Painted Hand Pueblo, Cortez, CO
Posted by: 
94RedRover
N 37° 26.658 W 108° 59.757
12S E 677279 N 4146047
Part of the Canyons of the Ancients historical park in Southwest Colorado, the Painted Hand Pueblo is a remote, yet great example of ancestral puebloan life before 1200 AD.
Waymark Code: WM3BKF
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 03/10/2008
Views: 11
This site is not easy to find on a map...from 491 outside of Cortez, take County Road BB and travel 6 miles to County Road 10. Turn south and go 11.3 miles. Turn left onto a rocky, dirt road for about one mile, and park.
The rest of the trail is for hiking. Follow the trail marked with hand prints to the ruins in this area.
Before visiting, go to the Anasazi Cultural Center in Dolores, they have maps and lots of information on this site.
From the parking area, you can get a great shot of the Painted Hand Tower, giving these ruins it's name. On the boulders, there are painted pictographs of hands. Please, do not touch the pictographs, oils from the skin will ruin these ancients markings.
The signature piece, the tower, stands guard from a viewpoint that allowed the residents to see far and wide, any approaching visitors. The trail becomes narrow, making us squeeze through some crags, but everywhere we turned, there were dwellings snugged in the alcoves.
The trail can get a little steep and rocky, so please be careful. This is not a maintained, manned area. The whole time we explored these ruins, we were the only souls around.
The trail to get to the parking area for the Painted Hand requires 4 wheels drive, it was rough in most places,a nd I could see that the rock would get slick. If you were to continue past the parking area, a high clearance 4 wheel drive is REQUIRED. It is difficult terrain, but will lead you to the Cutthroat Castle Group Ruins (part of the Hovenweep National Monument) Our 4 wheel drive vehicle did not have the clearance required, so next trip...
Type of overlook: trail
Overlook designation: just a view
Elevation: 5,800.00
View:
From the Painted Hand Tower, one can see all the trails in the immediate canyon, as well as along the mesa tops around this group. This provided great protection for the inhabitants here.
Picnic tables: Not Listed
Benches: Not Listed
Water/restrooms: Not Listed
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Visit Instructions:
You will need a picture with your GPS of the view and the area. It can't be the same picture as the listing has.