Back in late March John brought to my attention some online photos (since removed) from a canyon in the Cedar Mesa area showing some ruins and a complete, although cracked, in-situ pot. A few days later I was able to figure out the rough location of the pot, at least within a few minutes of some scenery in one of the photos. I hadn’t really planned on visiting the area to search for the pot until perhaps fall or winter, but John made plans to go there the first weekend in May and invited me. It was going to be a bit warm with a high near 90 degrees, but it wasn’t a super long hike and we planned to get an early start. I met him at our planned camp spot on Friday evening and we chatted for a while, then turned in early with a 6AM wake-up call planned for the morning.
Comb Ridge and the Abajo Mountains
Our camp
Belt of Venus after sunset
We were hiking by 7AM on Saturday. To get into the canyon we walked down an old constructed stock trail which was blasted through the cliffs and ledges, with the rubble fashioned into ramps.
Saturday’s sunrise
The beginning of the hike
Upper part of the stock trail
Blasting marks in the sandstone
Nearing the canyon rim
More constructed trail
Lower part of the trail
Once in the bottom of the canyon we kept our eyes peeled for any rock art or ruins and it didn’t take long before we found some of both. There were several granaries, some with corn cobs and metates inside, and just a bit of rock art above some of them. Near the granaries were also the ruins of structures that I’d guess were used for habitation.
In the canyon
A green, grassy area
Yucca and ruins
Ruin opening
Metates and corn inside a ruin
Ruin
Ruin
Pictographs above a ruin
Ruin
Collapsed walls
Upper part of a collapsed ruin
More ruins a short distance away
Painted potsherd
Pictographs above a ruin
Farther down the canyon we found more ruins high up on a ledge. There were a lot of potsherds here, and around the other side of the butte I found more granaries and some grinding slicks on a boulder.
Hiking farther down
Distant ruin
High ruins
Above the crack leading to the ruins
High ruins
High ruins
Potsherds
Grinding slicks
Small ruin
Ruin
Yet deeper into the canyon we finally reached where I thought the pot might be. John and I split up and began searching. There were so many potential hiding spots, and after more than 20 minutes I was beginning to lose hope that we’d find it. I was actually beginning to go back to find John when I poked my head into a crack and there it was! I’d imagined it being the size of a cantaloupe but it was much larger, more comparable to a basketball. I let out a few loud whistles and John joined me there.
The pot
The pot
The pot
Broken metate
We found some shade nearby and sat for lunch before hiking back up the canyon. It was pretty warm out but still tolerable. I took the climb up the stock trail just slow enough that I wouldn’t have to stop to rest since it was completely exposed to the sun.
Under some willows and tamarisk
Back up the canyon
And back up the trail
Blasting marks in a cliff
Cactus blooms
Back at our vehicles
It was 88 degrees when we got back to our vehicles. That’s just about the upper limit for what my body could take for a hike like this, but I’m glad we did it sooner rather than waiting until late in the year. This was only my second trip to the region, the first being cut very short by mosquitoes. This one was still a pretty short trip considering the distance I drove to get there, but it was much more worthwhile.
88 degrees
Photo Gallery: A Cedar Mesa Canyon
As always, Dennis, great account. And what a sensational artifact. I hope this post doesn’t tell the wrong people too much about it’s locale.
Thanks, Ted. I also worry about whether I’m saying/showing too much. I edited my photos and wrote this report in July and have been sitting on it since then. I only revisited it today before making a few changes and posting it, and hopefully it’s not too revealing. There are surprisingly many artifacts like this out there and I’m surprised the BLM hasn’t collected them (I’m sure they’re aware of ’em).
Yeah, my girlfriend and I just came back from camping on Cedar Mesa. It’s a special place, with so many fascinating things to explore. May San Juan County never become the next Moab!
Great report (again!), fun read and even better pictures.
Thank you.
Why in God’s name would you put this up for public consumption!!!
Share it with a few friends that respect the area, but do not throw this out for every idiot to trample to and turn it into another moonhouse or citadel ruin. Have some respect and remove this trip report if you truly value the preservation of this area. Unbelievable any one would post this publicly.
You’re right–I really have no respect for nor do I value preservation of the area. I suppose I should just post the coordinates since this post has been up for over a year and I’m sure many people have already figured out the location (as you apparently have) due to my carelessness.
Known about it looong before your post and found it out exploring. A friend of cedar mesa sent this to me. What’s the point in putting a rare place up for every so called overlander to trample to. Does it make you feel like someone of authority.
I did notice on a recent trip there ( hadn’t been back for quite awhile) there was now a nice trail and plenty of footprints and activity.
I think these places are to be kept to the true enthusiasts and not to every man bun sprinter van owner with a Vlog looking for content.
Let your conscious be your guide. I have memories of cedar mesa before it was over run.