Very nice staff. Both the museum and walking the path around the ruins were a lot of fun for the…read morekiddo. Very informative exhibits in the museum.

July 24th, 2026 While on a roadtrip with my family I stopped…read moreby at the ruins. When we arrived, we were greeted by an older man who seems to be a volunteer, and when my young teenager daughter who loved collecting junior rangers badges asked about the program put her down while being extremely rude telling her "you wont be able to finish in time and if you don't finish I wont give you a badge". However this man wasn't even a ranger and did not have the authority to give badges. The volunteer continued to be rude to the rest of my family telling us that we had to view the monument quickly because they would close exactly at 5. He caused our whole family to be panicked. When we quickly speed through the junior rangers program and returned to the visitor center and told the man that we finished. He then rudely told us to wait for a ranger to give us our badge. The ranger who gave my daughter her badge was very welcoming and kind, helping to make the visit end on a somewhat good note. As someone who visits national parks and monuments often, I hope to never encounter someone like this working in the visitor center greeting guests.

Simply amazing. I would stop by the visitor center and museum first before exploring the pueblos…read moreand other locations that make up this national monument. The visitor center and museum have a lot of artifacts and information about how scientists research the artifacts and structures of the Pueblo peoples. It helps put into context the other sites that are part of this national monument. It kind of made me feel like an archaeologist when I identified some potsherds later on my hikes and could identify which Pueblo Era they came from. Definitely worth a stop!

Canyons of the Ancients National Monument and Visitor Center are a worthwhile destination or a…read moreshort diversion, if you are in SW Colorado. Inside, there are educational movies about the history of the Puebloan Indians who inhabited the plains 1200 years ago, and then suddenly left about 1300. There are numerous exhibits about these people, their tools, their cooking implements, their arrow heads, basketry, housing, etc. It is well laid out and then there are descriptions of several deserted Pueblos within an hour or two of the visitor center. Your national park pass will get you entrance, or a small fee if you don't have one. With the Federal workforce cuts, staffing is minimal, so be patient and respect the work these Rangers do for us every day. Wish I had visited this site before I went to Mesa Verde National Park last year as it added an additional perspective to the way some of our SW native Indians lived.

Yucca House National Monument is a...rough diamond in the rough? It's located next to someone's…read morehouse, and you have to drive through a field of cows to get there. There's a dilapidated boardwalk that you can walk on to get to the gate of the national monument and sign in at the guestbook. The vibe the NPS was going for was to showcase how a large unexcavated pueblo looks like. At first I wasn't impressed, but thinking more about it, it makes you feel like an adventurer. Like, how did the scientists discover and excavate all of these artifacts? They looked around and saw bits of uncovered brick of pueblos and depressions in the ground for kivas. You can even find potsherds here too. Don't take anything though. I wish that they were offering ranger tours of this place - it only happens about twice a year and I wasn't lucky enough to visit when they were. I think it would help a lot about the context of this place. The government is planning on improving this monument with a real parking lot and restrooms, although it make take a while. Hopefully it includes more informational signs as the brochures present are a little sparse.

I'm a big fan of the National Park System and generally like the sites that are part of it. I have…read moreto say though, it felt like they really phoned it in with regards to Yucca House NM. To get there, you drive on dirt roads in an agricultural area. When you arrive at Yucca House NM, it looks and feels like you are pulling up to some random guy's house. In his front yard is a boardwalk leading you to a gate that goes into the NM. Once inside the fence, there are paths to explore the NM. The first structure you'll notice is the lower house. It's the most complete structure in the NM that I saw. I walked around a bit and saw the kivas, which were pits in the ground maybe 12 feet across. That's about it though. The entire site is overgrown with weeds and brush. The idea is to see what an archaeological site looks like when it is first discovered. In that, Yucca House succeeds. But it's a small site and the level of disrepair makes it only worth spending a few minutes there. There is no NPS infrastructure - no visitors center, no bathrooms, no map, not even parking. It's also smaller than any other NPS site I'm familiar with (except ones in cities). I'm glad I went, but I wouldn't go back. The lack of infrastructure and poor level of maintenance are surprising for an NPS site. For those of you who have read this far, you can get the national park passport stamp for Yucca House at the Mesa Verde visitor center by US 160.

