Montezuma Creek Petroglyphs

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 0.4 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 4900 - 4966 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 3 hrs. 45 mins.
Trailhead: MM 34
Fee: none
Attractions: petroglyphs

The Montezuma Creek Petroglyphs are located along Montezuma Creek between Blanding and Monticello, Utah. There are multiple sites scattered along the Montezuma Creek Road where a handful of petroglyphs can be found but this particular site is comprised of a dozen or more panels that are spread out side by side for nearly a quarter mile.

Watched Over Ruin

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 0.25 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 4950 - 4976 feet
Cellphone: 0-2 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: MM 31
Fee: none
Attractions: cliff dwelling, petroglyphs

The Watched Over Ruin is located along Montezuma Creek between Blanding and Monticello, Utah. The site includes a cliff dwelling where the ruins of several rooms can still be seen as well as a few interesting petroglyphs.

Covered Wagon Ruin

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 0.2 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 4972 feet
Cellphone: 0-2 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: MM 31.1
Fee: none
Attractions: ruin, petroglyphs

The Covered Wagon Ruin is located along Montezuma Creek between Blanding and Monticello, Utah. The site consists of a remnant wall from a small ruin and a large surface with an assortment of petroglyphs. One of the images looks like either a covered wagon or perhaps a stagecoach.

Two Shields Ruin

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 0.4 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 4968 - 5003 feet
Cellphone: 0-2 bars
Time: 45 mins.
Trailhead: MM 29.7
Fee: none
Attractions: cliff dwelling, petroglyphs

The Two Shields Ruin is located in the Montezuma Creek area between Blanding and Monticello, Utah. The ruin consists of a cliff dwelling that had 4 or more rooms that were built within a rectangular cavity in the side of the cliff. The straight lines of the rectangular cavity give the cliff dwelling a very unique appearance. Also found at the site are a few petroglyphs and pictographs that include 2 large shields.

Lower Palisade Plunge

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 7.5 miles
Difficulty: Strenuous
MTB Skill level:
Elevation: 4,716 - 6,200 feet
Cellphone: 0-4 bars
Time: 5 hrs.
Trailhead: Palisade Rim
Fee: none
Attractions: new singletrack

This post covers a lower stretch of the Palisade Plunge trail in the area of the Palisade Rim. The Palisade Plunge begins at the Mesa Top trailhead on the Grand Mesa where the elevation is in the neighborhood of 10,700 feet. From there it travels westward across the mesa for almost 12 miles before dropping over the rim. Once below the rim it continues for a few more miles before crossing the Lands End Road where the elevation is 9,031 feet. The trail continues to descend across the west face of the Grand Mesa until it drops over the Little Book Cliffs and makes its final plunge down to the Palisade Rim trailhead next to the Colorado River where the pavement can be followed the rest of the way to downtown Palisade.