See Trail Map for driving directions too.

A high-clearance vehicle with 4-wheel drive is a must!  If you do not have high clearance then you will high center many times and damage your vehicle.  We had a medium-clearance vehicle and got about 3 miles from the Comb Ridge turn-off and had to park and walk the remaining distance to the River House Ruins.  If you have a side-by-side or ATV you will have little problems getting there.  There are a few obstacles including a spot that will require your vehicle to go up about a foot but someone added some rocks to make it a little better.

There are some tricky spots as you go down Comb Wash.  If you don’t have experience doing any sort of off-roading then this adventure may not be for you.  If there are recent rains then I would not do this drive.  You drive down Comb Wash which can have a good amount of water with the spring run-off making this extremely muddy and impassable.

This is a very remote area, so bring extra fuel, full size spare, tire changing equipment, food, and water.

The River House Ruins are some of the best ruins to see in Utah.   This ancient community built its dwellings inside a small alcove along the San Juan River.  They are easily accessible and you just park (assuming you were in a high-clearance vehicle with 4-wheel drive), and walk up the 50 ft. to the ruins.

Please be respectful of these incredible and fascinating structures.  These are around 1,000 years old and are still in great shape considering how many people have visited here.

The ruins are located on BLM land which mean you need to be even more responsible while exploring these ancient structures.  Firstly, you are allowed to get close to the ruins, but do not climb on top of the walls or structures.  I would go farther and say do not enter any of the rooms, but feel free to peek in.  The rooms have been ransacked by previous explorers and archeologists, so there is little to be seen in terms of artifacts and relics.  The ruins themselves are the main event here and they are still in excellent condition!

There are stairs that lead you from the signs to the ruins.  It’s unclear if all or some of these were created by the ancient people, but they are very helpful.  The stairs lead left or right, so just choose which way you want to explore first as the ruins don’t interconnect up top.

We went to the left first and explored what we thought was a kiva and some pictographs.  The kiva was destroyed on one side, but you can still see many aspects of a traditional kiva.  There are other rooms here, and make sure to look up at the white pictographs on the ceiling.  You will see may handprints, snakes, a cross, and other figures and symbols. 

Behind the kiva on the north side of the wall is a door to a room that connects to the kiva. Take a look and admire the masonry and the mortar that was used to create this incredible door.  I love imagining that this door has lasted 1,000 years up until this exact moment that I visited!  Look above the door and you will see two green handprints and some zig-zag patterns.  Why do you think these were created above the door?

Some pictographs have been almost completely erased by time.  Like in the picture below.

We then went back down the stairs and up to the right side.  It’s unclear, but this first part you enter seems to be some type of living area.  Take a look at the bottom of the of this living area on the east side.  We found tons of ancient corn cobbs!  Look at how small this ancient corn was!  Most of the corn was only 4-6 inches in length.   Someone actually ate these pieces of corn and here the remnants are scattered on the ground.  You aren’t allowed to touch the artifacts so please take pictures and enjoy.

On this side, is a two story tower that you can peek inside.  I just can’t get over the masonry!  It’s very similar in style to the nearby ruins of Hovenweep and also Mesa Verde.  I’m sure there were some engineering ideas being shared among the ancient peoples throughout the 4-corners area 1,000 years ago.

As I was admiring how the buildings were constructed, I looked through one of the doors and was transported back to the time when these were inhabited.  The door was almost a portal that provided just a glimpse of some unknown time where I could see people living in this seemingly unforgiving landscape.  Yet they survived and thrived due to the San Juan River.  They planted corn, beans, and squash and hunted animals.  This area has many other ruins and hogans that still remain to this day.

In some of the rooms on this side, pay attention to the doors again. You can see the original wood that was used for the frames! You can also see hand carved notches on the rock walls where logs would be placed to make the second floor.  Take a look at some of the boulders that are the foundation to the two story tower.  Carved foot and hand-holds were created to better access these rooms!

Look on the back of the walls and you will see some red handprints and also a very faint red anthropomorph. 

Look straight above you and you will see some interconnecting spirals an also some zig-zag or squiggle lines.  We found interconnecting spirals on the Kachina Panel and other places along the San Juan River.

More Ruins

There are other nearby ruins and you’ll easily miss them if you don’t pay attention like we almost did.  The other ruins are a little bit smaller, but still worth the visit.   These ones are smaller and seem to be storage or granaries!  I climbed up close to get a picture inside!