out Sand Canyon Pueblo. You can drive to it versus the 6 mile one way hike.

I went for the short walk around the pueblo walls, and nice scenery. There is a bigger six mile trail I didnt try, but it is probably quite scenic. Dispersed camping was a nice bonus for me.

An amazing and beautiful expanse. My wife and I were RVing across the county and chose Canyons of the Ancients for a hike with our dog.We enjoyed a moderate to strenuous hike with beauty and amazement all around.Take your digital camera and just start clicking...... You CANT take a bad picture lol!!!!! ️There are trails and walking, running, biking are available on the trails.Spectacular views from every part of the park.We highly recommend you visit.

What a wonderfully sacred place to be. Gorgeous views an ancient energy. A place where the origins of all our people started.

An amazing place to bike, hike and explore. Make sure to get an early start to beat the heat and the afternoon thunderstorms.

Excelled viewMinimal people/ noiseEasy road for any type vehicleNo water, electricity, or restroomsPurely off grid camping.

Amazing Ancestral Puebloan Ruins, most in their natural state, with fewer people than Mesa Verde! Its also dog friendly, which is a bonus!

Free range less restricted more adventurous feeling than your average monument park. We hike the painted hand trail to the tower and petroglyphs. It was a very easy hike to the view point. From there its down a slightly challenging bluff for the kids. Overall great experience.

Very enjoyable visit. The trails are well marked and the ruins are plentiful.

It was outdoors and quite and no hazmat breathing our toxic exhaust fumes.So Im breathing better out here

We LOVED boondocking here with our rv. So quiet and peaceful.

Great place. Not too touristy, usually quiet, friendly. Rangers are very nice and helpful. If you spend 2+ hours here youd visit amazing ancient sites and you get a glimpse on how life was centuries ago.

Love these trails. Up high on the Mesa, mountain or around it, it is beautiful. Dog friendly, be sure to bring lots and lots of water! Ruins are pretty awesome. No bathrooms so bring a small shovel. Paths are marked pretty clear. Views or spur trails has fun surprises.

Stop by the Anasazi Heritage Center near Dolores, CO to get maps and information about the ruins available to drive to within Canyons of the Ancients. Sand Canyon ruins are worth seeing, but be aware - they are not excavated and covered with vegetation. (Real ruins - go figure. . . ) Lowry Ruins is also worth seeing and it has been excavated and stabilized. Lower Sand Canyon trail has small ruins and scenic vistas along various trails. Truly breathtaking views everywhere!

Awesome, see things built long before white people messed up

Always a suprise,surprise, beautiful !!

This is BLM land and free to use for the public. If you enjoy being outside and hiking or mountain biking this is a great place to stop. Beautiful canyons and mesas. Some cliffs dwellings along the hiking trails, and a great mix of both short and easy and long and strenuous hikes.

Amazing views fairly simple hiking to viewpoints.

Roads are bad, more of a trail. Came up on just one set of ruins. Took us abt 2 1/2 hours to come back on a better gravel road.

Fun time camping and hiking canyons of the ancient

This is a great option for an intermediate hike. Its not difficult per se, but it might challenge beginner hikers. Regardless, its a beautiful place with magical ruins to explore. I highly recommend it.

Great mountain biking, hiking and views. You will burn your battery out taking photos! Have fun!

This place is super accessible, no fees from the entrance I used. They allow bikes which I appreciate and several hikers approached to chat, did not expect such friendliness so I think they were mostly locals. I grew up near Bandelier and have been to most ruins in New Mexico and four corners area. They each have their special elements but the landscape and ruins here were uniquely in tact, surreal and scenic. Not crowded or managed at all when I was there, truly felt among the ancients.

Went to the Northern Trailhead of Sand Canyon Trail. (Sand Canyon Pueblo) Explored the ruins with fascinating at the sheer size of the village. Highly recommend as the main ruins are simply 100 yards from the parking lot. Amazing...

The museum had a lot of facts very informative. The 100 mile trip around the Land of the Ancients was long and hot. So many of the wonderful things to see now that we are retired are inaccessible to us. We have the time and money but cant hike back to these sites. Would have liked a way to have reserved a tour so we and others like us could see these sites. That would also bring in more revenue for the park. We need to do more for the seniors that have supported our National Parks for years.

This was a pretty good place to stop off amd see ruins. The only thing is the site is covered by a metal canopy, which is kind of a bummer.

Feel like you are lost trying get there. Monument area is very nice. Good trail, well marked. You can get up close and personal with the ruins.

The NPS Guides are helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly. We really enjoyed the Visitors Center Learning more about the land, how they are preserving, and more about the local culture.We opted for a 6 mile hike which was not strenuous. There was only 1 other couple out - and so it is important to remember there are lots of miles between you & help, take lots of water!

