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Castle Rock Pueblo
Date Added: 12th May 2025
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement
Country: United States (The Southwest)
Visited: Yes on 1st Apr 2025. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4
Castle Rock Pueblo submitted by stonetracker on 12th May 2025. The only intact remains I was able to find along the spur trail. The wall still has some mortar holding it together.
This was a late Pueblo 3 village ruin, likely built around 1250 CE and abandoned 30 years later. From the Crow Canyon archaeological center website:
"Castle Rock Pueblo was a village in the Mesa Verde region of southwestern Colorado that was constructed during the late Pueblo III period. The village was home to 75 to 150 people from the A.D. 1260s until sometime during t...
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Log Text: This site is accessible via a short 1/4 mile hike on the Sand Canyon Pueblo Trail and is the first ancestral pueblo village site north of of the trail head on County Rd G, west of Cortez CO. There are approximately five other village ruins along the trail beyond it, but I did not have time to visit them.
The Castle Rock formation itself is very obvious from County Rd G but there are no obvious pueblo remains in front of it. Instead, walk the flat ledge to the left (west) around the rock formation and behind it. There is a sign with a short spur trail to the right at this point leading to the ruins.
Salmon Ruins
Date Added: 10th May 2025
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement
Country: United States (The Southwest)
Visited: Yes on 1st Apr 2025. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3
Salmon Ruins submitted by Flickr on 11th Jan 2019. Salmon Ruins, Bloomfield, New Mexico. View looking southward across the elevated kiva, with the detached Great Kiva behing the man standing at left center. Image copyright: Hiker Bob (Bob Cates), hosted on Flickr and displayed under the terms of their API.
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Log Text: This an Ancestral Pueblo Chacoan outlier great house site located about 10 miles W of Aztec Ruins National Monument. It is similar in construction to the latter and was more than likely built by either immigrants from Chaco Canyon or by local cultures emulating Chaco-style great house complexes. It was built slightly earlier than Aztec Ruins.
The site consists of the ruins, a museum, and a heritage park with replicas of Native American dwellings such as hogans, wikiups, and pithouses. I only had time to visit the ruins in depth, although I checked the museum briefly.
The ruins are a steep walk about 200-300 yds down a paved walkway or driveway from the museum. I believe there is also some limited parking available at the heritage park at the bottom of the hill, which would allow closer access. A ruins guide is available to borrow from the museum, and as far as I know there are no print versions available for sale. It is very helpful and I would recommend referring to it during the visit. The entire site is owned and operated by San Juan County.
Escalante Pueblo
Date Added: 10th May 2025
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement
Country: United States
Visited: Yes on 1st Apr 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 3
Escalante Pueblo submitted by bat400 on 28th Aug 2006. Escalante Pueblo, County, Colorado.
This pueblo foundation is from approximately 1130 AD, built by the Ancestral Puebloans. It is on a hilltop with Sleeping Ute Mountain to the south.
Photo by bat400, June 2003.
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Log Text: This is a so-called Chaco canyon outlier great house site built in the 1100s CE. It is accessible via a 1/4 to 1/2 Mile hike up a hill behind the Canyons of the Ancients Museum. Those like me who live close to sea level may want to take it easy with high elevation trail walking at first until they get acclimated. The trail is switch backed with benches, great views, and good interpretation of local flora. The entire route is paved to the top and likely wheelchair accessible.
Dominguez Pueblo
Date Added: 10th May 2025
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement
Country: United States (The Southwest)
Visited: Yes on 1st Apr 2025. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4
Dominguez Pueblo submitted by stonetracker on 7th May 2025. Remains of the four rooms of the unit pueblo
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Log Text: The ruin is right next to the Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center/Museum and just steps away from the parking lot and building. I believe wheelchair access is possible from the sidewalk about 50 ft from the site.
Aztec Ruins National Monument
Date Added: 10th May 2025
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement
Country: United States (The Southwest)
Visited: Yes on 1st Apr 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 4
Aztec Ruins National Monument submitted by Creative Commons on 22nd Dec 2018. Aztec Ruins National Monument is located in Northern New Mexico. It was home to the Ancestral Puebloans, who built and lived in the great houses here beginning in the mid 11th century until the late 13th century. The West Ruin, also called the Aztec West Great House, was three stories tall and contained over 500 rooms. Image copyright: Jaspe...
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Log Text: An outstanding example of a partially excavated Chaco Canyon outlier great house site. The West Ruin is mostly excavated with a great kiva completely restored to the way it likely looked originally. The East Ruin is not excavated and is currently off limits to site visitors other than professional researchers. It can be glimpsed (not easily) from the West Ruin.
