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Bears Ears National Monument, Blanding, UT

Photo: Bigbear213, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorOutdoor AdventureHistory BuffFree

Bears Ears National Monument

Southeastern Utah off US-191, UT-95, UT-211 and UT-261 · Blanding, UT

Why you should go…

Bears Ears National Monument covers about 1.36 million acres of southeastern Utah, named for a pair of buttes that rise above 8,900 feet. It protects an estimated 100,000 archaeological sites, from Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings like House on Fire in Mule Canyon to rock art panels. You can hike Cedar Mesa, climb in Indian Creek, run the San Juan River or explore along Comb Ridge. Five tribes formed the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition that pushed for its protection.

  • #national monument
  • #cliff dwellings
  • #rock art
  • #hiking
  • #rock climbing

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Bears Ears National Monument, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Natural Bridges National Monument

    Under $25

    Drive Bridge View Drive to overlooks of three huge sandstone bridges, then hike down trails to stand beneath them.

    8.2 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Hovenweep National Monument

    Under $25

    Walk canyon-rim trails past Ancestral Puebloan towers built between 1200 and 1300 CE on the Utah and Colorado border.

    47 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Attractions
    Quirky Fun

    Hole N" The Rock

    Under $25

    Tour a 14-room home blasted into a sandstone cliff south of Moab, then visit the exotic animal zoo and metal sculptures.

    57 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Dead Horse Point State Park

    Under $25

    Look down on a bend of the Colorado River and the canyons of Canyonlands from a high desert mesa.

    60 mi awayMore like this