Bears Ears National Monument
Explore the Bears Ears Region
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Greater Cedar Mesa
The Cedar Mesa area encompasses up to 1.9 million acres and is home to more than 100,000 archaeological sites. For adventurers with a love of solitude, archaeology and geographic beauty, this area has it all.
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Indian Creek
Indian Creek, in the north of Bears Ears National Monument, is known as a rock climbing mecca. Whether you get up on the wall or decide to drive, it's easy to appreciate the scenery from a lower vantage point as you cruise the 41-mile state scenic byway.
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Newspaper Rock & Indian Creek Corridor
You’ll find the largest collection of Utah petroglyphs at Newspaper Rock along Indian Creek Scenic Byway west of US 191.
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Valley of the Gods
Perhaps one of the most intriguing names of all of the destinations in San Juan County is the Valley of the Gods. This special area attracts individuals looking for idyllic sandstone structures.
Know Before You Go
Getting to Bears Ears
Drive time from:
- Salt Lake City International Airport — Five hours
- Moab — 75 minutes (Bluff, Blanding and Monticello are the closest cities)
- Monument Valley — 30 minutes
- Grand Junction Regional Airport, Colorado — Three hours
- Four Corners Monument — One hour
Visitor Information
There is no official visitor center in the area, but these resources will help you prepare. We recommend every trip to the area start with a visit to the Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum in Blanding or the Bears Ears Education Center in Bluff for helpful context and resources.
Bears Ears National Monument Day Hiking passes are required year-round for day hiking in the Bears Ears National Monument, visit recreation.gov to obtain a pass. If you go, consider traveling with a guide. There are many native-owned guide companies and outfitters in the region.
Monument Designation
In 2021, a presidential proclamation modified the boundaries for Bears Ears National Monument to include 1.36 million acres of public lands administered jointly with the BLM and U.S. Forest Service.
Bears Ears Area Starter Kit
A pair of distinctive, towering buttes stand against beautiful scenery. We call them "Bears Ears." With the help of local expertise, respectfully explore ancestral cliff dwellings and massive natural bridges in a fascinating desert ecosystem.
Highlights
- Edge of the Cedars State Park
- Ancestral Puebloan Dwellings
- Hovenweep National Monument
- Natural Bridges National Monument
Basecamp Cities
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Blanding
Blanding blends cowboy culture with Native American and prehistoric history. The Edge of the Cedars State Park & Museum features the largest display of Ancestral Puebloan artifacts in the Four Corners region, and the Dinosaur Museum, a federal fossil repository, showcases life-size models, skeletons, and a 250-million-year-old petrified tree.
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Bluff
Rich in human and natural history, Bluff is a central point along the Trail of the Ancients National Scenic Byway. It is a gateway to Monument Valley, Bears Ears National Monument, Valley of the Gods and Hovenweep National Monument.
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Moab
Moab is surrounded by a sea of buckled, twisted and worn sandstone sculpted by millennia of sun, wind and rain
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Monticello
The southeastern Utah town of Monticello lies on the sheltered eastern slope of the Abajo Mountains, overlooking a maze of sandstone canyons and plateaus.
Read the Stories
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An Uncommon Confluence
A solo sojourn where snow and desert meet in a lesser-known corner of Utah’s red rock country.
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Finding Strength and Inspiration Deep in the Utah Desert
How a series of hiking and camping trips in Utah’s parks and wilderness put Elisabeth Brentano on a transformative journey from urbanite to nature lover.
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The Art of Supporting Utah Artists
Here’s a look at six local artists whose work draws upon Utah’s diverse environments as inspiration.
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The Petroglyphs of Comb Ridge
Comb Ridge in Southeastern Utah offers dramatic galleries of ancient petroglyphs engraved on sandstone cliffs by Ancestral Puebloan artists over 1,000 years ago. Learn more about Comb Ridge and its unique rock art sites, including the famed Procession Panel.
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The Voices of Bears Ears
Bears Ears National Monument is at the heart of southeastern Utah. These lands are imbued with layers of culture — layers of life. In this four-part video series, meet the locals who connect with the land in their own distinct ways.
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Touring the Indian Creek Corridor Scenic Byway
Prepare to be captivated as you drive along Indian Creek Utah’s Corridor Scenic Byway. Explore the Needles District, Canyonlands NP and admire Utah’s natural beauty.
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Touring Utah with the State’s Most Well Known Women Writers
The diversity and beauty found in Utah has often been captured by women. Here are the places that seven of Utah’s most well known women writers knew and loved most.
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Utah’s Unexpected Pit Stops
You’re doing it wrong if you think road trip pit stops are boring layovers on your way to more exciting destinations. How many of these hidden gems have you been to? Here are 11 mini-adventures to check off your list next time you’re road-tripping through Utah.
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Walking The Line Between Risk and Responsibility
Why a Hawaii-based highliner and influencer hasn't returned to Utah — yet.
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Winter in Southern Utah Like a Local
Southern Utah comes alive in winter with unexpected experiences for those who are well-prepared and solitude for those who want to expand their view.
What's Nearby
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Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands is home to many different types of travel experiences, from sublime solitude in the more remote stretches of the park to moderate hikes through the Needles district to the opportunity to create your own version of one of the West's most photographed landforms, Mesa Arch.
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Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum
Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum in Blanding, Utah, is the site of a prehistoric Native American village. Explore history here!
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Four Corners Area
Visit the Four Corners area of Utah and learn about each of the Four Corners states--Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah. Plan your visit now!
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Goosenecks State Park
Located north of Mexican Hat, Goosenecks State Park is an easy-to-get-to area with a million-dollar view. The San Juan River begins in the mountains of Colorado and travels to its junction with the Colorado River at Lake Powell.
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Hovenweep National Monument
Hovenweep, the Ute Indian word meaning ‘deserted valley,' stands as a sentinel of Ancestral Puebloan ruins in a landscape of sage and juniper. Info from VisitUtah.com.
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Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
Monument Valley, Utah, an iconic symbol of the American West, is the sacred heart of the Navajo Nation and the ideal setting for your next adventure in the warm, high desert climate of southeastern Utah.
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Natural Bridges National Monument
As you start to descend toward Natural Bridges National Monument, the groundcover becomes more luxuriant and the trees taller. You cannot see the chaotic landscape of Natural Bridges from the highway– it is only revealed once inside the park.
