Chimney Rock Archaeological Area

Chimney Rock Archaeological Area is located about 43 miles from Durango and 17 miles from Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Take U.S. highway 160 east from Durango or west from Pagosa Springs to Colorado highway 151 and turn south. The entrance is 3 miles farther, on the right. You can also take New Mexico highway 511 north 33 miles from the Navajo Reservoir to Ignacio, Colorado, to meet the other end of highway 151, then turn right and go about 30 miles.

Chimney Rock is open seasonally from May 15 to September 30. (Unfortunately that means you cannot see the winter moon rise between the pinnacles at 18 year intervals.) Tours start at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., and last two and a half hours. The tour is a good walk, but anyone in reasonable physical condition can do it.

Monthly night-time full-moon hikes are one of the most popular events at Chimney Rock. This conducted hike climbs to the highest part of great pueblo on top of the mesa for a talk about the local people who lived there and the archaeo-astronomy of the area.

You will be met at the entrance station by a volunteer with the San Juan National Forest Association. He or she will lead the vehicles to the top of the mesa, then guide the walking tour of the area. The tour starts with the original settlements, including a couple of excavated villages, a "great kiva" (whose true function remains a mystery), and several unexcavated sites. You then proceed across the ledge to the Chacoan Great House, where you can wander through largely restored ruins. From the Great House, you get a spectacular view back to see the mesa in profile, the San Juan Mountains to the east, and the Piedras River valley to the west. And of course, a view of the 300-foot pinnacles, Companion Rock closest and Chimney Rock just beyond. An old fire lookout stands above the Great House, which provides another vista of the chimneys and the surrounding area, but it is a bit out of place among the remnants of the Anasazi.

Florence C. Lister has written an entertaining book on the archaeology of Chimney Rock and the surrounding area, entitled In the Shadow of the Rocks: Archaeology of the Chimney Rock District in Southern Colorado, published by the University Press of Colorado in Niwot, Colorado. This book can be ordered by writing to the San Juan National Forest Association, P.O. Box 2261, Durango, CO 81302. J. McKim Malville and Claudia Putnam developed the theory of Chimney Rock as an astronomical observatory in their book Prehistoric Astronomy in the Southwest, available from Johnson Books in Boulder, CO.

We found Chimney Rock so inspiring that we drove to Chaco Canyon, a little over 100 miles south of Durango. You can spend a few days exploring the cities in the canyon and hiking around the bottom and rim. A highly recommended excursion if you have the time and are prepared to camp. The National Park Service operates a convenient campground a mile from Chaco's visitor center.