The Trail of the Ancients is a collection of National Scenic Byways located in the U.S. Four Corners states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. These byways comprise:

• The first part is the 366-mile Trail of the Ancients National Scenic Byway in San Juan County, Utah;
• The second part is the 116-mile Trail of the Ancients Scenic and Historic Byway in Montezuma County, Colorado;
• The third part is the 662.4-mile Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway in McKinley and San Juan counties, New Mexico;
• The fourth part is the 100.3-mile Dine’ Tah “Among the People” Scenic Road in Apache County, Arizona, and the 26-mile Kayenta-Monument Valley Scenic Road in Navajo County, Arizona.

The byways highlight the archaeological and cultural history of southwestern Native American peoples, and traverses the widely diverse geological landscape of the Four Corners region of the Colorado Plateau. It was the first National Scenic Byway that was designated primarily for its archaeological sites.

Length	1,271 miles
States	4 – Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona
Astronomy Sites	11

There are 2 separate sections shown here, the Colorado and Utah sections.

Astronomy Sites

Although extensive, this list is not entirely exhaustive. But it is a great starting place to examine potential astronomy sites.

Natural Bridges National Monument

Due to its remote location, Natural Bridges preserves a primordial dark sky largely unaltered by modernity. The National Park Service wants to keep it that way. To that end, here at the monument, we only use artificial lighting necessary for safety. Motion detectors limit the light needed within restrooms and other areas in the park. All outdoor lighting devices use low-energy, low-impact bulbs with shields that direct light to the ground where it is needed. On March 6, 2007, the International Dark-Sky Association certified Natural Bridges National Monument as the first International Dark Sky Park. Natural Bridges trails are open day and night. Stargazing and exploring the night sky is allowed virtually anywhere in the park. No bridges or ruins will be visible from the campground or parking lots. Rangers present stargazing programs in spring and summer.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Located in Colorado and Utah, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area covers 1,254,429 acres of mostly rugged high desert terrain. With so much land, there are numerous experiences and outdoor activities for visitors to the area, including wonderful dark skies!

Hovenweep National Monument

Located in Colorado and Utah, the monument has shallow tributaries run through the wide and deep canyons into the San Juan River. The site has some amazing ruins of prior inhabitants. In July 2014, the International Dark-Sky Association designated Hovenweep National Monument an as International Dark Sky Park.

Sand Island Recreation Area

The area offers outdoor enthusiasts many options for river floating, scenic driving, and rock art viewing. Moreover, the area is a great place for viewing the night sky as it is far away from light pollution.

Comb Ridge

Just a few miles west of Bluff is Comb Ridge, a steep ridge running 80 miles in a north/south direction from Kayenta, Arizona to the foothills of the Abajo Mountains near Blanding, Utah.  Tilted at almost 20 degrees and over one mile wide, the name comes from the jagged appearance of the ridge which is similar in shape to a rooster’s comb. The ridge provides a great place to visit and view the night skies, with pristine skies.

San Juan National Forest

San Juan National Forest encompasses about 1.8 million acres in the southwestern corner of Colorado. From high-desert mesas to alpine peaks, these federal lands are managed for multiple uses and visitors are asked to respect each other and the natural resources. This wide space provides a plethora of dark skies for viewing the skies and photographing the skies as well.

Canyon of the Ancients National Monument

Canyons of the Ancients National Monument encompasses 174,000 acres of federal land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The Monument is located in the Four Corners region of southwestern Colorado, about 50 miles west of Durango, 10 miles west of Cortez, and 12 miles west of Mesa Verde National Park. The Monument was designated on June 9, 2000 by Presidential Proclamation to protect cultural and natural resources on a landscape scale. The monument provides dark skies for viewing the skies and photographing the skies as well.

Mesa Verde National Park

Certified as 100th International Dark Sky Park, the Mesa Verde National Park has skies for exceptional quality of the park’s night skies and provides added opportunities to enhance visitor experiences through astronomy-based interpretive programming. The park is a place where the ancestral Pueblo people lived. Once the sun sets, park visitors can experience a night sky very similar to what the the Ancestral Pueblo people saw a millennium ago.

Goosenecks State Park

On the edge of a deep canyon above the sinuous river meander known as a gooseneck, this small park affords impressive views of one of the most striking examples of an entrenched river meander on the North American continent. The state park is a wonderful place to visit for its scenery and dark sky as the IDA recognizes the park as a dark sky park. The park has minimal light pollution and is great for astronomy of all types. There is a day use fee.

