Yucca House National Monument

Visited: April 2024

Nearby town: Cortez, CO

Tucked away in the remote southwestern corner of Colorado, is the site of an Ancrestral Pueblan village occupied from 1100-1300 A.D. 

This is one of the least developed sites in the entire National Park System. There are no visitor centers, designated trails, interpretive signs, restrooms, or other facilities. This lack of development is by design. Yucca House was designated as a National Monument on December 19, 1919 by Pres. Woodrow Wilson. For the most part, the ruins have not been subject to archaeological excavation or study. Rather, the purpose of the site is simply to preserve and protect the dwellings in the condition that they were discovered in the late 19th century.

Make sure to consult the NPS website to get the precise directions to the monument. The property is surrounded by private land, and you will need to traverse a number of county roads/private roads (there are easements to access the property, but make sure to respect "No Trespassing" signs) to reach the site. The small parking lot for the monument is adjacent to private property. Please be respectful when parking (make sure not to block the road) and close the gate behind you when you visit.

gate to access the NPS property

W.H. Holmes, an explorer and archaeologist, first described and documented the site in the 1870s. The complex contains two main dwellings: the Upper House and Lower House. The village contained approximately 600 rooms and 100 kivas. Again, these ruins are largely unexcavated. You can walk around the site, but there is not much to see apart from the unexcavated mound of the village (covered with vegetation) and the beautiful scenery of Colorado. There is one large wall of the Upper House that was exposed by excavations done before the site became a part of the NPS in 1919. If you do come across any Pueblan artifacts, please do not touch or remove them. And make sure not to cross any fences and trespass on private lands.

this wall is the largest section of the Yucca House that is actually excavated.

the site is surrounded by private land

unexcavated mound

The lack of development makes this a unique and rather mysterious NPS unit. Again, it's not too far off the main highway, but I really can't recommend going too far out of your way to visit. 

For more info: https://www.nps.gov/yuho/index.htm