From deep sandstone canyons and desert mesas to perennial streams and mountain tops, Cedar Mesa, Grand Gulch, Bears Ears National Monument, and other public lands in San Juan County Utah have outstanding geologic features, iconic of the southwest. Within this impressive landscape lies a compelling story of human history. A visit to the region offers a unique opportunity to visit cultural sites, including spectacular rock art sites and the remains of prehistoric family dwellings, granaries, kivas, towers, and villages. We enjoyed hiking on several trails and viewing ruins in the Cedar Mesa/Grand Gulch area. Other BLM destinations in the immediate area includes Valley of the Gods, Moki Dugway, and Muley Point which we have covered in a separate post.
Mike on Cedar Mesa
Recent Controversy over Designation
The Cedar Mesa/Grand Gulch region of the Bureau of Land Management is federally owned land which is open for public use. This area had been declared part of the Bears Ears National Monument in December 2016 by President Barack Obama. The recent (announced December 2017) significant decrease of 85% in size of Bears Ears by the Trump Administration under Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke was an unprecedented action in its scope. The difference in status (Monument vs BLM) determines allowable land uses. Bears Ears Monument was reduced to allow for oil drilling and other mineral extractions. Monument status afforded greater protections for the archeological ruins and artifacts in the region while still allowing recreational use. There are over 100,000 archaeological sites that had been protected within the monument. The Bears Ears buttes and surroundings, including Cedar Mesa/Grand Gulch, have long been held as sacred or significant by a number of the region’s Native American tribes. In their proposal to have Bears Ears designated as a national monument, the Bears Ears Intertribal Coalition (BEITC) described the 1.9 million acres on the southeastern Utah canyonlands of the Colorado Plateau as ancestral land. Bears Ears has been described as “the most significant unprotected cultural landscape in the United States”.
A kiva in the Cedar Mesa area
Current Recreational Use
Fortunately the Cedar Mesa/Grand Gulch area as BLM managed land is still open for recreational opportunities including hiking and backpacking. Car camping is allowed on the mesa top at existing camp sites along access roads. Cedar Mesa/Grand Gulch is managed as a “primitive area”, meaning that facilities such as formal campgrounds, picnic areas, etc… do not exist. There are no visitors’ centers or travel services. Visitors need to be self-reliant and have maps and good navigation skills. Trails are not always easy to follow and are often marked with cairns which may be washed away during flash floods. Practice “Leave No Trace” principles: hike, camp, and enjoy, but leave no trace of your visit.
Along Mule Canyon Trail
Cedar Mesa and Grand Gulch Plateau include some of the best backcountry spots to find and learn about rock art and ancient ruins left by the Ancestral Puebloans (formerly known as Anasazi), which thrived in the Four Corners region about a thousand years ago. The Cedar Mesa sites are located on public land where they can be visited and enjoyed with relatively few restrictions. Rangers patrol these areas but their visits to any specific spot may be infrequent. Because of these factors, it is vital that visitors police themselves. We need to view these sites and travel in these areas without causing damage. Take photos but don’t touch artifacts. In many places you can see rock structures, pieces of broken pottery, grindstones, rock art images and other artifacts. The greatest threats to these ancient relics come from humans who love them to death. People with good intentions cause damage when they touch and climb over walls, cluster shards, or rub chalk over images.
Respect ruins: Don’t touch or take items, plus it’s the law!
View of Utah Highway 95 crossing Comb Ridge in Cedar Mesa/Grand Gulch BLM
A permit is required year-round for day use, overnight backpacking, and stock use in the following Cedar Mesa canyons and their tributaries: Grand Gulch, Slickhorn Canyon, Fish Canyon, Owl Canyon, North and South Forks of Mule Canyon, Road Canyon, and Lime Creek. A limited entry day-use permit is also required to visit Moon House Ruin. Permits can be obtained through the BLM’s Kane Gulch Ranger Station open 8am-Noon, March 1-June 15 and September 1-October 31, the recommended windows for visiting based on the region’s climate. We picked up a weekly permit which cost us $5/person. A daily pass would have been $2/person (2018 rates). Permits are available at some trailheads during the rest of the year or through the BLM office in Monticello.
The Kane Gulch Ranger Station is well marked on State Route 261 and offers access to vault toilets in the long term parking area
Mule Canyon Area
Access to the Mule Canyon area is reached off of Hwy 95. From the Kane Gulch Ranger Station, travel 4 miles north on Hwy 261 to Hwy 95 and then east on Hwy 95 for 10 miles to County Route 263 North (unpaved). For those traveling from Blanding, about 25 miles east, it is probably easiest to watch for the Mule Canyon Ruins Interpretive area and then backtrack about 0.5 miles east to CR 263. From the turn onto County Road 263, head about 0.25 miles north where the road travels over the South Fork of the Mule Canyon (the popular hike to House on Fire) or about 1.0 mile to the North Fork of the Mule Canyon. We hiked in the South Fork to the House on Fire Ruins, and visited the Mule Canyon Ruins Interpretive Area and the nearby Cave Canyon Towers.
South Fork of Mule Canyon Trail to House on Fire
From the turn onto County Road 263 North, head about 0.25 miles north to where the road travels over the South Fork of the Mule Canyon. There should be parking available on either side of the road. The trail begins on the west side of the road. Drop down into the canyon and sign-in to the trail register. The route to House on Fire Ruins is an easy 2.0 mile out-and-back hike. For those looking for a longer hike, you can continue further up the canyon as far as you would like. The House on Fire Ruins are marked with a sign that says “Trail” with an arrow pointing up hill. There are other ruins throughout the canyon, so be on the lookout. House on Fire is best photographed when the sun is lighting up the “flames” which occurs in late morning to early afternoon.
