The Trail of the Ancients is a National Scenic Byway that stretches across Colorado, Utah and Arizona. The Utah portion of the trail includes 12 historic and archaeological sites that every Utahn should definitely visit.
- Southeast Utah Welcome Center
four_corners_foodie/TripAdvisor Start your journey here, where you’ll find information, maps and a museum of artifacts.
- Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum
Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum/Facebook
Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum/Facebook Explore the Puebloan village and climb down into the kiva.
- Butler Wash Puebloan Cliff Dwellings
Lost Dog Photos/flickr
Brendan Bombaci/flickr The Puebloan ruins here consist of a residence, storage structures and four kivas.
- Comb Ridge
Four Corners School of Outdoor Education/flickr
Matt Peeples/flickr Comb Ridge is an 80-mile-long monocline. Monarch Castle is one of the several Puebloan ruins here.
- Mule Canyon
Austria01/TripAdvisor
Austria01/TripAdvisor House On Fire is one of the most easily-recognizable Puebloan ruins in Utah.
- Natural Bridges National Monument
Yugang Bai/TripAdvisor
Kyle Greenberg/flickr Natural Bridges National Monument has three natural bridges: Kachina, Owachomo and Sipapu.
- Grand Gulch
Greg Willis/flickr
Greg Willis/flickr The 52-mile-long gulch contains tons of petroglyphs.
- Valley of the Gods
Paolo Rosa/flickr
Paolo Rosa/flickr The 17-mile stretch of road through the valley is full of stunning vistas.
- Goosenecks State Park
Tony Beeman/flickr The view here is 1,500 feet above the San Juan River.
- Bluff
Michael Brumpton/flickr The little town of Bluff was founded in 1880. Stop by the Twin Rocks Trading Post for a bite to eat.
- Sand Island
circusgurl/TripAdvisor
AnnieSantaFe/TripAdvisor The sandstone cliff here features hundreds of petroglyphs that range from 300-3,000 years old. The San Juan River provides a beautiful place for a quick stroll.
- Monument Valley
Ron Cogswell/flickr
PROJirka Matousek/flickr Monument Valley marks the end of the Utah stretch of the Trail of the Ancients. These formations are some of the most photographed in the country.
Have you ever driven the Utah section of this remarkable trail? Tell us about it!
four_corners_foodie/TripAdvisor
Start your journey here, where you’ll find information, maps and a museum of artifacts.
Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum/Facebook
Explore the Puebloan village and climb down into the kiva.
Lost Dog Photos/flickr
Brendan Bombaci/flickr
The Puebloan ruins here consist of a residence, storage structures and four kivas.
Four Corners School of Outdoor Education/flickr
Matt Peeples/flickr
Comb Ridge is an 80-mile-long monocline. Monarch Castle is one of the several Puebloan ruins here.
Austria01/TripAdvisor
House On Fire is one of the most easily-recognizable Puebloan ruins in Utah.
Yugang Bai/TripAdvisor
Kyle Greenberg/flickr
Natural Bridges National Monument has three natural bridges: Kachina, Owachomo and Sipapu.
Greg Willis/flickr
The 52-mile-long gulch contains tons of petroglyphs.
Paolo Rosa/flickr
The 17-mile stretch of road through the valley is full of stunning vistas.
Tony Beeman/flickr
The view here is 1,500 feet above the San Juan River.
Michael Brumpton/flickr
The little town of Bluff was founded in 1880. Stop by the Twin Rocks Trading Post for a bite to eat.
circusgurl/TripAdvisor
AnnieSantaFe/TripAdvisor
The sandstone cliff here features hundreds of petroglyphs that range from 300-3,000 years old. The San Juan River provides a beautiful place for a quick stroll.
Ron Cogswell/flickr
PROJirka Matousek/flickr
Monument Valley marks the end of the Utah stretch of the Trail of the Ancients. These formations are some of the most photographed in the country.
For more information on the entire trail (spanning three states), click here. For a map of the whole trail, click here.
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