The National Monument also includes a visitor center and excellent interpretive exhibits on ancestral pueblo history and development in the Four Corners region.
The site is conveniently located a mile north of State Route 550 at the end of Ruins Rd. The parking lot accommodates at least 20 vehicles. Most of the ruins can be self-toured via short foot paths, guided tours not required. Some of the rooms are open to visitation as well as the restored great kiva. Only the tri-walled Hubbard structure is separate from the main complex, about a 200 yd walk north.
Hawkins Preserve Pueblo Ruins
Date Added: 9th May 2025
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement
Country: United States (The Southwest)
Visited: Yes on 1st Apr 2025. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3
Hawkins Preserve Pueblo Ruins submitted by stonetracker on 9th May 2025. Some of the room blocks in the Hawkins Preserve Ruins, built on a rectangular floor plan. My guess is this is a unit pueblo for an extended family and not a so-called Great House. It's unclear whether the rooms were made of jacal (wattle-and-daub construction) on a stone foundation or 100% masonry and mortar. Judging by the sandstone block remains littering the ground, I would guess the latter.
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Log Text: An Ancestral Pueblo site at least partially excavated, consisting of a few room blocks, a midden, and two mostly backfilled kivas. Other archaeological sites exist at the preserve, but as far as I know this is the only one that is protected and open to the public.
Parking and the main trailhead is located in a paved lot at 1490 S Cedar St in Cortez CO. Take the Mesa View Trail west about 0.3 miles to Ruins Road trail. The ruins are another 0.3 miles south down this trail.
Cannon Ball Mesa Pueblo Ruins
Date Added: 9th May 2025
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement
Country: United States (The Southwest)
Visited: Yes on 1st Apr 2025. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 5 Access 3
Cannon Ball Mesa Pueblo Ruins submitted by stonetracker on 8th May 2025. The largest ruin under a boulder. Looks like a single room structure.
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Log Text: This site actually consists of 4 or 5 separate ruins along a trail that ascends Cannon Ball Mesa to the north. The location given in the general description is for the first and most intact ruin. The trail head begins about 1/2 mile east of the Colorado-Utah border at a roadside pullout on County Road G. The location of this pullout is 37.325785, -109.034079.
The trail starts up a rocky gully and later becomes a bit indistinct as it approaches the rock bench where most of the ruins are located. However, this is mostly an open ledge area with some rocky areas near the boulders requiring a little easy climbing. I've provided some coordinates in the comments for a few other ruins beyond the first one, for those who enjoy exploring these areas.
Ismay Rock Shelter Petroglyphs
Date Added: 9th May 2025
Site Type: Rock Art
Country: United States (The Southwest)
Visited: Yes on 1st Apr 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 3
Ismay Rock Shelter Petroglyphs submitted by stonetracker on 8th May 2025. Spirals and sheep
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Log Text: Site contains a possibly prehistoric Pueblo ruin and both modern and ancient rock art. Access is via a short but steep foot trail up a slope to a large boulder and the site.
I parked at the junction of County Road G and H near the old trading post. I then walked north on Road H (an unmarked dirt rd) about 200 yds north over a cattle guard and a slight rise. A trail leads east straight up a hill to the only obvious big boulder and the site. It may be possible to park at the trail head itself but the road is rough.
Pocahontas Mound A
Date Added: 14th Mar 2025
Site Type: Artificial Mound
Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Yes on 1st Feb 2025. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 5 Access 4
Pocahontas Mound A submitted by Flickr on 1st Nov 2019. Pocahontas Mound Image copyright: dmott9 (DM), hosted on Flickr and displayed under the terms of their API.
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Log Text: I had visited this site a few years ago as Mound A is in a convenient state roadside park area with bathroom facilities. It's also on the way to more northerly MS mound sites like Jaketown and Winterville.
Anyway I just stopped by to check out the latest improvements. The site's outdoor interpretive signage provided by Mississippi State Univ has always been great, but now they've added some replicas of ceramics found during excavations to an exhibit inside the visitor center. This plus more interpretation inside and improved signage outside. With many mound sites neglected and even derelict, it's good to see some serious effort put forth towards visitor education in an easily accessible and well-preserved site.
Note: There was a Mound B north of this site in a private neighborhood that I looked for some yrs ago with no access. I'll see if I can find more info.
