No water, no power, just history: The untouched world of Ute Mountain Tribal Park
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TOWAOC, Colo. — Beverly Lehi-Yazzie rubbed her hands on a sage bush for blessing as she stepped into the former site of Chief Jack House’s hogan, a traditional dwelling for Indigenous people in what is now the American Southwest.
In front of Lehi-Yazzie, a tribal guide, red ochre paintings covered the sandstone alcove. The images depict a cowboy roping a horse, a woman carrying a cradleboard and Chief Jack House, the last traditional leader of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.
The site is located inside the Ute Mountain Tribal Park. Located beside Mesa Verde National Park, the Tribal Park spans about 125,000 acres — more than twice the size of its neighbor. With only one main graded road, the park remains largely undeveloped. There is no running water, electricity or restrooms. All non-tribal visitors must make a reservation and enter with a tribal guide, with a daily limit of 30 people.
There are two other tribal parks in the Four Corners region — Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park and Four Corners Monument Navajo Tribal Park. Unlike national or state parks, tribal parks are managed entirely by Indigenous communities on their ancestral lands, with a focus on cultural preservation and sovereignty.
“It's left in a primitive stage because that's how these leaders wanted it when they first opened up the tribal park,” said Veronica Cuthair, the park director.
Chief Jack House proposed creating the park in the 1960s. Some tribal members opposed the plan, preferring to keep the land closed. In protest, they shot at his image in the alcove and burned down his hogan. Despite pushback, the park opened to the public in 1972, the year after Chief Jack House passed away.
The park operates April through October, four days a week. Daily tours range from two to 30 visitors. While the tribe doesn’t track exact numbers, estimates put annual visitors at fewer than 3,000 — far below the more than 500,000 annual visitors at Mesa Verde.
Half-day, full-day and private tours are available, costing $40 to $60 per person. Full-day tours include a strenuous three-mile hike to the Tree House, a cliff dwelling built around 1140 A.D. by the Ancestral Puebloans, where visitors climb five ladders to reach the site. Half-day tours in lower Mancos Canyon visit locations such as Red Pottery Ruin and Kiva Point.
“There’s a shortage of guides right now,” said Cuthair. “The youth are not interested in working outside anymore. I think it’s because of the electronics.”
The park employs about half a dozen seasonal guides, some with more than 20 years of experience. To help with maintenance, the park partners with local high schools and groups like the Southwest Conservation Corps.
Cuthair said one solution to the worker shortage could be to recruit tribal members from other reservations and provide nearby housing.
“The public always wants to see what the tribal part has. And that's why we keep running it on the reservation,” she said.
Lehi-Yazzie stopped at the Butterfly Panel, which features ancient Hopi symbols and depicted their origin story.
“It’s private and special,” she said. “When you go to the dwelling it’s like going back in time.”
Type of story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. To read more about why you can trust the journalism of Rocky Mountain PBS, please visit our editorial standards and practices page.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. To read more about why you can trust the journalism of Rocky Mountain PBS, please visit our editorial standards and practices page.