Entry No. 39 — the Durango file — filed under: ancestral-puebloan
Lowry Pueblo & the Great Kiva
The painted murals inside this Great Kiva survived sealed underground for roughly nine centuries, then deteriorated thoroughly within years of the 1970s re-excavation — air finished what time could not. The kiva itself is more than 50 feet across, built to hold around a hundred people despite the pueblo housing only forty, which means it was drawing in communities from across the mesa for ceremonies. Almost no one comes out here: the small gravel lot fits maybe a dozen cars, the access road is unmarked to the casual eye, and the silence on a weekday is complete.
The move: Drive the 45 miles northwest from Cortez on Hwy 491 to the Pleasant View turnoff, walk the quarter-mile trail in, and stand inside a ceremonial space that seated crowds before anyone had charted this continent.
📍 Before you go From Cortez, drive ~18 miles north on US-491 to the Pleasant View/Lowry sign, then turn west on Road CC and follow BLM markers. Gravel parking lot fits roughly a dozen cars. Quarter-mile natural-surface trail to the site; mostly gentle grades, compacted gravel near the kiva. Vault toilet on site. Day use only.
- 📍 Cortez (Canyons of the Ancients NM)
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Hours: Added 2026-06-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3
last checked: 2026-06-21