Fitzhugh Mounds
Date Added: 12th Mar 2025
Site Type: Artificial Mound
Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Yes on 1st Feb 2025. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 5 Access 5
Fitzhugh Mounds submitted by AKFisher on 31st Jul 2023.
Archaeological reconstruction of the Fitzhugh Mound Complex in Louisiana from the mound encyclopedia. The elevated walkway (terrace) running from the right middle to the upper center was 2700-feet long and 75-feet wide. The large platform mound by it has a base of 250 x 160 feet and was 30-feet high. The site is dated to AD 1200 and only 2 mounds remain today.
Image courtesy Dr Greg Little, author of the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Native American Indian Mounds & Earthworks (2016).
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Log Text: The site is very scenic, thus the Superb ambience rating. Unfortunately all that remains of the 7 mound site are two small mounds. The unusual elevated causeway is also long gone.
Mound D just so happens to now be the site of a still-used cemetery so I parked there. It is about 200 yds south of LA hwy 602 on a firm dirt road suitable for most vehicles. The interpretive signage is located a little farther south at the corner of Route 602 & Busby Rd.
Julice Mound
Date Added: 11th Mar 2025
Site Type: Artificial Mound
Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Yes on 1st Feb 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4
Julice Mound submitted by stonetracker on 13th Mar 2025. Another view of the most intact portion of mound from the west.
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Log Text: Like nearby Transylvania Mounds, parking is tricky here. I was unwilling to park a rental car near the interpretive sign in the adjacent historic cemetery as it would have involved crossing a ditch in who knows what condition. Your mileage may vary, but I was able to find a conveniently vacant property about 200 yds east near the jct of State Routes 581 and 881 and parked in the driveway. Then I walked 200 yds west down Route 581 to the site.
The mound literally abuts the highway as it was cut in half by road construction.
Transylvania Mound
Date Added: 10th Mar 2025
Site Type: Artificial Mound
Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Saw from a distance on 1st Feb 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3
submitted by on .
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Log Text: This was originally a 12-mound site, but cultivation has completely leveled the smaller peripheral mounds. The site is now on a large private farm set well back from the road and only 5-6 mounds remain visible above the surface. The closest extant mound is about 500 ft south of LA State Highway 581 and the tallest mound is 1000 ft south of the roadway. As with many Louisiana mound sites, no dedicated parking is available so the only option is to pull off briefly on private field roads. There is one next to the interpretive sign for the site on Mound Rd. There are other field roads east and west of this location.
La Salle Street Mound
Date Added: 10th Mar 2025
Site Type: Artificial Mound
Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Yes on 1st Feb 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5
La Salle Street Mound submitted by stonetracker on 10th Mar 2025. The mound and apartment building adjacent
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Log Text: This mound is very close to Schicker Mound and on neighboring La Salle St. On-street parking is available on La Salle right next to the mound or across the street. It's also easy walking distance from Schicker. Unusually for Louisiana, you can walk right up to the mound as it abuts the sidewalk even though it's private.
Schicker Mound
Date Added: 9th Mar 2025
Site Type: Artificial Mound
Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Yes on 1st Feb 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5
Schicker Mound submitted by stonetracker on 9th Mar 2025. The house is sitting on and beneath what is left of the Schicker Mound. The mound was likely twice this height originally before house construction.
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Log Text: This site consists of a single platform mound. A house with cellar was built on it in 1926 and I believe what you see now is the original dwelling. It is currently occupied so the site is private and can only be viewed from 100 yds away. The location is in Tallulah, LA in a residential area on the west side of Mississippi St. I found it easier to park on Desoto St, a nearby side street, and walk across Mississippi St 100 ft to the site.
Tendal Mound
Date Added: 9th Mar 2025
Site Type: Artificial Mound
Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Yes on 1st Feb 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5
Tendal Mound submitted by bat400 on 29th Aug 2012. Tendal Mound taken from the east side, showing how the modern house was built in the approximate center of this low platform mound.
Photo by bat400, Oct 2011.
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Log Text: Tendal is a single rectangular platform mound site, located 50-100 ft north of US Route 80 and just west of the Tensas River. A currently occupied house was built on top of the mound and therefore the site is private. However you can park within 100 ft of it, at the corner of US Route 80 and Tendal Rd in the front lot of a currently unused commercial building. An interpretive sign is in the front yard of the residence.
Insley Mounds
Date Added: 8th Mar 2025
Site Type: Artificial Mound
Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Yes on 1st Feb 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3
Insley Mounds submitted by AKFisher on 9th Aug 2023.
Archaeological reconstruction of the Insley Mounds in Louisiana from the mound encyclopedia.
