Blanding, Utah

Bridge over the Colorado River

Montezuma Canyon Road

Check out those Moki steps

Dave found his next home nestled in the cave

Shamans Panel

Bradford Canyon Ruin

High Ruin

Three Kiva Pueblo

Two Shields Ruin

Watched Over Ruin

Covered Wagon Ruin

The site gets it's name from this petroglyph

Montezuma Creek Petroglyphs

Overlook

Moon House Trailhead

Moon House requires a permit and is limited to 20 people a day.

The trail winds down the side of the canyon, over a steep slickrock lip, and down a debris fan to the canyon bottom. Once at the canyon bottom, hike slightly down canyon, and then hike up the other side of the canyon to access Moon House.

You are advised that if you do not think you can get back up this drop off, then don't go down. I wasn't 100 sure, but did it anyways.  I figured Dave wouldn't leave me.

Moon House across the canyon

Dropping down to the canyon floor

Now we need to make our way back up the canyon wall

You are allowed to enter this main room if you can make it.  No handles, no rails, and you are not allowed to touch or pull on the walls.

The ruins namesake room

Very unique stripe painted on an interior wall that the Moon House Ruins is known for

Watch that first step

There are more small ruins up the canyon if you can get past the dryfalls

 A kiva that still has some of the plaster on the interior wall

Just beyond the last kiva,  Dave climbed up to an alcove that had a few pictographs included a anthropomorphic figure.

On the same level as Moon House heading down the canyon leads to several other impressive ruins

One last look at Moon House

We start our trek back

Looking back over at Moon House

It's show time.  Time to see if we can get back up the steep slickrock lip.  It wasn't pretty, but I made it.

Moon House overlook

Bullet Canyon Road

Heading down Shieks trail we found the perfect Christmas tree

Yellow House Ruins

Butler Wash Trail

Target Ruin is an Anasazi cliff dweller ruin found in Upper Butler Wash on the eastern side of Comb Ridge.

We had heard there was some petroglyphs off the side of Hwy 95.  We weren't finding any petroglyphs but we did find these ruins.

I took a few pictures of areas that I thought petroglyphs might be and low and behold I got them. Dave says we can't count them because we didn't see them while we there.

Rainy day breakfast at Yaks

Looks like we got some snow in the mountains with all that rain

Mule Canyon Ruins

Bears Ears in the distance

Sounds like our kinda of trail

I am confused.  Are we keeping the Rattlesnakes in or out?

Tower ruin

Lower Butler Wash

Heading to the Wolfman panel.  Hoping to find it and get back to the jeep before it starts raining again.

There's the Wolfman

Time to head back up. I am starting to feel sprinkles.

Waiting out the rain

Here we go

Big Crane petroglyph

Look at that blue sky

Waiting out the rain again

Sweat Lodge

The remains of a second Sweat lodge

Double Stack Ruin

Granary

Check out all those hand prints

Matates

Hopefully no rain today

Tower House Ruins

Wonder what these three bucks are up to?

Lunch time

Looking for the Big Feet Panel

There's Big Feet

Comb Ridge Dugway

Over Under Ruins

Shumway Uranium Mine

Road Canyon Rim Trail

Granary across the canyon

That's where we're going.  Out to the point.

At the end of the land bridge is the Citadel Ruins

There it is.  Now we just have to climb up there.

Lunch time

After lunch we flew the drone for a few arial shots

Time to head back across the land bridge

These rocks are the remains from a old defensive wall 

We made it

Mule Canyon

House on Fire Ruins

Everyone said to go in the afternoon for the best "Fire" effects.  Well we just about missed it.

John's Canyon Road

Basketmaker petroglyph

Dotted Man

Duckhead Man

John's Canyon Spring

The Hunt panel

All Four Sides panel

Obelisk panel

Men on the Bus panel

Today our trail take us up in between the Bears Ears

It's all up hill back to the Jeep

Arch Canyon Overlook

Little Westwater Ruin, also known as Five Kiva Ruin, is located in the Westwater Creek Canyon just outside of town. Blanding is in the homelands of the Ancestral Puebloans and this ruin is practically part of the town.