Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum

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Cellphone reception is strong within the Visitor Center and Museum, but less reliable elsewhere on the National Monument.

Parking. Parking for the Visitor Center and Museum is in a paved, striped lot with about 50 spaces. Five of these spaces, three near the front entrance and two near the rear entrance, are designated as accessible and have access aisles for vans with side ramps.

A concrete path about 180 yards long leads from the parking lot to the building entrance. The path has a 2 percent grade with benches at several points. If you have mobility issues, call when you’re in the parking area (970-882-5600) or before you come to the site, and the BLM will assist with the best way to access the building.

Kiosks. There is an information kiosk in the parking lot.

Entrance and toilets. The entrance door can be opened by a push-button control at an appropriate height for wheelchair users. The doors to the accessible restrooms inside the Visitor Center and Museum have the same push-button openers.

The restrooms have flush toilets and sinks. Both the men’s and women’s sides have a larger accessible stall with handrails near the commode.

Drinking water. There is an accessible drinking fountain and bottle-filling station outside the entrance to the restrooms.

Front desk, signs, and exhibits. The front desk is low, to accommodate visitors using mobility devices. Several visitor orientation panels just inside the front door provide information about the site, weather conditions, and the best times to visit. Brochures and driving maps are also available.

Museum exhibits include a replica pit house that can be reached using a wheelchair lift; exhibits hanging on the walls, with some extending up to the ceiling; and a low, horizontal topographical map with tactile features.

Screens in the Museum play films with text captions on a continuous loop at a low volume. In addition, there is a visitor-activated touchscreen panel at a wheelchair-accessible height.

There are items in exhibit cases that are at a height appropriate for mobility device users. The Museum offers 12 low discovery drawers allowing visitors, including children visiting independently or in school groups, to examine artifacts from Ancestral Puebloan material culture. There are also 4 microscopes, an interactive informational screen, a touchable dendrochronology station, and artifact kits.

Other accessible features of the Museum include a 120-seat auditorium, where movies about the cultural history of the site are screened; a large special exhibit room with rotating exhibits and push-button door openers; and a meeting room, called the Lowry Room, displaying the work of the current artist in residence.

Trail to the Escalante Pueblo. A ½-mile, 3-feet-wide trail leads from the Visitor Center and Museum to the Pueblo. At the beginning of the trail, there are 2 ramadas covering picnic tables that sit on concrete pads and have inset legs allowing wheelchair users to pull up to the ends.

The trail has a moderately steep slope, switchbacks, and concrete pull-outs. There are also interpretive signs and several benches without arms.   

The concrete trail becomes flat at the top of the hill and wraps around the Pueblo. There are 3 viewpoints, 2 with shade shelters and bench seating and 1 uncovered with a protective bumper wall.

Driving loop. An 88-mile scenic drive that goes around Hovenweep National Monument, managed by the National Park Service, also passes by 2 BLM sites with accessible trails: Lowry Pueblo National Historic Landmark and Painted Hand Pueblo. This driving loop is part of the Trail of the Ancients National Scenic Byway managed by the Colorado Tourism Office. 

Note: Descriptions and photos uploaded June 2025. Please note that actual on-the-ground conditions may vary due to natural events (e.g., weather, wildfires, erosion), normal wear and tear, or site improvements.