Hey everyone,

I went to Mesa Verde National Park for the first time about four months ago. When I told a mutual friend how much I enjoyed it, she was all too eager to tell me that Chaco was even better. So when I went to Albuquerque to visit my cousin, I suggested that we head there to check it out for a weekend of camping and hiking.

After a few hours on the highway and then washboarded dirt road, we arrived to the campground and grabbed a spot. From there we headed over to the visitor center to grab a map and get the lay of the land.

For the first afternoon we stuck to the loop road and decided to hike the Pueblo Alto Loop Trail. 

Peublo Alto

At Pueblo Alto, we saw our first arc site of the area and also a bunch of cool pot sherds. This is why my friend mentioned Chaco as being cooler than Mesa Verde. In addition to Chaco being the apparent center of the Ancestral Puebloan culture, it was also less visited and less reconstructed. That also means it's still possible to find random artifacts.

Pottery Sherds at Pueblo Alto Pottery Sherds at

On the hike back to the car we got our first view of the main arc site, Pueblo Bonito. Even though we were up high, it still looked HUGE. According to the signs, it was planned and constructed in stages between 850-1150. That world eventually covered a vast area of the present-day Southwest, including the San Juan Basin of New Mexico, and portions of Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. For over 300 years, Chacoan Culture united many diverse peoples within its sphere of influence.

Pueblo Bonito from Pueblo Alto Trail

We also got a great view of the Kin Kletso arc site.

Kin Kletso from Pueblo Alto Trail

Back in the Valley, we walked over to Pueblo del Arroyo. Unlike other great houses in the canyon, it was built away from cliff walls, in the open near the arroyo. Another unusual feature is the tri-wall kiva. Only ten tri-wall kivas have been found in the Southwest – three of those are at Aztec Ruins National Monument. The one found at Pueblo del Arroyo is the only one in Chaco Canyon.

Pueblo del Arroyo Pueblo del Arroyo (2) Pueblo del Arroyo (3) Pueblo del Arroyo (4) Pueblo del Arroyo (5) Pueblo del Arroyo window

The last place we hit for the day was Casa Rinconada. There are other small dwellings in the area, but the Great Kiva is the big highlight.

Pueblo del Arroyo window (2) Casa Rinconada (portrait) Casa Rinconada

The next day we woke up and decided to hike the South Mesa Trail. There's not a ton of arc sites on the trail, but it's a great trail to give you grand views of the area and Chaco Canyon.

View from the South Mesa Trail

Back in the valley it was time to explore Pueblo Bonito. The first thing I noticed was all the stone work in the walls. In addition to the bigger stones that made up the wall, there were loads of smaller stones between them. It was such cool craftsmanship. 

Pueblo Bonito wall and window Pueblo Bonito wall and window (2) Pueblo Bonito wall and window (3) Pueblo Bonito Hallway

On the inside, there were so many cool hallways and doors between the rooms. Again, amazing craftsmanship with sharp corners.

Pueblo Bonito Doorway

For sunset, we drove out to one of the outliers, Kin Klizhin. It was a haul to get out there, but a great view of the surrounding area.

Kin Klizhin Sunset

The next day we woke up to fresh snow on the ground. For sunrise, we hiked out to the Una Vida petroglyph panel.

Una Vida Petroglyphs

At the panel we also had great views of Fajada Butte.

Morning light on Fajada Butte

Back at the car we decided to make one last trip through the loop road with the fresh snow on the sites. Pueblo Bonito looked completely different in the snow. 

Snowy Sunrise Pueblo Bonito Snowy window in Pueblo Bonito Snowy Kiva in Pueblo Bonito Fresh Snow on Pueblo Bonito

Overall we had a great trip. I can't believe I never learned about any of this in school. I'm looking forward to exploring the Colorado plateau and sites like this in the future!