Our mission was to finally visit Four Corners Monument, and it did not disappoint. It was so cool…read moreto join with others who have a shared desire to visit 4 states at once: Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado. It wasn't extremely busy when we visited, but it was overcast and very windy. We stood in a short line to have our photos taken at the iconic point. Everyone was super friendly and was helping families take photos. They have vendors situated around the outskirts, and they sell some pretty amazing stuff! I was super excited to buy a painting, painted on a rock, some horse hair pottery and a pretty silver ring! Admission is $10/person, no cash accepted, which honestly feels a little steep, but everything is pricey these days. Happy to be able to check this one off our bucket list!

**July 2026: Tuesday Early Afternoon Visit**…read more My friend and I planned this road trip specifically to visit the Four Corners Monument, since I'm working on visiting all 50 states and wanted to check off Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona all at once. Genuinely, I just really wanted the novelty of standing in four states at the same time. :) The monument is located on Native tribal land, and getting there felt like part of the experience. It was about a four hour drive from Flagstaff, and honestly, there really wasn't much along the way until you reach the site. The entrance fee was $10 per person/per vehicle, and the parking is just dirt lot. There's also a porta potty on site. The monument itself is simple but iconic, with the names of the four states marked on plaques on the ground and their respective flags on poles around it. Surrounding the area were a number of booths run by Native American vendors selling souvenirs. They had everything from handmade pottery, necklaces, magnets, as well as factory-made tshirts, and more. Most vendors accepted cash, though a few also took Venmo or Zelle. You probably only need about 20 minutes here for your photoshoot and shopping experience, thought when we visited there was about a 10 minute wait to get a photo at the monument itself (at around 1pm). It's definitely more of a quick stop than a long destination, but I'm glad I checked it off my list. I probably wouldn't go again, but it was worth visiting once for the experience.

I have driven many beautiful scenic drives in my lifetime. This one definitely ranks up there as…read moreone of the best. The Million Dollar Highway is both scenic and adventurous. It is a stretch of highway that spans 25 miles on US Highway 550 between the towns of Ouray and Silverton. The highway takes you through the beautiful San Juan Mountains. What makes it adventurous is that the roads are steep and full of tight curves and have no guardrails. We planned a fun trip through Colorado that started with the Town of Telluride. I typically ski there, so I was excited to spend time there doing other activities. After a hike, we headed to Ouray to relax and enjoy some time exploring the town. After a soaking in a hot spring in Ridgway, we began our drive on the Million Dollar Highway. We made the drive all the way to Silverton and eventually ended up in Durango. I enjoyed my slow relaxing time on this drive while taking photographs along the way. This two-lane mountainous highway was constructed in 1883 to connect Ouray to the mines around Ironton and eventually Silverton. The purpose of the road was to transport silver and gold from the mines. The route was entirely paved with asphalt in the 1950s. There are many legends as to why it is called Million Dollar Highway. One is that it cost over a million dollars per mile to build back in the day. Another one is that the gravel used to pave the road contains millions of dollars in unextracted gold and silver ore from the local mines. The Million Dollar Highway starts (or ends) in Ouray, Colorado. There are several points of interest along the way. We stopped and took photos at the Switzerland of America Lookout Point Sign in Ouray. Then we stopped at the Bear Creek Falls Lookout Point. You get a great view the falls and the San Juan mountains from here. We then began our drive through the Uncompahgre Gorge to the summit of Red Mountain Pass (elevation 11,018 ft). I took my time driving through here as it is the most challenging part of the drive. The high elevation without any guardrails was a little scary. But the scenic views are just stunning and make it worth it. Red Mountain Pass is named for the the series of mountains along the highway that have iron-oxide-laden rock on their slopes. These mountains are really pretty to look at because of its red color. There are a couple of tunnels on the Million Dollar Highway including the Riverside Slide structure that protects cars from avalanches. Crystal Lake is a man-made lake that has pretty wildflowers and hiking trails. The Alpine Loop Byway is a challenging 63-mile dirt loop that connects Silverton, Lake City and Ouray and requires a high-clearance 4WD vehicle or a dirt bike to travel on. The highway does pass through a series of switchback curves that can be a little frightening. Also on the drive are a number of abandoned mining buildings that you can check out. We finished the road trip in Silverton and went on our way to Durango. I enjoyed this trip and my time driving on the Million Dollar Highway. If you take your time and pay attention, the drive can be very relaxing and enjoyable. There are several pullouts along the highway for photographs. Sadly, the highway does have a number of accidents and deaths each year because of the narrow lanes and sheer cliff drops (and also weather). But it is totally worth it to drive on the Million Dollar Highway for its amazing scenery. We did this drive in the Fall and enjoyed the colorful leaves and snow-capped mountains.

