CHIMNEY ROCK
-- EXPLORE --
 The Visitor Center Cabin is your starting point for exploring Chimney Rock Archaeological Area and is 1/2 mile from the entrance off Highway 151 (map). The Visitor Center is open in-season (May 15 to September 30) daily from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and staffed by volunteer cabin hosts who provide site and tour information. The cabin has a pit-house model and artifact display and offers a selection of books, gifts, and souvenirs, as well as necessities like bottled water, sunscreen, and insect repellent. Also at the cabin, picnic tables, restrooms are available but no running water. At the upper parking lot where the tours begin, restrooms are available. Pets are not allowed on tours. See the calendar for schedule of Full Moon Programs and other special activities.
DAILY TOURS
Four guided walking tours are conducted in-season (May 15 to September 30) daily at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 2:00 p.m. and typically average 2 1/2 hours. Reservations are required for groups of ten or more. Tours may be cancelled because of severe weather or during special events. Walking tour fees are collected at the Visitor Center Cabin:
| Adult (12 and older) | $10 |
| Children ages 5-11 | $5 |
| Children under 5 | FREE |
($1.00 of your tour fee is dedicated to the preservation of the excavated sites.)
We recommend visitors on the walking tour wear comfortable, sturdy walking shoes and a hat, and bring water. Dress for the outdoors, and don't forget your camera!
 After fees are paid at the Visitor Center Cabin, the tour proceeds 2 1/2 miles up the road in a car caravan to the upper parking lot with the tour guide in the lead car. The tour consists of the Great Kiva Trail Loop and the Pueblo Trail and is approximately one mile walking, including a 200 foot climb on the Pueblo Trail. The Great Kiva Trail Loop is handicap accessible, paved and barrier free. The upper Pueblo Trail is not paved, UNIMPROVED, stone and gravel and leads up to the Great House and fire tower. Public access to the upper Pueblo Trail and the Great House is restricted beyond the falcon enclosure fence to the scheduled tours operated by the Chimney Rock Interpretive Association, Inc. under authority of the National Forest Service special use permit.
The tour guide will relate information about the site and surrounding areas. Included is the history of the site, excavation of the site and who may have settled here and why. Without written language, pictographs, or petroglyphs, there are no definitive answers but, instead, a lot of differing ideas about the history of Chimney Rock.
The high mesa of Chimney Rock holds 16 individual sites, 14 of which are residential. Four of these sites have been excavated and stabilized and are visited on the tour. The sites visited are the Great Kiva and Pit House on The Great Kiva Trail and Ridge House and Great House Pueblo on the Pueblo Trail. Other sites have been excavated and studied, then reburied to protect them and the valuable information they hold.
You may also explore Chimney Rock Archaeological Area online by taking the virtual Photo Tour, reading about the Prehistory and History and the Reflections Program, checking out Artifacts, and perusing the lists and photos of Flora and Fauna (flora gallery and fauna gallery) and Suggested Reading.
For a hands-on Southwestern Archaeological experience, check out the excavation and lab programs at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez, Colorado, which is 98 miles to the west of Chimney Rock.
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Hours of Operation: In-Season May 15 - September 30, Daily 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Guided Walking Tour Schedule: 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m.
Location: 3 miles South of Hwy 160 on Hwy 151 (map)
Mailing Address: Chimney Rock Interpretive Program, P.O. Box 1662, Pagosa Springs, CO 81147
Phone: (970)883-5359 Visitor's Cabin In-season, (970)264-2287 Leave Message Off-season
E-mail: chimneyrock@chimneyrockco.org
Download Chimney Rock Brochure
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