Five Kiva Ruins and arch
These ruins and are the closest ruins to see from Blanding. They are quite large and easy to access.
Travel Curious
For independent travelers who want to dig deeper
Menu
Butler Wash Dinosaur Tracksite
This site in Lower Butler Wash in Bears Ears National Monument includes several sets of tracks that were left by two different types of dinosaurs more than 160 million years ago.
These were made by meat-eating bipedal theropod dinosaurs which are the most common tracks seen in southeast Utah and likely are from Allosaurus.
Route to see the dinosaur tracks
From the parking area follow the short few hundred feet trail from behind the sign kiosk to where it drops down to a wash and rejoins the road. As the trail reaches the wash the tracks will be on the slickrock to the right of the road.
The tracks that are the furthest away are the easiest ones to identify. The other set of tracks are closer to where the trail meets the wash. They are much shallower and less distinct but there is one that is a little easier to make out than the others.
Notes
- Dogs okay
- You can also just drive down the road and park right next to the site
Getting there
- 10.2 miles west of Blanding on Highway 95, turn left onto country road 262 at ( 37.534619, -109.620696 )(2nd exit for Lower Butler Wash Road) 0.2 miles is a pull-off on the right with signage.
Parking
Pull off at ( 37.534517, -109.616845 )
Explore Nearby...
Hikes...
Arch Canyon and Walnut Knob
Arch Canyon has ruins and three arches, explore Walnut Knob to see amazing petroglyphs of hunting parties and game
House on Fire Ruins in Mule Canyon South Fork
There are many ruins in the canyon, but House on Fire ruin is the most famous of them, getting its name from the effects that the sunlight has on the sandstone cliff of the overhang that it is built under
Fallen Roof Ruin in Road Canyon
Road Canyon contains many ruins, granaries, and kivas. “Fallen Roof Ruin” derives its name from the elaborate pattern created by the missing sandstone slabs of rock that fell out of the roof of the alcove in front of it.
Butler Wash Ruins
Choose to view the ruins from an overlook or hike up the wash and explore the ruins close up
Lower Butler Wash Road - Hikes
Lower Butler Wash Road is a unique area of Comb Ridge, home to a dozen unmarked trailheads not published by the BLM or marked with signs. All are short hikes (1-3 miles round trip) that lead to amazing ancestral sites, caves and alcoves with 800-year-old ruins, petroglyphs, pottery shards and more.
Big Crane Petroglyph
A petroglyph panel with a graphic representation of a large crane and sun symbol
Double Stack Ruin
See a higher and lower set of ruins with painted handprints, metates, rockart and impressive mud mortared rock walled structures still standing
Pedestal Rock Ruins
A large intact ruin on top of a 400-foot rock pedestal with views out over Comb Ridge
Monarch Cave
Hidden up a side canyon of Comb Ridge is an impressive ruin complex with petroglyphs, pottery sherds, corn cobs, sharpening grooves, and grinding metates.
Wolfman Panel
Hike to see multiple rock art panels with one with a unique wolfman like figure, across the canyon are ruins you can continue to
Butler Wash Dinosaur Tracksite
See two sets of Allosaurus dinosaur tracks from 160 million years ago
Fishmouth Cave
A short easy hike to a large cave with handprints and metates, there are a number of smaller ruins to see along the trail.
Split Level Ruin
The hike to a ruin split over two ledges is filled with hundreds of pictographs, large rocks covered in metates, sharpening marks, pottery shards, and painted handprints
Goosenecks State Park ...
How to photograph the San Juan River’s double Goosenecks at Utah’s Goosenecks State Park
The park’s viewpoint overlooks the meander of two giant bends (goosenecks) of the San Juan River. Geologists consider this part of the river to be one of the finest examples of “entrenched meanders” anywhere in the world.
Scenic Drives...
Arch Canyon Overlook
Sit 400 feet above Arch Canyon and enjoy a great sunset
Recapture Pocket
This is a little visited but interesting location full of goblins and hoodoos contained in three main groups of formations relatively close to each other
Petroglyphs along highway 162
On Highway 162, stretching for 3 miles east from Bluff there are multiple rock art sites sitting right next to the highway.
Planning your visit to stunning Valley of the Gods in Utah
Valley of the Gods is a beautiful treasure waiting to be discovered, unlike Monument Valley, it is free, and you can explore without having to hire a tour guide
Everything Else...
Photography Guide and Tips for Mile Marker 13 Monument Valley Overlook
Photography tips for making the most of your visit to this iconic location that has been the backdrop of countless movies, commercials, print ads, calendars and much more.
Sand Island Rock Art Panels
There are two large concentrations of rock art to see at two sites that accumulated artwork over 2000 years.
Newspaper Rock
A famous rock panel carved with about 650 individual petroglyphs of abstract shapes and symbols to more recognizable human and animal figures
Buy Framed Prints
Images on this website are available as framed prints to support running the website
Browse Prints For Sale
