In a wild, remote and somewhat forgotten part of the Southwest, Hovenweep National Monument comprises six separate prehistoric ruined villages dating from the Pueblo period of the mid-thirteenth century. Although in some cases little more than a pile of stones or low wall remnants remain, the interest and appeal is enhanced by the general remoteness and peaceful nature of the surroundings.

Hovenweep is a Paiute word meaning "deserted valley," and the name was bestowed on this region by explorer and photographer William Jackson in 1874. The site became a national monument in 1923.

Of the six villages, the one pictured here is Little Canyon Ruin, and I won't begin to try to give directions on how to get there except that it's in Utah and just a hollering distance from the Colorado border, off a B-road numbered 262, which appears to go in three different directions. But between the direction signs and a good map and navigator, it can be found.