Good hiking trails to see ruins and great scenery.

Awesome pawesome time

Lots of archeology sites. Wonderful to visit. Bring lots of water and wear hiking boots. A walking stick isnt a bad idea either. Video in thr visitors center about it. Stations to refill water bottles are there too.

This was a fun place to explore in solitude. Some ruins are a little hard to get to but all were well marked and short walks.

Great day hiking trails!

Uncrowded, but filled with thousands of archeological sites.

Another beautiful national monument. Solitude and a wealth of ruins.

Fun easy trail to see ancient ruins.

This place is amazing. You can just hike around and find ancient ruins and broken pottery hundreds of years old. I recommend talking to a ranger at the Mesa Verde National park and asking how to identify pottery shards before you go. It makes it more fun when you can find remnants of the ancient people who lived in these majestic valleys.

I would recommend ATVs for finding something worth while here. There are some spots that are expanded from Hovenweep in here too.

Beautiful, very few people.

A beautiful place to hike and look at ruins. Please stay on the trails! Keep this place as it is so future generations can also enjoy it..

Totally AMAZING to see all the remaining ruins! So many different places to see. Need to go back again to see the things we missed the first time. I HIGHLY recommend checking this place out!

Undeveloped Natl Monument managed by the BLM. Absolutely stop by the Anasazi Heritage Center before visiting any of the sites. Its definitely a hidden gem!

Plenty of hiking to do. Your best best is to do it in the morjing when the weather is cooler. Take plenty of water when doing this in the summer. Kid friendly, they will enjoy doing some real hiking.

Wow! Be ready to hike or bike or horseback. Worth every step.

Had the place to ourselves. Did not see one person during 3 hour hike to ancient dwellings. Awesome

Archeological observations

Biked the 2 loops clockwise. It was pretty techy but a lot of fun.

Closed all of our roads down. All the roads that used to go down into thoughs canyons in Yellow Jacket got closed.

My husband and I camped for 5 days and 4 nights. It was magical. We will make it a yearly trip.

This is such a magical place. You can feel the history here.

Great little museum. Has loads of information about how the ancient Puebloans of the 4 Corners region lived. The staff is knowledgeable with good ideas for other places to see.

Just perfect trails, nice signage and amazing views of ancient dwellings

Dont go here. Stay away. This place is so remarkable we want it all to ourselves.

Great hiking

Great place for free camping if you know the right spots

I live on its border in McElmo canyon

Awesome place to enjoy the natural place and do some trackings

So ancient you dont even know who your North American ancestors are. Predates the Spanish Conquistadors but for some reason only lasted abt 150 years before the final igration. Hmmm???

Several trails to hike, well marked trails for the most part, the Indian ruins are amazing! Great for the family, individual or group hikes.. Take water & a jacket, weather can change quickly..

The entire region around Canyon of the Ancients is majestic. Yes, its a wonderful place to hike, bike, and ride a horse, but its more than that. If you pause and listen you can hear history whispering. It can be a spiritual experience it is so intense. If you take the time to truly appreciate the splendor you will be forever changed.

Great fun for the family and a fantastic hiking work out.

Beautiful scenery very informative of the ancient peoples of the area

We were staying about an hour from here on our honeymoon. On our last day the hosts of our air bnb recommend this place. Wished we had found it sooner this was right up our alley. Very cool place to see nice short hikes to see some very cool ruins and cave dwellings a must see!

A remote and interesting place to visit if you are in the area.

Magical

DONT GO! There are no paved roads to get to the location. It is dedicated land but no facilities there. Restricted area. Please dont drive for a hour on uncharted roads to find the restricted signs like we did.

Super cool!pre puebloans culture.

You’re late for the party, it started 1000 years ago

Magic! Beauty, mystery, ancient civilization ... Our Roman / European world view is only part of the true story of humans on Earth. Open your eyes and ears.

A must see!

Pretty good ..a nice drive relaxing just turn up the radio n Cruz

There are several sites with ancient Pueblo ruins here. Some have been partially reconstructed, but Sand Ruin has not, nor has it been excavated. This offers a unique experience of trying to pick out the ruins (you get the hang of it pretty quickly) in the landscape. There are marked trails and informative signs to help explain what you see.There are other ruins that are also fascinating. The visitors center for this park is the Anasazi Heritage Center, which is actually in Dolores, CO (about 30 miles away), and it is also worth visiting.

Beautiful place to visit. Stop and enjoy the scenery.

Easily accessible and extensive! No fees! Adequate explanatory information on placques throughput the site. A good choice for Anasazi ruins!

