The Moon House is just one of the many incredible archaeological structures found in the Bears Ears National Monument of Southern Utah.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) requires a permit to visit Moon House.

These images and my set of posts are from a trip this year in late September and early October to the Blanding and Bluff areas of Southeast Utah.

Most of the trails we hiked are of short to moderate distance (under four miles round trip) but rated moderate-to-difficult because of steepness, scrambling, and altitude.

Here’s the Moon House BLM description:

“Moon House is not an easy hike. Although the hike is short, the trail has sections of moderate exposure, loose sand, and steep slickrock. The trail is marked by cairns. Please do not add or remove cairns, they are regularly maintained by BLM staff. Moon House is in a high-altitude desert canyon. Temperatures can reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer or drop well below freezing during the winter. Come prepared with plenty of water, snacks, and appropriate clothing/footwear. The most difficult section of the trail is located ½ mile from the trailhead. It requires downclimbing a steep slickrock ledge onto an unstable pile of rocks. A fall here could potentially result in serious injury and/or death. A short rope is handy to help lower packs. If you feel uncomfortable at this part of the trail, use binoculars to view Moon House from a distance.”

Hike Facts: You either need a 4-wheel drive vehicle to get to the main parking area or you have to walk another 1.2 miles each way. From the 4WD parking area the round trip distance is 3.2 miles.

You need to pay for a permit online and then get it validated at the ranger station. I did not know this, but the station is only open Sunday-Wednesday mornings until Noon. We got there on Sunday at 8:00AM.

Scene From a Distance

You cannot get to the above location without doing the scramble mentioned above. Then it’s down to the bottom of the canyon and back up.

The ruins are spectacular and the BLM wants to keep it that way. Permits are limited to 20 per day.

Expect to see a lot of “no entry” signs when visiting ruins. Normally you are not allowed to go inside or touch anything.

However, the BLM does allow entry into the above structure.

So, let’s go inside for a look.

That is not an easy image to make. A tripod is needed or very high ISO is needed.

I blended 11-MM focus-stacked images and put a Lume-Cube light inside the inner dwelling for the bit of glow that you see. The walls, were painted purple and white.

Equipment

Those interested in my equipment and recommendations can find it here: Mish’s Equipment List.

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Mike “Mish” Shedlock