Look for access to Mule Canyon on the west side of the road
Mule Canyon Trail is easy to follow
Along Mule Canyon Trail, the walls get taller as you head further into the canyon
Another section of Mule Canyon Trail
In certain light, House on Fire Ruins look like they are on fire
House on Fire Ruins
Petroglyphs near House on Fire
Another section of the Ruins at House on Fire
Be careful climbing back down to the Mule Canyon trail from the House on Fire Ruins. On a steep section of loose dirt, Mike’s foot slipped out from underneath him and he had the unfortunate experience of landing on a prickly pear cactus! We removed numerous large spines and even more smaller glochids, which are hair-like spines or short prickles, generally barbed, found on the prickly pear cactus and teddy-bear cholla. Fortunately we keep a tweezers in our hiking backpack’s first aid kit. So far, we think we have extracted all of them.
Mike landed on a prickly pear cactus
Mule Canyon Ruins
Just west of Mule Canyon is a signed turnoff for the Mule Canyon Ruins Interpretive Area. This is a paved area with parking. A short walk on a sidewalk will take you to the ruins which include 2 round kivas and rectangular walls that were living quarters. Information boards provide an overview of the people who used the region and built the ruins. This area includes vault toilets, a luxury in this “primitive area”.
A kiva in Cedar Mesa’s Mule Canyon Ruins Interpretive Area
A second kiva at the Interpretive site
Mule Canyon Ruins: living area remnants
Cave Canyon Towers
From the Mule Canyon access road, County Route 263 North, head east on Hwy 95 to the first dirt road on the right near milepost 103. Open and proceed through the gate and then shut it behind yourself while visiting the Cave Towers. Vehicles with high ground clearance can drive at least 0.5 miles to a parking area and then walk a final several hundred yards to view the towers. We saw a car parked a short distance after the gate, a good spot for those not comfortable driving through sand or over rocky areas. There are 7 towers located along the rim of the canyon, although only 2 are in good condition. From the canyon rim you can view the entrance to the cave below.
One of the Cave Towers
Cave Tower Ruins sit along the canyon rim
Another of the Cave Towers
The cave entrance is visible from the canyon rim (behind the trees)
Cave Tower canyon
Kane Gulch (Written By Mike)
Kane Gulch is a stunning canyon that is a fairly easy hike. You start at the Kane Gulch Ranger Station by crossing Road 163 and walking down an easy path, bordered on both sides by aromatic sage bushes. Dropping into an riparian area with tall deciduous trees provides much needed shade on a hot summer day. After rambling for a bit through this delightful “wet” land (for a desert), you eventually walk into the canyon, and what a canyon it is. I’ve always enjoyed following rock cairns along slickrock and through sandy bottoms, and that is exactly what this hike is all about.
The Kane Gulch Trail is partially shaded thanks to trees and other vegetation
We even spotted some aspen along Kane Gulch
Mike travels through a narrow passage of the trail
Parts of the Kane Gulch Trail travel over slickrock
Be on the lookout for a Native American ruin high up on the West facing wall about 2 miles in. We think it’s a granary. Imagine the effort needed to just get to that location, let alone move all the rocks necessary to build the structure. Humbling. If you walk the full 4 miles you eventually get to Grand Gulch, in which you could continue your hike for days. We returned to the beginning for an 8 mile round trip.
We spotted a ruin just under the canyon top
A closer look at the ruin, possibly a granary
A final shot of Kane Gulch Trail
Bullet Canyon (Written By Mike)
Bullet Canyon is a non-trivial canyon hike that involves minor rock scrambling and route finding abilities. The ranger at the Kane Gulch Ranger Station mentioned this hike has no shade, and I can confirm he is right. This is a brutal hike on a hot, sunny day unless you start really early. I’d recommend hiking Kane Gulch Canyon if you want more shade (also, it’s a more scenic canyon). The trailhead is located by traveling 7 miles south from the Kane Gulch Ranger Station to County Road 251. Turn right and follow CR 251 for 1.5 miles to the trailhead.
Bullet Canyon Trail has little shade
Bullet Canyon has many juniper and pinyon trees
From the trailhead it’s a short 0.4 mile walk before you drop into the canyon. I’d estimate it’s a 150 foot descent in perhaps 0.1 miles, meaning lots of scrambling, but nothing difficult. Just follow the rock cairns and you’ll soon be at the bottom of the canyon. The official hike heads down canyon, despite the presence of numerous cairns leading up canyon. It’s 7 miles one way to reach Grand Gulch, but I only hiked about 3 miles before turning around.
Bullet Canyon
A final photo along the Bullet Canyon Trail
We stayed at Goulding’s RV Park which is located in Monument Valley, Utah, about 1.25 hours from the Kane Gulch Ranger Station. Natural Bridges National Monument borders the Cedar Mesa/Grand Gulch area and is located off of Highway 95, west of Mule Canyon. Goulding’s also offers a lodge, restaurant, gift shop, gas station, and grocery store. While in the region we also visited: Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Canyon De Chelly National Monument, the Navajo National Monument, Goosenecks State Park, and toured areas of Bears Ears National Monument, and the Valley of the Gods. The region is rich in scenic beauty and has many ruins from the Ancestral Puebloans (formerly known as Anasazi).
