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Jerry Pillarelli | profile | all galleries >> Travel and Nature; Sites by State >> US Travel; by Trip, by State >> Utah >> Bears Ears National Monument – Utah tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Bears Ears National Monument – Utah

Images of Bears Ears National Monument – Southeastern Utah, taken in May 2021.

Bears Ears National Monument, administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), was created in 2016 to protect an estimated 100,000 Native American Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites and cliff dwellings, some over 3,500 years old. In 2017 the size of the national monument was reduced by 85%, an unprecedented act which is being challenged in the courts.

Bears Ears National Monument owes its name to two buttes, the Bears Ears, which are held to be sacred by multiple Native American tribes. Along with the abundance of archaeological sites the area is also known for the Comb Ridge, a one-mile wide and 80-mile-long geological fold which was created over 65 million years ago by a shift in the earth’s tectonic plates.

With the help of my guide Luke of Vortex Tours, I hiked to several cliff dwellings but the most interesting was the House on Fire ruin in Mule Canyon. It was built under a unique rock formation which brightens as the sun reflects off of the surrounding sandstone making the dwelling appear to be engulfed by flames and is a favorite site for photographers who hang out there during the key midday hours.
The Bears Ears, sacred to Native Americans, in Bears Ears National Monument
The Bears Ears, sacred to Native Americans, in Bears Ears National Monument 		The west facing side of Comb Ridge in Bears Ears National Monument
The west facing side of Comb Ridge in Bears Ears National Monument		 The Bears Ears and snout at sunset from Blanding Utah in Bears Ears National Monument
The Bears Ears and snout at sunset from Blanding Utah in Bears Ears National Monument		 The sun sets on Comb Ridge in Bears Ears National Monument
The sun sets on Comb Ridge in Bears Ears National Monument		 The Bears Ears from Utah Highway 261 in Bears Ears National Monument
The Bears Ears from Utah Highway 261 in Bears Ears National Monument
The House on Fire ruins in Bears Ears National Monument
The House on Fire ruins in Bears Ears National Monument		 Possible arsonist at the House on Fire ruins in Bears Ears National Monument
Possible arsonist at the House on Fire ruins in Bears Ears National Monument		 House on Fire ruins along the Mule Canyon Trail in Bears Ears National Monument
House on Fire ruins along the Mule Canyon Trail in Bears Ears National Monument		 Reflected sunlight on the House on Fire ruins in Bears Ears National Monument
Reflected sunlight on the House on Fire ruins in Bears Ears National Monument		 Wide view of the House on Fire ruins in Bears Ears National Monument
Wide view of the House on Fire ruins in Bears Ears National Monument
Scene along the Mule Canyon Trail in Bears Ears National Monument
Scene along the Mule Canyon Trail in Bears Ears National Monument		 Grouping of small Yucca plants in Bears Ears National Monument
Grouping of small Yucca plants in Bears Ears National Monument		 Collared Lizard along the Mule Canyon Trail in Bears Ears National Monument
Collared Lizard along the Mule Canyon Trail in Bears Ears National Monument		 Dinosaur footprint in Bears Ears National Monument
Dinosaur footprint in Bears Ears National Monument		 Along the Mule Canyon Trail in Bears Ears National Monument
Along the Mule Canyon Trail in Bears Ears National Monument
Utah Highway 95 cuts through rock on the west side of Comb Ridge in Bears Ears National Monument
Utah Highway 95 cuts through rock on the west side of Comb Ridge in Bears Ears National Monument		 The Butler Wash ruins in Bears Ears National Monument
The Butler Wash ruins in Bears Ears National Monument		 The main section of the Butler Wash ruins in Bears Ears National Monument
The main section of the Butler Wash ruins in Bears Ears National Monument		 Small building at the Butler Wash ruins in Bears Ears National Monument
Small building at the Butler Wash ruins in Bears Ears National Monument		 Tree splitting a sandstone rock over time in Bears Ears National Monument
Tree splitting a sandstone rock over time in Bears Ears National Monument
View of the Long Finger cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument
View of the Long Finger cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument		 Colorful pictographs at the Long Finger cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument
Colorful pictographs at the Long Finger cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument		 The Long Finger cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument
The Long Finger cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument		 Petroglyphs at the Long Finger cliff dwelling site in Bears Ears National Monument
Petroglyphs at the Long Finger cliff dwelling site in Bears Ears National Monument		 Odd petroglyph at the Long Finger cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument
Odd petroglyph at the Long Finger cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument
Ruins at the Long Finger cliff dwelling site in Bears Ears National Monument
Ruins at the Long Finger cliff dwelling site in Bears Ears National Monument		 The Long Finger Petroglyph at the Long Finger cliff dwelling site in Bears Ears National Monument
The Long Finger Petroglyph at the Long Finger cliff dwelling site in Bears Ears National Monument		 Arch forming at a cave at the Long Finger cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument
Arch forming at a cave at the Long Finger cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument		 Petroglyph at the Long Finger cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument
Petroglyph at the Long Finger cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument		 Grind and sharpening stone at the Long Finger cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument
Grind and sharpening stone at the Long Finger cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument
Hand prints and pictograms at the Long Finger cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument
Hand prints and pictograms at the Long Finger cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument		 Single person hand prints at the Long Finger cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument
Single person hand prints at the Long Finger cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument		 Prickly pear cactus bloom in Bears Ears National Monument
Prickly pear cactus bloom in Bears Ears National Monument		 The east side of Comb Ridge in Bears Ears National Monument
The east side of Comb Ridge in Bears Ears National Monument		 Sand Island petroglyph panel in Bears Ears National Monument
Sand Island petroglyph panel in Bears Ears National Monument
Petroglyph on the Sand Island panel in Bears Ears National Monument
Petroglyph on the Sand Island panel in Bears Ears National Monument		 Bighorn sheep playing a flute on the Sand Island panel in Bears Ears National Monument
Bighorn sheep playing a flute on the Sand Island panel in Bears Ears National Monument		 Unique forms on the Sand Island petroglyph panel in Bears Ears National Monument
Unique forms on the Sand Island petroglyph panel in Bears Ears National Monument		 Crowded Sand Island petroglyph panel in Bears Ears National Monument
Crowded Sand Island petroglyph panel in Bears Ears National Monument		 Big horn sheep hunt depicted on the Sand Island petroglyph panel in Bears Ears National Monument
Big horn sheep hunt depicted on the Sand Island petroglyph panel in Bears Ears National Monument
Juniper cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument
Juniper cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument		 Juniper tree centerpiece at the Juniper cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument
Juniper tree centerpiece at the Juniper cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument		 Toad in a dry creek bed in Bears Ears National Monument
Toad in a dry creek bed in Bears Ears National Monument		 Water runoff formation near the Juniper cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument
Water runoff formation near the Juniper cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument		 Sandstone smoothed over by water runoff near the Juniper cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument
Sandstone smoothed over by water runoff near the Juniper cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument
Rock formations near the Juniper cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument
Rock formations near the Juniper cliff dwelling in Bears Ears National Monument		 The steep west side of Comb Ridge in Bears Ears National Monument
The steep west side of Comb Ridge in Bears Ears National Monument		 Hand and toe hold trail on the steep west side of Comb Ridge in Bears Ears National Monument
Hand and toe hold trail on the steep west side of Comb Ridge in Bears Ears National Monument		 Ruins near the road along Utah Highway 95 in Bears Ears National Monument
Ruins near the road along Utah Highway 95 in Bears Ears National Monument		 Petroglyphs at a ruin near Utah Highway 95 in Bears Ears National Monument
Petroglyphs at a ruin near Utah Highway 95 in Bears Ears National Monument

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Greg Temple 01-Jun-2021 14:52
Great images Jerry. The House on Fire is truly unique. Hope to visit there someday!
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