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The Trail of the Ancients National Scenic Byway in Southwestern Colorado and the Four Corners

Trail of Ancients wins Scenic Byway designation By John R. Crane

The Trail of the Ancients, 116 miles of scenic highway in and around Cortez flanked by mountains and archaeological attractions, recently garnered National Scenic Byway designation.

Also designated Sept. 22 were 364 miles of culturally rich roadways in Utah linked to the Southwest Colorado path.

The Trail of the Ancients’ change from state-designated byway to a regionally significant attraction makes it the nation’s first and only archaeological byway, said Lynn Dyer, director of Mesa Verde Country Information Bureau in Cortez.

“This makes us tied with Oregon with the most scenic byways (10) of any state within the U.S.,” Dyer said.

“It will bring more exposure to our area,” Dyer added. “It’s absolutely perfect timing to be going on the same time as the Mesa Verde Centennial.” …

Archaeological sites along the Trail of the Ancients include Mesa Verde National Park, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument on the Utah-Colorado border, Lowry Pueblo west of Pleasant View, Anasazi Heritage Center near Dolores, Hovenweep National Monument west of Cortez and other landmarks.
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TRAILING THE ANCIENTS BY DAN LEETH

To learn more about their culture, I stop at Edge of the Cedars State Park on the route’s northeast corner in Blanding.

The park’s museum holds the area’s largest collec-tion of Anasazi artifacts. Outside, eerie statues depict three-dimensional rock-art figures. Exhibits inside contrast the lives of the Ancient Ones with present-day tribes. In the restored ruins behind the museum, a ladder allows access into a restored kiva, an underground ceremonial chamber.

Kivas were important to the Anasazi. The ruins at Butler Wash have four. The site lies a few miles to the west of Blanding on the Trail of the Ancients.

From a roadside parking area, a pathway leads to a viewpoint, which overlooks the end of a box canyon. A sharp ravine separates visitors from the cliff-bound structures. In spite of the distance, the structures have impact.

“Maybe it’s the lack of guard rails and protective rangers,” fellow visitor Mick Sears observes, “but I am more impressed with this site than the mega-ruins of Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon.” …

Not all Anasazi homes were built beneath overhangs. A few miles away at Mule Canyon, the Ancient Ones built on flatlands. The site contains the remains of a two-story tower, a block of square rooms and a roofless kiva now protected by a canopy.