When you have one full day to get the full picture of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, this is the tour for you!
Meet your guide at Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum (CAVM) for an in-depth guided tour of the museum and two 11th century pueblos on the grounds. Your guide will provide detailed insights into Ancestral Pueblo history and culture.
Learn about the Dolores Archaeological Project that became the impetus for the museum and set the standards for future archaeological research. Visit Dominguez and Escalante, two very different pueblos on museum grounds, to learn how they could have existed at the same time.
After a quick lunch at CAVM’s picnic area, travel in the comfort of your own vehicle to Lowry Pueblo (contemporaneous with Escalante and Dominguez Pueblos) and to Sand Canyon Pueblo, one of the large canyon-head communities that out-populated even the largest cliff dwelling at Mesa Verde!
Appreciate the unqualified beauty of the Great Sage Plain with incredible views of the La Plata Mountains, Abajo and La Sal Mountains, the Chuskas and Shiprock, and even the famous Bears Ears!
- Allow $7 additional per person (including guide) if the tour includes a museum visit (currently Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays)
- Suggested time including museum: 6-8 hours [CAVM tour (2-2.5 hours) + Lowry (1-1.5 hours) + Sand Canyon Pueblo (1 hour) + Painted Hand Pueblo (2-2.5 hours) OR Big Point Overlook (.5 hour)]
- Suggested time without museum: 6-8 hours [CAVM, Dominguez and Escalante (1-1.5 hours) + Lowry (1-1.5 hours) + Painted Hand (2-2.5 hours) OR Big Point Overlook (.5 hour) + Sand Canyon Pueblo (1 hour)]
- Cost: $310 for up to 4 people, additional $40 per person over 4
- Difficulty: easy, but navigating sage and Painted Hand (2 mile RT walk) and uneven terrain at Sand Canyon Pueblo