Driving Information

From the Visitor Center at Hovenweep, it is about a 25 minute drive to the trailhead.  Follow my map below to get there.

Just follow the small signs to the Horseshoe and Hackberry Group Trailhead.  Google Maps probably won’t guide you hear so you may need to copy my GPS coordinates above.

Note: There are no services or restrooms at Horseshoe and Hackberry Group.   Bring all the water you need before heading out!  The nearest restrooms and drinkable water are located at the Visitor Center at Hovenweep.

The Horseshoe and Hackberry Group are located within the jurisdiction of Hovenweep National Monument despite being in Colorado.  This small patch of preserve is located away from the Visitor Center and is considered rather remote.  Not many people make the trek out here, in fact, I was the only person there during my two hour visit.  There are many Ancestral Pueblo ruins spread out in two separate groups: Horseshoe and Hackberry.  Horseshoe is first and the Hackberry is a little ways down the trail.  Expect to find solitude and peace as you are hiking on this trail but expect to see some amazing things too!

Even from the parking spot you can see the incredible Horseshoe Tower.  It’s a very easy and flat hike and won’t take you long.  It will take you about 1/3 of a mile to get to Horseshoe Tower and then a few hundred feet more to get to Horseshoe House.  The Hackberry Group of ruins is about 1/2 mile from the traihead.

Horseshoe Tower is a small tower that overlooks the valley below.  It’s located on a boulder and has partially crumbled.  Take a look closely at just how well the structures are put together.  You can see that the mortar has kept these mud buildings together for hundreds of years.  Each sandstone brick seems to have its own story to tell as you can see some have been hand carved and shaped to fit.

Horseshoe House was named for its shape that looks like a horseshoe.  Its a good size building with three rooms in the inside.  There are some other ruins nearby but this is the most significant structure in the Horseshoe Group.

If you keep hiking along the marked trail you will come to another small valley where the Hackberry Group of ruins is located.  Hackberry is named for the hackberry tree that produces edible berries.

The Hackberry Group has several excellent structures on top of the canyon and then in an small alcove below the big house above.  There are other ruins scattered around on top of the canyon so make sure you check those too.  There were a few times I walked past a small pile of rubble and then upon further inspection it looked like the pile of rubble was once part of a building.  You could easily spend a few hours here exploring all the ruins and wondering what life would have been like in these two canyons.