Deep in the heart of the desert southwest, between Monument Valley and Blanding Utah, lies a little-known hiker's paradise, filled with stunning vistas that stretch to the horizon.
PANORAMIC VIEWS
Most people only know this part of the Colorado Plateau from the movies: a short distance south of Mexican Hat is the place where Forrest Gump stopped running and turned around. What most don't realize is just off that famous stretch of lonesome highway is a boundless world of rugged canyons so vast, so packed with hidden cliff dwellings and mysterious rock art panels, that it cannot be fully explored in a lifetime.
There has been a Gatekeeper's Code of Silence surrounding this place for decades. Those who thrive on the solace of open spaces have considered themselves blessed if they were fortunate to stumble upon it, usually by nothing more than pure luck. We hoarded it for ourselves, speaking of it only with members of our exclusive club, testing others by asking if they had been to Cedar Mesa. If they had never heard of it, we quickly changed the subject.
ANASAZI CLIFF DWELLING
I first found this area over 40 years ago - yes, through pure luck - by taking a short detour on my way to somewhere else. The moment I stepped out of the car, the profound silence that hit me like a sledge hammer. It's the kind of overwhelming silence that cuts like a knife. Spend enough time in a place THIS quiet, and you will either tilt toward the transcendent, or go completely mad.
What stuck me next was the horrifying feeling that I was truly and utterly alone for the first time in my life. I wasn't just in another room or out in the woods by myself alone. I was over the horizon and gone from civilization alone. I had unknowingly entered a wilderness of biblical proportions, the kind of place that has called to mystics and sages since the dawn of time.
ANCIENT PETROGLPHS
Out here there's plenty to look at, but nothing to distract you. I guess that sign I passed as I headed west from Shirt Tail Junction -- warning that no gas is available for the next 120 miles -- should have been a clue.
All I wanted to do back then was get to a safe place with grocery stores, modern comforts and plenty of distractions, but, having seen it just once, this magic wilderness left its indelible mark on my soul. I kept coming back, again and again. In the decades of exploration that followed, I slowly came to understand that what the soul needs most in order to thrive is found in wild places, not safe ones.
Cedar Mesa slowly began to transform from a terrifying, desolate place into a temple, and I began to better understand why those ancient mystics sought out such places. In order to hear anything remotely like the voice of God, one must first escape from the madness of crowds.
WILDERNESS CANYONS
The first cliff dwelling I ever saw was here. I didn't know it at the time, but I was surrounded by the greatest concentration of cliff dwellings in the United States, an archaeological showcase like no other. The humble appearance of this one abandoned home, tucked discreetly into the towering sandstone cliffs, was the beginning of an enduring love affair that changed my life forever.
Forty years later I've traveled all over the West, and these are still the most beautiful cliff dwellings I've ever seen. Take only photographs, and leave only footprints.
To make exploring this area easy we've logged the GPS tracks for over 230 sites, and we're in the process of writing a companion handbook.
Chapter 1 of the handbook has been released. There are six more chapters that will be added later this year (2023). Those who purchase the Utah guide now - before the book is finished - will have access to the entire handbook and be notified as each new chapter is released.