Painted Hand is a backcountry site. To reach it you need a good map and a high-clearance vehicle.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS: Drive north from Cortez on Highway 491. Turn left (west) from the highway on County Road BB and travel 6 miles to the intersection with County Road 10. Turn south (left) and go 11.3 miles. Turn left onto a rocky, high-clearance dirt road marked 4531. Drive about 1 mile more, and turn left into the small parking area.
You can see the tower from the parking area by looking east along the cliff edge. Please leave your vehicle in the parking area and follow the foot trail to the site.
This trail is not wheelchair-accessible. (See picture.)
Farther down this same road (4531) is the Cutthroat group of Hovenweep National Monument. Contact Hovenweep for information about visiting it. The Hovenweep Visitor Center and Square Tower House archaeological complex are about seven miles farther southwest along the main road (Road 10).
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PAINTED HAND PUEBLO is a village site from the 1200s. Its most spectacular feature is the remains of a large stone tower perched on a boulder. Stone rubble shows where rooms were once attached to the cliff face and adjacent boulders. The site is named for pictographs of hands painted near the tower. Please don't touch these fragile paintings! Oil and dirt from human hands can eventually destroy these traces of past lives.