Mule Canyon's Cave Towers Travel Guide.

Cave Towers, also referred to as Mule Canyon Towers or The Seven Towers, is named for seven large Anasazi, or Ancestral Puebloan, stone towers that were built around 1200AD at the head of a deep gorge.  It is speculated that they are a defensive position protecting a spring in Cave Canyon, as well as granaries and puebloan ruins along ledges.

• Location is 43.9 miles from Monticello; take Hwy 191 south into and through Blanding, 24.6 miles, until the junction of State Hwy. 95, make a right onto Hwy. 95 and travel 19.3 miles.

• Make left turn onto dirt road that has a gate across it; open gate, close after passing through. Travel 4/10ths of a mile to reach a parking area with information board. Access to trailhead is 4/10ths of a mile further along a dirt and slickrock trail that can be hiked, or accessed by 4-wheel drive vehicles with high clearance only.

• Round trip walking distance to ruin sites is 1.6 miles; walking slickrock at canyon’s rim, granaries and pueblo ruins can be seen along the canyon’s ledges.  Approximate visitation is 1-2 hours.

• Difficulty: Easy; there is a steep walk to tower ruin on right side of trail.

• Facilities: None

• Admission: Free

• Camping: Allowed, check informational board at parking area for locations.

• Pets: Allowed, owners are expected to clean up after pet (s).

Walking along the ledges, looking out at the Pueblo ruins, and the surrounding scenery, is mind blowing.

Mary Cokenour

The Beauty of Navajo National Monument.

Navajo National Monument 

Highway 564
Shonto, Arizona, 86045

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 7717, Shonto, Arizona, 86045

Phone Number: (928) 672-2700

Website: https://www.nps.gov/nava/index.htm

In 1909, Navajo National Monument was established as a protectorate for amazing Puebloan sites: Keet Seel, Betatakin and Inscription House.  Unfortunately, the day we visited, one of our party could not do any hiking that day, even the 1.3 mile round trip to Betatakin Overlook.  However, we were able to visit a more accessible site, Tsegi Point Overlook, and the Visitor Center does contain a museum with a recreation of a ruin at Betatakin.

Highway 564 is 20 miles west, on Highway 160, from the town of Kayenta; another 9 miles along Highway 564 will bring you to the Visitor Center.  

About halfway to the Visitor Center is Tsegi Point Overlook, a breathtaking viewpoint of the Tsegi Canyon system including Fir, Tsegi, Dowozhiebito and Keet Seel canyons.  Not only is this a stunning landscape, but the quiet surrounds you.

The Visitor Center staff are friendly and helpful; there is a small gift shop inside, and another shop selling Native American crafts next door. The museum is filled with Native American artifacts, as well as a recreation of a pueblo home located at Betatakin.

We drove around to scout out the two campgrounds (first come, first serve and NO wood fires allowed), and the surrounding plant and tree life of the area.

 Shepherdia rotundifolia, roundleaf buffaloberry & Mahonia fremontii, Fremont Barberry  (1)

Shepherdia rotundifolia, roundleaf buffaloberry & Mahonia fremontii, Fremont Barberry  (2)

We're looking forward to going back and definitely taking that hike out to Betatakin Overlook; also just nosing around to see what we can see.

By the way, if coming from Kayenta, make sure to keep a lookout at the alcoves in those sandstone hills; there are ruin sites like the one at mile mark 379 (south side)/mile mark 394 (north side) on Highway 160.

Mary Cokenour

Return to Mule Canyon Cave Towers.

I've previously posted about the first time visiting the Cave Towers at Mule Canyon with Four Corners Adventures, so here is the return visit the next day.  On that first visit, I mainly stayed on the left hand side of the canyon area; this is about the right side.  The high winds were gone, the sky clear and sunny; walking the ledges was a piece of cake, and no holding the camera with one hand, while the other held onto a tree for support.



Now, how to find the Cave Towers (aka Seven Towers), from Highway 191, going south from Blanding, go 19.3 miles along State Highway 95.  On the left hand side of the highway you'll see a dirt trail with a gate across it; just open the gate, go through and make sure to reclose the gate.  About 2/10ths of a mile, you'll reach a parking area with an informational board; the ruin site is only 4/10ths of a mile further on, so you can either hike to them or drive.  If you drive, make sure you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle with high clearance, skid plates would be a beneficial addition.

View from Parking Area.

As I said in my previous post on Cave Towers, the seven towers are distributed along the rim of Mule Canyon.  Roy and I climbed to the partial tower seen on the right hand side; use a walking stick for extra leverage on the sandy upward trail.  Within this tower is still one of the original wood beams, and a view of the puebloan ruins along the canyon's wall ledges.

Mule Canyon Wall Ledges with Pueblo Ruins.

Some of the towers are completely collapsed, but as you travel from one tower to another, you will notice that the other six are in view to each other.  Their placement protected the canyon, the secret spring that ran within this area, and watch guards were in sight of each other.  Smart strategy!

Ruin on Ledge Below Collapsed Tower.

The advantage to being able to walk the ledges, along the right hand side, is being able to better view the ruins tucked into cave openings and along the wall ledges.  A zoom lens on the camera is a huge help in seeing them properly, and we also had binoculars.

Pueblo Ruins Along Wall Ledges

 

 

 





Ruin Near Mesa Top.

My previous post on the Cave Towers included photos of Mule Canyon, so here I concentrated on pillars, pinnacles and walls.

 

 



Walking back to our vehicle, we found two interesting things, well interesting to us at least. The first was a stone which seemed to have a circle with lines radiating from it; was this a carving of the sun, or simply natural weathering from sun and rain?  The second was a gathering of dried juniper berries on the path itself.  The nearest juniper bush was about 10 feet away; the wind might have blown them there, but they were so neatly together.  More than likely, they had gathered by a bird or small creature.

Like the rest of Mule Canyon, this area is quiet, serene and beautiful; come visit, however, leave it as clean and complete as when you first entered.

Mary Cokenour