PROGRAM DETAILS

This tour is offered on select Thursday mornings and Monday evenings in June and July  and is specifically designed to educate the visitor about the plants indigenous to Chimney Rock National Monument and the surrounding area. A copy of “Flora of Chimney Rock” will be given to participants to help them identify plants as they proceed along the trail.

A thousand years ago the people who lived at Chimney Rock depended on the plants around them for food, fuel, tools, housing, clothing, medicine, and art. The breadth and depth of their knowledge is almost unimaginable today. Join us for an introduction to some of the plant species that grow at Chimney Rock and their uses by Ancestral Puebloan people. The tour takes visitors along the Great House Trail. At the end of the trail, visitors will enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view from atop the mesa ridge. They will also be afforded the closest view possible of the two pinnacles: Chimney Rock and Companion Rock. Peregrine falcons are often sighted on the left side of Companion Rock, so cameras are a must! Of special note, the tour will be conducted in the quiet off-hours of the Monument.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

The hike up to the Chacoan Great House Pueblo may be difficult for some due to the steep gradient, uneven footing, and elevation ending at 7600 feet. The elevation gain is 200 feet. Participants should be in reasonable physical condition and willing to hike mostly uphill for 1/3 mile (and return steeply downhill).

TICKETS

Check-in is at the Highway 151 entrance gate at the time stated below for each tour. Please adhere to the check-in timeline. The gate will be promptly locked at the end of that time. Tickets are $20.00 for ages 13 and up, $10.00 for ages 5-12, and under 5 are free. Making a reservation through the Recreation.gov website or the call center (877-444-6777) is the only way to guarantee a spot for this tour. Recreation.gov charges a $1.00 reservation fee that is non-refundable. To ensure this tour is scheduled, reservations are strongly recommended. Reservations will be cut off 12 hours prior to the start of the tour. Most tours are at full capacity prior to the event, but walk-ins will be accommodated if space is available. They will be accepted on a first come, first served basis, and must arrive during the specified check-in time frame. Tour tickets can be purchased directly from the guide with cash only. Note: if no one has signed up for the tour by online reservation within the allotted time frame, the tour will not run. No refunds will be issued for no-shows.

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