Round Trip Distance: 440 feet
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 6516 - 6558 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: 36.46820, -107.52711
Fee: none
Attractions: pueblito
The Hooded Fireplace Ruin is located in the Dinetah area east of Bloomfield, New Mexico. Sitting on the lower end of a small ridge, in the Hooded Fireplace & Largo School District Area, above Largo Canyon, the site has a commanding view of the surrounding bench.
For turn-by-turn directions to the trailhead enter 36.46820, -107.52711 or 'Hooded Fireplace Pueblito' into your driving app. The directions are good up to the old Largo Canyon School which is about 26 miles from US-64 outside of Blanco. From the school stay to the right in Largo Canyon and measure another 1.8 miles and turn right onto a road that climbs steeply from Largo Wash up onto the bench. After turning onto this road it is another 2.1 miles to the trailhead.
From the trailhead it is only about 200 feet up to the ruins.
Two kiosks at the site help to bring meaning to the ruins by informing visitors about the Navajo's mode of living at the time which was strongly influenced by Spanish colonists.
The second kiosk goes into the details of the three corner rooms which originally were at least two stories each.
'The site originally included up to eleven rooms in the pueblo and one nearby stone hogan' (BLM kiosk).
The room with the hooded fireplace has an intact roof with a sign cautioning visitors that it is unsafe to climb upon. Be sure not try to enter the room itself either.
Fortunately our camera sees better in the dark than the naked eye without using a flash. We were able to take photos through the dark opening and see clearly the interior of the room. The hooded fireplace obviously is on the right. The entire inside walls of the room were covered with plaster some of which still remains.
This room is filled with the slowly deteriorating logs that once served as its ceiling.
We noticed a couple of blackened pottery shards on one of the rocks. Be sure to leave these for others to enjoy.
If you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.
