Hovenweep National Monument

Cortez Colorado Campgrounds , Cortez Colorado Hikes , Cortez Colorado Parks , Cortez Colorado Trails

Welcome to Hovenweep National Monument located near Cortez, Colorado. This park, spread out over mesa tops and canyons on the Colorado-Utah State Line helps to protect six Pubeloan era villages.

Park History: The first human inhabitants of this park were hunter-gatherer Paleoindians over 10,000 years ago. It wasn't until around 900 AD that people began to live here year-round and harvesting crops in the mesa's nutrient rich soils. The Puebloans farmed not too differently than the farmers today by building dams and terracing hillsides. In 1854, Mormon Pioneer W.D. Huntington wrote the first historic reports on the site's abandoned structures. The name Hovenweep is a Paiute/Ute term meaning "Deserted Valley." In 1917 and 1918 the Smithsonian Institution recommended that the land be protected and on March 2, 1923, President Warren Harding established Hovenweep National Monument.

For the lover of the outdoors this park boasts over two miles of trails, 30 campsites, and so much more. Come on out and explore!