Entry No. 99 — the Durango file — filed under: history

Salmon Ruins Museum

Salmon Ruins is an ancient Chacoan great house built around 1090 CE by migrants from Chaco Canyon. The site originally featured a three-story pueblo with up to 300 rooms, an elevated tower kiva, and a great kiva, but it was destroyed by fire and abandoned in the 1280s. Today, visitors can walk among the excavated stone walls, explore the adjacent museum, and view the historic 19th-century Salmon family homestead.

The move: Pay the small admission fee at the visitor center to take a self-guided walking tour along the interpretive trail, photographing the ancient masonry and exploring the historic homestead.

📍 Before you go The ruins are legally accessible to the public via the Salmon Ruins Museum for a small admission fee.

• 📍 Bloomfield
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Low-key
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: 6131 US-64, Bloomfield, NM 87413, USA

Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current access before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Official site · Wikipedia

last checked: 2026-07-20