Blast From The Past: Trail Of The Ancients In Utah And Colorado Red Around the World

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Trail of the Ancients is a scenic drive taking you to various sites featuring ancient Anasazi ruins and culture in Southeast Utah and Southwest Colorado.

From Mesa Verde to Monument Valley and Ruins to petroglyphs, this Colorado and Utah road trip will help you see it all. It will also take you to some of the best places to go in Utah.

The map I’ve included doesn’t show a route, but it shows all the stops on one map. Google Maps wasn’t letting me make a trip with all of the stops in it and it wasn’t showing the route I did have, so I decided to show each stop and where it is and you can make a route depending on where else you’ll be.

It’s also got the other cool stops listed at the bottom of this post. The official stops are in green and the others are yellow. These are all amazing and pretty easy additions to a Colorado road trip.

Major towns along the Trail of the Ancients In Utah and Colorado

Cortez, Colorado
Blanding, Utah
Bluff, Utah
Mexican Hat, Utah

Important things to know about the Trail of the Ancients Drive

You will not need a permit for any of these things unless otherwise noted.
Any vehicle will be fine for the Trail of the Ancients. The only part that might be difficult without 4 wheel drive is the road out to Muley Point.
Give yourself more time than you think you need for drives between each place. It’s so scenic out here, you’re going to want to stop. A lot.
That said, it’s very remote out here and you most likely won’t have phone service between (or at some) destinations. Make sure you’re prepared for desert travel.
If you’re renting a car, make sure you’re Ok to take it on dirt roads. That will probably vary by company and car.
Spring or fall might be better for this drive because it’s not as hot or as busy, but summer is still going to be great, just be prepared for the heat.
All elevation listed is approximate and will vary throughout the park or area and is measured as feet above sea level.
Make sure you have plenty of water and some snacks in the car, just in case. Mostly extra water.
Cell phone service will be spotty at best outside of any of the towns, so plan for that. Verizon has the best service out here, then AT&T.

Geocaching along Trail of the Ancients in Utah

This is going to be a great area for Geocaching. There aren’t tons along every road constantly, but there are some really awesome ones in this area that will take you to some pretty cool things.

I know one is near a petroglyph site in Blanding. There’s a really cool RV one on the way to Monument Valley. This would be a great place to try it for the first time if you haven’t before. I’ll make note of any areas where I know you can find some.

What to bring on a Trail of the Ancients road trip

Hiking poles – These will be helpful on longer hikes that are on the steeper side. They’ll be good if you have bad knees for when you’re going downhill and will give you something to lean on going up the hills.

Snacks – These are more important for long hikes, but you never know when you’ll get hungry! I like EPIC bars (kind of like beef jerky but different), Sahale nut mix things, and Moon Cheese. There’s always the good old Clif Bars and trail mix, too.

Water bottle – It’ll be hot and humid and you’ll need to stay hydrated. A Hydro Flask will keep your water ice cold all day long.

Sunscreen – If you plan on being outside, you’ll want sunscreen. I like the Neutrogena a lot, but if you’ll be visiting a beach soon, you’ll want a reef-safe sunscreen.

Hat – You’ll want some kind of hat to keep the sun out of your eyes. A baseball hat should be fine but a bucket hat or sun hat could help keep the sun off your neck.

Sunglasses – This is a must, especially with the strong desert sun. Sunglasses are best paired with a hat on those really bright days.

Light Jacket – Because you just never know. Weather can change quickly depending on where you are and if you’ll be in any slot canyons, they can get cool depending on the time of day and season. I usually use my rain jacket for this.

Headlamp – I tend to carry my headlamp around all the time when we’re hiking. This isn’t the exact one I have, but it’s similar and if I needed to replace mine, I’d probably get this one.

For Camping

Tent – I love the REI Passage 2 tent for one or two people. It’s small and fairly light. If you need a four-person tent, I’d go with this one, the REI Half Dome. You can check out my tent here.

Sleeping pad – Gotta make the tent comfy! The one I have isn’t available anymore but this one is similar. It’s self-inflating and just needs a little help filling all the way. Buy the sleeping pad here.

Sleeping Bag – I have the Nemo Viola 35 and love it because it’s not as restrictive as the mummy bags. It has ventilation slits for those warmer nights. Check out my sleeping bag here.

Puffy quilt – If you’re a really warm sleeper and visiting in the summer, a puffy quilt might be a better option. I prefer this for hotter nights. Check out the Rumpl camp quilts here.

Pillow – If you’re just driving, I’d just bring a regular pillow, but if you’re flying then renting a car, you might want a smaller pillow. This is a good non-inflatible option. Here is a good inflatable option.

Camp chairs – If you plan on doing a lot of camping outside of this trip, and backpacking especially, the REI Flexlite chairs are great choices. Check out the camp chairs here.

Lantern – I love having a lantern for in the tent at night, reading in the dark, or going to the bathroom in the middle of the night. The LuminAID is my favorite and you can charge your phone on it. Buy the LuminAID lantern here.

Monument Valley

Where

Elevation

4882 feet

How much

$20 per vehicle

Hours

Scenic drive hours

May 1 – September 30, 6 – 8:30
October 1 – April 30, 8 – 4:30

Visitor Center Hours

May 1 – September 30, 6 – 8
October 1 – April 30, 8 – 5

Cell phone service

Some, but it’s spotty

Kid-friendly

Yes

Dog-friendly

Yes, but they must be on a leash and cleaned up after. They are not allowed in buildings.

What to do

Do the scniec drive, for sure, and if you have time, do the Wildcat trail. It’s the only hiking trail in the park taking you around one of the Mitten Buttes. If you want to see more of Monument Valley, definitely do a tour.

You can do overnight tours on Hunts Mesa, scenic flights, regular tours of the main area, Mystery valley Tours, and special photography tours. There is something for everyone.

Monument Valley tours