The southwest of the United States may seem like a desert today, hosting only small dispersed cities and towns without much going on. This hasn’t always been the truth. This area was home to a diverse and booming population of people for over 10,000 years. No place showcases this better than Canyon of the Ancients National Monument. While many national parks and monuments can be defined by a singular access
Mesa Verde National Park is probably the one most anticipated by Mom. This land is sacred to the Puebloan people of the Southwestern United States. It is the site of some of the most iconic and culturally significant ancestral sites in the world! Mesa Verde National Park: A Study in Change and Sensitivity When Mom and Dad were in school, the term “Anasazi” or “Anasazi peoples” was in the textbooks
While looking for camping that was convenient to Mesa Verde National Park, we found a little strip of public land just off of Forest Service Road 316 outside of Mancos, Colorado. This section of the San Juan National Forest is an ideal launching point when exploring not only Mesa Verde National Park but also the nearby Canyon of the Ancients National Monument. The area was pretty popular, judging by the
We love little museums; whether they are a mishmash of local history or the hyper-focused outreach of a local utility. They all have something to offer. To date, the most unique and complete little museum we’ve visited is the Museum of the Mountain West in Montrose, Colorado. The Museum of the Mountain West is the collected life’s work of a single person! The owner and curator has collected everything from
One of the “youngest” national parks, Black Canyon of the Gunnison is still a sight to behold. Located just outside of Montrose, Colorado, this small section of the Gunnison River still has some spectacular views. The section of the canyon the park encompasses holds some of the steepest and darkest sections in the world. Some areas only receive 30 minutes of direct sunlight due to the steepness and narrowness of
As we started to leave the mountains of Colorado, we plotted a route that not only got us closer to some events we had planned but also put us in range of more national parks. The BLM lands outside of Montrose, Colorado not only put us in range of Mesa Verde National Park but also unlocked some other great experiences in and around the city. Actual BLM Camping Around Montrose
While spending our summer in the mountains outside of Denver, Colorado, we decided to spend a day and explore some of the attractions that Denver had to offer. One of the gems of that exploration was Wings Over the Rockies. It’s no secret that we love Air and Space Museums and Wings Over the Rockies is one of the best! Wings Over the Rockies: A Mix of History and Pop
While we had to flee Utah to escape the summer heat, that didn’t necessarily mean our National Park quest was at an end. While we were camped out at Stillwater Pass, we were just minutes from “The Land of Extremes”: Rocky Mountain National Park. Things to do at Rocky Mountain National Park In addition to hiking and camping opportunities, Rocky Mountain National Park has several unique attractions for the historians
To date, one of our favorite summer hiding spots has to be Stillwater Pass National Forest outside of Grand Lake, Colorado, and within spitting distance of Rocky Mountain National Park. The area had daytime highs in the 70s and overnight lows in the 40s making this the perfect free spot to beat the summer heat. What to Expect at Stillwater Pass Stillwater Pass has a unique blend of scary and
As we spent the summer in the mountains of Colorado, we jumped around to several dispersed camping areas in the region. One of which was the Gordon Gulch Dispersed Camping Area outside of Nederland, CO. Like our stay at Deep Creek, Gordon Gulch Dispersed Camping Area is limited to numbered spots. Most of these spots are down super sketchy and deeply rutted roads only suitable for high clearance off-road vehicles.