Hovenweep National Monument
Planning Your Visit
Things To Know Before You Come
Accessibility
The visitor center and restrooms are wheelchair accessible. The Square Tower Group trail is paved to the first overlook and may be negotiated by wheelchairs with assistance. All other trails are uneven and primitive.
Pets
Pets are allowed on trails and in the campground, but must be leashed at all times.
Services
Food, gas, lodging and similar services are not available at Hovenweep. These are available in nearby towns like Blanding, UT, Monticello, UT and Cortez, CO. Visit the San Juan County Travel Council for more information about southeast Utah, or Mesa Verde Country for information about southwest Colorado.
Weather and Climate
Southeast Utah is part of the Colorado Plateau, a "high desert" region that experiences wide temperature fluctuations, sometimes over 40 degrees in a single day. The temperate (and most popular) seasons are spring (April through May) and fall (mid-September through October), when daytime highs average 60 to 80 F and lows average 30 to 50 F. Summer temperatures often exceed 100 F, making strenuous exercise difficult. Late summer monsoon season brings violent storm cells which often cause flash floods. Winters are cold, with highs averaging 30 to 50 F, and lows averaging 0 to 20 F. Though large snowfalls are uncommon (except in nearby mountains), even small amounts of snow or ice can make local trails and roads impassable.
Operating Hours & Seasons
Hovenweep is open year-round. The visitor center is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with extended hours during summer. The visitor center is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
Fees & Reservations
ENTRANCE FEES
All federal lands passes are issued and accepted at Hovenweep.
Individuals: $3 (Good for 7 Days)
This fee applies to motorcycles, bicycles and walk-ins (per person).
Vehicles: $6 (Good for 7 days)
This fee includes all occupants of a vehicle.
Local Passport: $25 (Good for one year)
Good for entrance to Arches, Canyonlands, Hovenweep and Natural Bridges.
Commercial Tours
Fee depends upon the capacity of the vehicle. One- to six-passenger vehicles are charged $25 and $5 per person. Seven- to 25-passenger vehicles are charged $40. Twenty-six or more passenger vehicles are charged $100.
CAMPING FEES
Sites at the campground are $10 per night. All sites are first-come, first-served.
Directions
Hovenweep National Monument is located along the border between southeast Utah and southwest Colorado, just north and west of Cortez, Colorado.By Car
Paved roads lead to the visitor center and Square Tower Group from Cortez, Colorado (County Road G / McElmo Canyon Road), from Highway 191 south of Blanding, Utah, and from Pleasant View, Colorado. All roads into the outlying units are dirt and are not maintained regularly. High-clearance vehicles are recommended for visiting these sites.
By Bus
Commercial bus and van shuttles service nearby towns, but not Hovenweep specifically.
By Plane
Commercial airlines serve Cortez and Grand Junction, CO, Salt Lake City and Moab, UT, and Albuquerque, NM as well as other cities in the Four Corners area.
Public Transportation
There is no public transportation to Hovenweep.
Hovenweep In Depth
News from the Parks
Light Pollution Harms Not Just Stargazers
December 2, 2008 - 1:03pm
For students of astronomy, Sunday and Monday night is the equivalent of a World Cup Final, a new Mac operating system, and a Zeppelin reunion show all rolled into one. That’s because, as Horizons guest blogger Pete Spotts noted in his post Sunday, Jupiter, Venus, and the moon will gather to direct a lopsided frown at North America, an arrangement that won’t happen again for another 44 years.
December 2, 2008 - 1:03pm
For students of astronomy, Sunday and Monday night is the equivalent of a World Cup Final, a new Mac operating system, and a Zeppelin reunion show all rolled into one. That’s because, as Horizons guest blogger Pete Spotts noted in his post Sunday, Jupiter, Venus, and the moon will gather to direct a lopsided frown at North America, an arrangement that won’t happen again for another 44 years.
Tourists Bite on ‘Twilight’ Vampire Tours of Forks, Washington
December 2, 2008 - 12:59pm
Fans of the hit movie “Twilight,” inspired by Stephenie Meyer’s vampire series, are swarming tiny Forks on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, where the novels are set, and checking out “Twilight”-themed tours, hotel packages and even food.
December 2, 2008 - 12:59pm
Fans of the hit movie “Twilight,” inspired by Stephenie Meyer’s vampire series, are swarming tiny Forks on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, where the novels are set, and checking out “Twilight”-themed tours, hotel packages and even food.
Crowds Observe World AIDS Day In GG Park
December 2, 2008 - 12:56pm
People from across the country gathered in Golden Gate Park's National AIDS Memorial Grove Monday to observe the 20th annual World AIDS Day.
December 2, 2008 - 12:56pm
People from across the country gathered in Golden Gate Park's National AIDS Memorial Grove Monday to observe the 20th annual World AIDS Day.
Grounded in God, Green and Glaciers
December 2, 2008 - 12:37pm
Remember when Arizona Sen. John McCain criticized spending millions of taxpayer dollars to fund the DNA of grizzly bears in Montana during one of the presidential debates? “That’s us,” said David Restivo, a Roberts Wesleyan College alumnus and visual information specialist at Glacier National Park in Montana.
December 2, 2008 - 12:37pm
Remember when Arizona Sen. John McCain criticized spending millions of taxpayer dollars to fund the DNA of grizzly bears in Montana during one of the presidential debates? “That’s us,” said David Restivo, a Roberts Wesleyan College alumnus and visual information specialist at Glacier National Park in Montana.
Smokies' Formation Began 500 Million to 600 Million Years Ago
December 2, 2008 - 12:35pm
As the Great Smoky Mountains National Park prepares to celebrate its 75th year, students of history and geology are pondering questions that go back much farther than the park's creation in the 1930s. The most fascinating queries to them concern the actual formation of the mountains, their age and topography.
December 2, 2008 - 12:35pm
As the Great Smoky Mountains National Park prepares to celebrate its 75th year, students of history and geology are pondering questions that go back much farther than the park's creation in the 1930s. The most fascinating queries to them concern the actual formation of the mountains, their age and topography.