Manti-La Sal National Forest

The Manti–La Sal National Forest covers more than 1.2 million acres and is located in the central and southeastern parts of the U.S. state of Utah and the extreme western part of Colorado. With a plethora of hiking and other activates, the forest has a lot to offer. With all of these activities and land, there are a plethora of places to go view the stars!

Slickhorn Canyon Wilderness

Slickhorn Canyon on Cedar Mesa is a canyon of many shapes and colors twisted and carved in eroded reds, browns, and yellows. It is an impressive canyon with sandstone walls varying in height from 300 feet in the north end to 800 feet as the canyon approaches the San Juan River. Hiking in this canyon is rugged. The creek channel is frequently clogged with boulders, and there are many pour offs and steep talus slopes to be negotiated, challenging even the experienced hiker. A permit to hike or backpack is required. The canyon wilderness is a secluded and dark sky makes the wilderness a great place to visit and view the night skies. The skies are really great here!

Camping/Lodging

Here are selection of a few of the campsites that one can use for stargazing above, but is not an extensive or exhaustive list.

Natural Bridges National Monument

The campground is conveniently located next to the visitor center off the main park road. Campsites are first-come, first-served and open year-round. Each site has a fire grill, picnic table, and tent pad, but no running water, electricity, or hookups.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Several regulations to be aware of are that camping is limited to 14 consecutive days and no more than 30 days total in the park in any calendar year. In campground with designated sites: Maximum of 8 people per individual designated site; maximum of 2 tents per site. Designated Group sites accommodate more. Food, pet food, garbage, and other related camp supplies must be stored in containers highly resistant and impervious to entry by birds and other wildlife. Quiet hours are 10 pm to 6 am, unless otherwise posted. There is no camping allowed in Rainbow Bridge National Monument or within/on archeological sites. Campgrounds operated by National Park Service do not take reservations and do not have phone numbers. More information can be found here.

Hovenweep National Monument

A 31-site campground near the visitor center is open year-round, first-come, first-served. The campground is designed for tent camping, though a few sites will accommodate RVs up to 36 feet long. Groups are limited to eight people and two vehicles. Sites include tent pads, fire rings and picnic tables with shade structures; there are no hookups available. One campsite is wheelchair-accessible but is not designed for tent camping.

Sand Island Recreation Area

The campground features 23 campsites which are first-come, first-serve using a self-register at the site. Campsites are $15 per night. Sites accommodate up to eight people and two vehicles. They have a picnic table and fire grate. Drinking water is usually available March through October. There are two group sites for large groups, which may be reserved on www.recreation.gov.

Comb Ridge

Just south of Highway 95 on Butler Wash is the Comb Wash Campground which features dispersed camping and pit toilets.  No water is available. Dispersed camping is also allowed along Comb Wash and Butler Wash. You must stay on previously disturbed areas within 150 feet of designated routes and should not drive off road to create a new campsite.  Please do not camp inside ruins. Plan on bringing your own water and to pack out your trash and waste.

San Juan National Forest

There are many camping opportunities on the San Juan National Forest, which includes developed campgrounds and more isolated dispersed camping areas. With some planning you can find a perfect spot for you and your family. While sewer, water hook-ups and showers are not available, most campgrounds have drinking water, picnic tables, fire rings and vault toilets. 

Canyon of the Ancients National Monument

Camping and campfires are allowed in backcountry areas throughout the Monument but are prohibited in archaeological sites and within 300 feet of water sources and developed areas.

Mesa Verde National Park

At Morefield Campground, which is four miles from the park entrance, has 267 sites. It is important to note that the campground rarely fills. Each site has a table, bench, and grill. Camping is open to tents, trailers and RVs, including 15 full-hookup RV sites. 

Goosenecks State Park

The campground is sparse, with 8 sites with picnic tables and fire pits, some with shade structures, but the majority of the campground more closely resembles dispersed camping. Pay your fee, find a good spot, and enjoy the beautiful vistas. The campground sits on the rim of the Goosenecks Overlook and offers incredible panoramic views of the sinuous San Juan River below.

Manti-La Sal National Forest

Choose from a wide range of outdoor settings and levels of development.  Some campgrounds are highly developed with large, level campsites, tables, fire rings, water, and paved access.  Other campgrounds are more primitive with minimal site amenities.

Slickhorn Canyon Wilderness

There are several primitive campsites available.

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