Moon House Ruins
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| | Difficulty:POI 2A II (v1a1 II) Raps:
Red Tape:Permit required Shuttle: Vehicle:High Clearance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Best season: | Any;HOT in Summer
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37.4363, -109.7942
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Introduction[edit]
Many consider these "the best anasazi cliff dwellings in the region, after Mesa Verde". The ruins are very well preserved, with an interior patio that conserves the original roof and room structures, even some of the original wall ornaments.
These ruins are as they were many hundreds of years ago, please avoid disturbing the site or collecting artifacts so future generations can keep enjoying the ruins.
Approach[edit]
From highway 261 take Snow Flat Rd heading east for 7.5 miles, you will come to the trailhead for this hike. Fill out a a permit from the self-issuing permit station and proceed following the trail all the way to McLoyd canyon, where the cliff dwellings are located. If you have a high clearance vehicle you may drive on the road for the approach almost all the way to the canyon, saving 2 miles of walking.
From the trailhead at the end of the road follow cairns for 0.5 miles down into the McLoyd canyon and up to the obvious cliff dwellings. From the main ruins proceed east onto the canyon cliffs to another set of well conserved ruins at the same level. Then proceed back west, passing some crumbling ruins and reaching the site of ancient petroglyphs, they are located high up on the canyon walls. The rangers told us there are some baby footprints imprimpted on some of the petroglyphs but we could not find them.
Descent[edit]
Exit[edit]
Red tape[edit]
A permit is required to visit the ruins. The current permit system limits use to 20 people per day during the high season (March 1st - June 15th, and September 1st - October 31st). Permits can be reserved in advance by calling the Kane Gulch ranger station. Visiting in the off season permits are required, but there is no limit, and they are extended via a self-pay envelope at the road turnoff to the ruins (see map).
More information is available on the BLM website http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/monticello/recreation/places/cedar_mesa/MoonHouse.html
Beta sites[edit]
RoadTripRyan.com : Moonhouse Ruin (McCloyd Canyon)- https://utahscanyoncountry.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/moon-house-ruin/
- http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/monticello/recreation/places/cedar_mesa/MoonHouse.html
- Climb-Utah.com : Moon House Ruins