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Yucca House National Monument

By September 6, 2016 | updated 9 years ago

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Yucca House National Monument

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A National Monument is a protected area of land of historic, cultural, and/or scientific significance. While the National Parks Service oversees National Parks, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Defense, and the Bureau of Land Management can all manage National Monuments. Additionally, the office of the President has the power to designate National Monuments (National Parks are designated as such by Congress).

Yucca House National Monument protects one of the largest archeological sites in southwest Colorado. The site was an important cultural center for the Ancient Puebloan people from 1150-1300 AD. It is the best preserved Ancient Puebloan valley house site that we have today. Though the site remains largely unexcavated, archeologists have ascertained that the “West Complex” (large mounds covered by vegetation) is the remains of a large pueblo with an estimated 600 rooms, over 100 kivas, and a great kiva for community religious ceremonies. The building had a second story that rose 15-20 feet off the ground.

Pro Tips

This Monument is truly off the beaten path. There are no facilities at the site, and the site is surrounded by private land. If you wish to visit the site, follow driving directions carefully:

  • From the entrance of Mesa Verde National Park, take Hwy. 160 West through Cortez, to Hwy. 491 South.
  • Continue driving south approximately 8 miles from the intersection of Hwy. 160 and Hwy. 491.
  • Take a right on MC County Road B (green sign), which is a dirt road one mile south of MC Road C.
  • Drive 0.8 miles, crossing a paved road (MC Road 21).
  • Take the next dirt road on the right before the farmhouse on the left. (As you make this turn, you will cross a yellow cattle guard and pass a Box Bar Ranch, No Trespassing sign. The “no trespassing” sign does not apply to the county road.)
  • Follow this road north and west for 1.4 miles, and head towards the white ranch house with the red roof on the west horizon.
  • Once at the ranch house, Yucca House National Monument is on the left side of the driveway.
  • Once in the Monument, follow the boardwalk the circles the pueblo ruins.

    • To learn more about the Ancestral Puebloan peoples, visit nearby Mesa Verde National Park.

    Recommended season(s): Monument is open year round and daily. Fall is the ideal season to visit the monument. Autumn months tend to be dry with moderate temperatures, and the flora produces beautiful fall foliage.

    —Sophie Goodman

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