Colorado: Chimney Rock National Monument

Keltin and I debated a lot on this trip about going to Chimney Rock versus Mesa Verde. If we had had more time we would have go to both but in the end with the tours available and the times of those tours we decided to visit Chimney Rock and we were not disappointed.

If you are in the area I highly suggest saving a morning to visit this national monument. Take a guided tour and ask lots of questions! Our guide said they prefer groups that ask a lot of good questions and our group asked questions non stop. The 9:15 am guided tour are $16 per adult and well worth it. Our guide was a volunteer and a wealth of information. Since we visited later in the year after most people are back home from summer vacations we were the youngest people in our tour group by many years.

Chimney Rock was the home to Ancestral Puebloans and they were thought to be related to the people that lived in Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon. Chimney Rock is believed to have been an celestial observatory with religious significance to the Puebloans because every 18.6 years the moon rises between Chimney and Companion Rock and this lunar phenomenon can be observed from the great house.

This historical site is full of history that truly helps you appreciate the past and the people that lived here. We may never full understand them but taking even this brief peep into their world was enchanting. Have you ever visited Chimney Rock? If so, what did you think? Happy Travels!

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