photos by Stephen Eginoire

Hidden among the sage just west of Cortez is a vast network of canyons that are home to the highest known concentration of prehistoric and historic Native American ruins in the country. Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, as its known, hosts numerous marked trails and maintained ruins, as well as countless seldom visited backcountry gems. Heres a look at a few sites, hikeable year-round, (if you dont mind the mud): Hovenweep and Lowry.