A beautiful place with a remarkable story.

Always love hiking in Canyon of the Ancients & today was a beautiful Spring day! A little sad to see so many dead & dying Pinon trees. Those beetles are really still taking a toll on the trees. Climate changes effects very noticable. New parking area under construction & looking like it should help since the canyon has become so popular. Also nice ti see some people are being consciencous to use dog poopie bags, but please remember to pack them out too, thanks! Beautiful day in the canyon!

Great place to camp

I love hiking this place.

I give this place 5 stars specifically because its undeveloped and nearly unexplored. What an amazing spot to be by yourself and sit in ruins that have hardly been touched for a thousand years. Check out the Painted Hand house for the easiest access, walk around and be amazed. Bring water!

Its so awesome to visit it

The energy surrounding this area is Amazing! Remember this is our history. Follow signs, rules and respect the Ancients

Did the Sand Canyon hike from the Southern end. Beautiful, though you need to be into desert, rocky landscape. Many small Indian ruins, but they were just the icing on the cake for me. The Visitor Center is also worth a stop for orientation. Staff were very friendly and informative.

An amazing place to go hiking and camping. The scenery is perfect. Take the opportunity to hike the ruins at Hovenweep also you wont be disappointed!

This was fantastic! We had a blast! The area is beautiful and we had the ruin areas to ourselves. Lowery Ruin was a real delight after touring with the crowds at Mesa Verde.The surrounding farmlands are also beautiful. And the night sky is to die for.Be sure to stop at the Anasazi Heritage Center [museum] in Delores before you go into this monument. They were so helpful and showed us the best hikes for our ability. Plus the museum is fabulous.There is no doubt we will visit this area again and again.

Very nice hike.

Stayed for a week right next to the Canyon of the Ancients. It wasnt nearly enough time. Fantastic place, this is an area where the term Awesome really does fit and is not an exaggeration. You can spend days, weeks, probably even years wandering the canyons, trails, and dry washes and still not see the entirety of this place. I have been all over the US, and have spent time wandering forests, deserts, beaches & mountains of this great Country; Canyons of the Ancients is the standout for me. Something about the history, terrain, and general feel of the place is magical for me and my family. We plan on spending many, many more vacations wandering this beautiful National Monument.

Three well maintained trails offer a day of enjoyment. Starting off is a little rough but soon makes way to easy going trails with some challenges. Take your dogs, take your kids and have a blast.

Important Ancient Pueblo stone dwellings, not always a paved path to dwellings, great Visitor Center.

A bit disappointing as at the north entrance to Sand Canyon trail (6.5 miles), the discovered ruins have been covered up to preserve them. So we drove 22 miles around to get to the south entrance only to find that the ruins were 3.5 miles uphill on the trail. Trails denoting where the ruins where to be found were non-existent and no one at the visitors center clued us in. So we hiked 2.5 miles before turning around and saw nothing.

Stopped at the Hovenweep National Monument, gorgeous and insightful! Most of the road encircling canyons of the ancients is fields, so be sure to check out the hiking paths to get the full experience.

Last 3 miles to the site is via a gravel road. The road is in very good condition. The site is a self guided tour with information plaques. If you enjoy history this place is for you.

Breathtakingly gorgeous

Very cool site. Very immersive.

I LOVE THIS PLACE! Visited Canyons of the Ancients National Monument and Mesa Verde National Park at the end of August. It was nice and cool. There was a thunderstorm one night which was cooling since we were camping in the San Juan forest 30 miles away in Dolores, CO.Highly recommend you stop by the visitor center first, which is 30+ miles away from the actual entrance to the park. You can talk with the park rangers, learn about the park, watch documentaries on the park and the natives who lived there, etc.After you enjoy the visitor center, head to the park itself where youll see beautiful rock scenery with small ruins. Its a humbling experience to see how much these people were able to accomplish using the resources around them. Easy hikes for you to enjoy as you visit the main sites: Lowry, Horseshoe and Hackberry to start with. It does get hot during the day so make sure you are prepared for sunny and dry conditions! Hydrate prior to going and take water (and even cold packs) with you a depending on the season.Overall, my family and I really enjoyed this park and will definitely come back again soon.Happy Travels - JT

Amazing. It is so surreal to be walking along and stumble upon a ruin. So cool! Visit with respect please.

Beautiful family friendly hikes and horseback riding.

I love this area and hike it often

Great experience lots to see. Make sure u have at least a half day to be there

Go to visitor center. Watch video..take the hikes. Clearly a hidden gem. The ruins are spectacular

I had a great hike at sand canyon! It was fun adventuring, looking at the cryptobiotic soil, and seeing native ruins!