-->

Rubble Mound Ruin

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 0.4 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 6140 - 6172 feet
Cellphone: 0 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: Beef Basin Rd. 
Fee: none
Attractions: pueblo ruin




The Rubble Mound Ruin is located in Beef Basin northwest of Monticello, Utah. Sitting on top of a small knoll are piles of scattered stones and logs that were once part of a medium sized pueblo style ruin that stood on the spot overlooking a wide area of Beef Basin.


To find the ruins in this post first follow the directions to the Beef Basin Bench Ruins. From that trailhead hike across the Beef Basin Road toward a distant mound that is just beyond the point of a white sandstone outcrop.


The easiest route is to walk around on the right side, rather than over, the end of the white sandstone outcrop.


It seems that when this site was chosen there may have been a pevelance to put structures out in the open on small hills. We're imagining the reason being a desire to have a clear view in all directions making it harder for someone to sneak up or approach unobserved.


A few logs are still present that would have been used as part of the roof or between floors. Being uncharred they suggest the structure wasn't burned by fire but was abandoned for some other reason.


From the top of the mound the pueblo appears to be much larger than it does from the side on flat ground.


The stones look to have been dry stacked to build the walls without the use of mortar. Here, and in a few other places, a small section of wall looks like it all toppled over together.



We found the Rubble Mound Ruin interesting because it is another example of building techniques and site preferences in the area that all changed over time. The ruin turned out being a lot larger than it looked from a distant and can't really be appreciated until viewed from on top of the mound. If you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.