Exquisite. This is one of the most scenic drives I've ever taken…read more I've lived in Denver for four years now. From the moment I moved, SW Colorado has been top of mind. Well, time gets away from you. And though I've explored more of this beautiful states than many locals have, I finally crossed off the famed Million Dollar Highway off the ole bucket list. Good golly miss molly, this drive is something else. Something magical, something spectacular, something majestic. Something that can actually leave you speechless. For me, that's the Million Dollar Highway. The winding roads through the San Juans, each passing turn as jaw-dropping as the previous. Whether commuting South from Ouray to Silverton, or North from Silverton to Ouray, this stretch of America is simply surreal. You're missing out if you don't stop at Red Mountain Pass, the highest point of the drive. The lookout point gazing over the Red Mountains was something I didn't expect to blow me away. I love driving. And there's a lot of this country I haven't seen. But this, the Million Dollar Highway, is iconic. It must, I repeat, MUST be experienced not once, but many times. Dare I say, a million times? We need to honor those who built this road. They risked their lives in harsh conditions. And we're left with unadulterated beauty. So much beauty. America, the beautiful. To me, that's the Million Dollar Highway.

This breathtaking geological feature is a "saddle" bewtween Telluride and Ridgway Colroado. A…read morerelatively gentle grade across the shoulder of some the mightiest mountains in the continental USA. From this vantage point, you'll see Dallas peak, Last Dollar mountain and majestic views of often snow capped briliance. Fall is the best time, with virbrant colors sweeping accross the endless vistas.

Located in the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, the Painted Hand Pueblo trail takes you…read moreto view a 13th-century Ancestral Puebloan guard tower. It's perched atop a mesa overlooking a scenic canyon. The trail starts out paved to some picnic tables, but you can't really see the tower unless you follow the unpaved path. It's well marked. There is an area where you have to go down some small rock shelves - if you have good balance you are fine, otherwise you might need to use your hands for some additional balance support.

A landmark and solid stop along any journey through SoCo. Worthy of a detour if you're in the area.read more

I get so tired of reviews on our country's national treasures and history like this I have to give…read morea resounding 5 stars. NOTE drive to top is not hard. If you have ever been to mountains or skied it's easy. It's a gravel mountain road. To clarify as I was confused there is a parking lot w small visitor center aka cabin. This is where you pay your fee. They are building a new super nice visitor center to open next year. The ranger here at base was so nice. I mean amazingly and went out of her way to explain all. From the first parking area you drive to the upper parking lot which is the base from which you hike to top. I was fine at 62 and not in perfect shape to get to top. It's a gorgeous view and the ranger/helper? at top was wordy but very knowledgeable. Now that we live in Albuquerque will definitely go back as it's a short drive under 30 minutes from Pagosa springs. Final thought those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it