On December 28, 2016, President Obama proclaimed the Bears Ears National Monument. This 1,351,849-acre monument includes some of Utah’s most stunning scenery, and some truly significant ancestral ruins. The monument is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forestry Service, and a coalition of five Native American tribes. Take a look at some photos of this stunning new national monument – you’ll certainly recognize some of the places you may have already visited.
This map shows the boundaries of the new monument.
Grand Canyon Trust.org/Stephanie Smith
The monument is named “Bears Ears” for these two, distinctive buttes that have significant religious or historic meaning to many of Utah’s Native Americans.
Shaan Hurley/flickr
Here’s the view from atop Bears Ears.
brewbooks/flickr
Stunning cliffs and formations at Indian Creek
Bureau of Land Management/flickr
Newspaper Rock in the Indian Creek Area.
Bureau of Land Management/flickr
Rock climbing at Indian Creek.
Bureau of Land Management/flickr
Another view of the Indian Creek area.
Bureau of Land Management/flickr
Ancient rock art is plentiful in the Cedar Mesa Grand Gulch Area, too.
Bureau of Land Management/flickr
Cedar Mesa towers above the desert floor.
Bureau of Land Management/flickr
‘House on Fire,’ Cedar Mesa Grand Gulch Area
Bureau of Land Management/flickr
More Ancestral Puebloan ruins at Cedar Mesa.
Bureau of Land Management/flickr
Wildlife is abundant throughout the monument.
Bureau of Land Management/flickr
Road Canyon
Bureau of Land Management/flickr
Citadel Ruins
Bureau of Land Management/flickr
Valley of the Gods
Bureau of Land Management/flickr
The Moki Dugway is a steep, twisting road that takes you from the valley floor to an overlook of Valley of the Gods.
Bureau of Land Management/flickr
The rock formations in the Valley of the Gods are incredible against this vast landscape.
Bureau of Land Management/flickr
This place is so picturesque that you could spend a lifetime photographing it.
Bureau of Land Management/flickr
Cedar Mesa/Valley of the Gods
Bureau of Land Management/flickr
Valley of the Gods is in a remote corner of Utah, near Mexican Hat. Without nearby cities, this is what the sky looks like at night.
Bureau of Land Management/flickr
Calf Creek Falls
Bureau of Land Management/flickr
This area has long been important to the native peoples of Utah, and to all Utahns who want to experience this gorgeous land.
Bureau of Land Management/flickr It will continue to be accessible to all, for recreation including hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, rock climbing, off-road vehicle recreation, and grazing. Native American tribes will continue to have the right to collect plants and firewood throughout the monument, and collaborate to manage the sacred, religiously significant sites here.
For more information about Bears Ears National Monument, click here.
Grand Canyon Trust.org/Stephanie Smith
Shaan Hurley/flickr
brewbooks/flickr
Bureau of Land Management/flickr
It will continue to be accessible to all, for recreation including hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, rock climbing, off-road vehicle recreation, and grazing. Native American tribes will continue to have the right to collect plants and firewood throughout the monument, and collaborate to manage the sacred, religiously significant sites here.
What’s your favorite place in this new national monument?
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