Image courtesy Dr Greg Little, author of the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Native American Indian Mounds & Earthworks (2016).
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Log Text: This site is spread out over a small residential area on Frankie Loftin Rd, a narrow rural roadway. Two mounds, B and C, are right next to the road and very close to Bayou Macon. There is no real parking area, but you can get mostly off the road near what looks like an abandoned house next to Mound C and near the interpretive sign. Mound B is a 100 yd walk north of the sign and surrounded by a wooden fence. Mound D is 200 yds south of the sign and about 200 yds west of the road in a private yard. It can only be viewed remotely. The mound in Dr. Little's photo is Mound D.
Most of the remaining mounds of the original 13 mound complex were leveled by cultivation. Supposedly there are 3 other small mounds to the east of the road, but I had no time to look for them and have no information on their whereabouts. They are almost certainly on private land.
Note: I was unable to positively locate Mound A.
Smith Creek Mounds
Date Added: 7th Mar 2025
Site Type: Artificial Mound
Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Yes on 1st Feb 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3
Frogmore Mound submitted by AKFisher on 1st Aug 2023. The site of a series of ancient Native American earthworks (dating to 700-1200 AD)
Photo courtesy Dr Greg Little, author of the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Native American Indian Mounds & Earthworks (2016).
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Log Text: This was somewhat disappointing for what is a pretty interesting mound complex. All of the mounds are on private property although you can get very close to Mound A as it's literally right next to the highway. There's not much of a shoulder but you can pull mostly off the road next to that mound. The other two mounds are across the road on a property filled with vehicles and a home. I was greeted by a pack of barking dogs when I pulled in but apparently the owner brought them inside and they calmed down enough that I could walk around a bit.
All of the mounds are completely overgrown and hard to photograph, even in late winter. The location coordinates given for Mound A are in fact correct, but Google Streetview won't show much because of overgrowth. I tried to capture an image of it myself with mixed results. Mound B is a little clearer, but only remote viewing is possible unless you get permission. Mound C is much reduced by erosion and too far away to get a decent image.
Lessley Mound
Date Added: 6th Mar 2025
Site Type: Artificial Mound
Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Yes on 1st Feb 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5
Lessley Mound submitted by stonetracker on 7th Mar 2025. The mound. Zoom in to the top to see the iron fence around the family cemetery.
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Log Text: This mound is on the north side of MS Route 24, and right next to the roadway and a convenient parking pulloff at the interpretive sign. So it is possible to view it at close range without leaving the vehicle. However an old barbed wire fence prevents entry into a field on the other side of the mound. It is easily crossed but I respected the private property restrictions of the landowner.
Elkhorn Plantation Mound
Date Added: 6th Mar 2025
Site Type: Artificial Mound
Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Yes on 1st Feb 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4
Elkhorn Plantation Mound submitted by AKFisher on 3rd Aug 2023.
The Elkhorn Plantation Mound on the official Louisiana Ancient Mound Trail. It was constructed in 450 AD and inhabited until around AD 1100. The area was discovered with pottery strewn around everywhere indicating a large habitation area. The erosion by farming is evident.
Photo courtesy Dr Greg Little, author of the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Native American Indian Mounds & Earthworks (2016).
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Log Text: Elkhorn, a single mound site on private land, is about a mile or so north of Frogmore Mound on Dunbarton Rd (Route 566). The mound is in a vast cultivated field about 100 ft east of the road. There are no shoulders or designated pulloffs, so I parked on a nearby field road and walked a short distance to the mound from there. In late winter, nothing is planted yet and the place was deserted, so there was little risk of being "caught." ;-)
Frogmore Mound
Date Added: 5th Mar 2025
Site Type: Artificial Mound
Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Yes on 1st Feb 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5
Frogmore Mound submitted by Andy B on 1st Nov 2019. Frogmore Mound (Frogmore, Louisiana) Frogmore, Louisiana is located between Ferriday and Jonesville in western Concordia Parish. It is noteworthy as the site of a series of ancient Native American earthworks (dating to 700-1200 AD) and the Frogmore Plantation, which dates to 1843. Both sites, along with the nearby historic Piazza Cotton Gin, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Image copyright: courthouselover, hosted on Flickr and displayed under the terms of their API.
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Log Text: Like DePrato, Frogmore is on private property fronting Route 84, but in this case there is a convenient side street (Frogmore Plantation Rd) with a reasonable shoulder leading to a residential subdivision. I was able to pull slightly off the side street and park 100 ft from the mound.