Roadside Ruin

Date Added: 6th Jun 2025
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: United States (The Southwest)
Visited: Yes on 1st May 2025. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This is a rather remote Pueblo 3 site but the road is paved all the way to the trailhead. To get there, drive south from Moab about 40 miles on Route 191 or north 14 miles from Monticello. Then turn west on Route 211 for another 35 miles to the Canyonlands National Park Needles District visitor center. The trailhead is less than a mile past the visitor center on the left. The trail is an easy flat loop to the granary. About 200-300 yds one way.

One plus of driving Route 211 to the site is access to the many petroglyph sites along Indian Creek plus Newspaper Rock. Not to mention beautiful scenery.

Rolling Fork Mounds

Date Added: 3rd Nov 2023
Site Type: Artificial Mound Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Yes. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2

Log Text: In late Oct 2023, I attempted to find these mounds by walking west from a car pulloff on Rte 61 and also north from a field road next to two brick silos. I did not attempt to walk in east from Parkway Rd, which as Dr. Little's photos suggest, may provide easier access to Mound B. The entire area was extremely overgrown and nearly impassible, so I abandoned the search.

It may be easier in winter, once the vegetation dies back.

Rondossec Dolmens

Date Added: 9th Dec 2024
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 1st Sep 2024. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This site is in a public park near the center of Plouharnel, shoehorned into a small residential neighborhood. These are three nearly contiguous passage graves. Two are in fair to good shape. The remaining one is partially buried, particularly at the chamber end.

Parking is on-street only (on either Rue Hoche or Rue Jean Pierre Calloch) and it can get a bit congested in the high tourist season. I had no problems in late Sept. There is a very short path from the street to the easternmost passage grave.

Runesto Dolmen

Date Added: 11th Dec 2024
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 1st Sep 2024. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This is a small passage grave mostly still within its mound, although all that's visible now is the chamber. Modern steps have been cut to provide access down into the chamber.

The site is located at the end of a cul de sac (Rue de Runesto), just past a residential subdivision near the edge of a field abutting the D768. For the mobility impaired, you can park quite close, within 100 ft of the chamber and with a clear view of it from the road without having to walk to it.

Saint-Michel tumulus

Date Added: 15th Oct 2024
Site Type: Chambered Cairn Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 1st Sep 2024. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This is one of a collection of very large manmade Carnacean mounds or tumuli and served as a tomb for elite individuals, accompanied by opulent and often non-local grave goods. It is on a high prominence overlooking the town of Carnac and surrounding areas. Popping the location coordinates into any online mapping tool should lead you directly to the site, which is at the end of a cul-de-sac adjacent to a hotel. There is a public parking area across from the hotel and next to the tumulus.

Sainte-Barbe alignement

Date Added: 10th Dec 2024
Site Type: Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 1st Sep 2024. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: According to Burl, this was once an alignment of 8 rows of standing stones stretching over 400 m, with a possible cromlech nearby. Today, only two obvious 100-200 m rows remain, plus an "end cap" of 4 or 5 truly massive menhirs. A number of additional stones are either missing or buried underground or in hedgerows.

Very limited parking is available in a dirt pullout maybe 50 meters north of the site along Rue de Kerentrech. I parked there and walked back to a trail head leading south maybe another 50 meters to the large menhirs and alignments.

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

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.

Salomon Mounds

Date Added: 11th Mar 2024
Site Type: Artificial Mound Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Saw from a distance on 1st Feb 2024. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3

Log Text: Site is mostly as described, in a private farm field. There is a parking pulloff and interpretive signage about 100-200 yds from Mound A, which is about as close as you can legally approach (No Trespassing signs make that clear!) . Mound C is just SW of Mound A. So close that past researchers have occasionally referred to it as a double-mound site.

Sand Island petroglyph Panel

Date Added: 18th May 2025
Site Type: Rock Art Country: United States (The Southwest)
Visited: Yes on 1st May 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This is one of the better-known and most frequently visited rock art sites in southeastern Utah. The site is a very short walk (< 100 ft) up to the cliff face from a dirt parking pulloff with interpretive signage. The panels are in a relatively compact area, maybe 100 yds in total. And although they are protected by a fence and can only be viewed from a distance, you can still get fairly close for photography as long as the sun cooperates (it mostly did not for me). An overcast day or a low sun angle are preferred as full direct sunlight tends to wash out the images,

To get there, take Route 191 west out of Bluff UT for approximately 4 miles. Turn left onto a gravel road with signage that indicates the Sand Island Recreational Area and boat ramp. At the bottom of the hill, take your first right onto another gravel road. This road leads straight to a couple of parking pulloffs on the right in about 0.25 miles, plus some petroglyph signage. A short trail leads up to the cliff base and the panels. The panels are surrounded by a fence to discourage defacement and further damage.

Sayler Story Mound

Date Added: 21st Feb 2023
Site Type: Artificial Mound Country: United States (Great Lakes Midwest)
Visited: Couldn't find on 1st Oct 2021

Log Text: Unclear whether the visible part of the mound was destroyed or the location taken from Wikipedia is wrong. But there was nothing visible.

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

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.

Sego Canyon Rock Art

Date Added: 5th Jun 2025
Site Type: Rock Art Country: United States (The Southwest)
Visited: Yes on 1st May 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: A major prehistoric pictograph and petroglyph site with rock art ranging from Archaic to modern periods. The site is located in Thomspon Springs UT about 45 miles north of Moab UT. The route is 100% paved roads.

To get there, take Route 191 north from Moab for about 30-35 miles to Interstate Route I-70. Drive on I-70 east and take the first exit north to Thompson Springs. Continue on Thompson Canyon Rd for about 6 miles. There will be a parking lot on the left with signage and a restroom. There is a short trail from parking to the first set of panels.

Shay Canyon Rock Art

Date Added: 8th Jun 2025
Site Type: Rock Art Country: United States (The Southwest)
Visited: Yes on 1st May 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 2

Log Text: This and Sego Canyon were probably my favorite rock art sites on this trip, offering the best combination of variety and close access to petroglyphs, once you hike to the site itself.

To get there, drive south for 40 miles from Moab or north 14 miles from Monticello on Route 191 and then head west on Route 211. Newspaper Rock is at the 12 mile mark where there are restrooms. From there, continue on Route 211 for another 1.9 miles to a small pulloff on the left. Park there.

The trail starts at the south end of the parking area and descends steeply to Indian Creek. The creek is quite small, but there is no bridge so you may have to walk upriver or down slightly to find a narrow enough point to get across via stepping stones.

Once across head down the dry wash area towards the canyon. In 200 ft there are trails off the the right that lead somewhat steeple to the cliff base where it comes to a point. The panels start there. Most of them are to the left and extend about 0.25 miles. There are one or two to the right.

The entire trail including the scramble along the cliff base is about 1 mile round trip. I say scramble because the path along the panels although mostly flat is quite rocky in places and requires good balance on the slight up and down sections.

Shiloh Indian Mounds

Date Added: 9th Apr 2024
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: United States (The South)
Visited: Yes on 1st Apr 2024. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: The mound site is very compact and easily accessible along a National Park Service road or via a foot trail. Park at either the Shiloh Indian Mounds Visitor Kiosk or in a paved pullout area next to Mound F. The latter is the closest to the mound and plaza complex itself and most of the mounds are within a several hundred yard radius.

Short Woods Park Mound

Date Added: 19th Feb 2023
Site Type: Artificial Mound Country: United States (Great Lakes Midwest)
Visited: Yes on 1st Oct 2021. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 2

Log Text: Publicly viewable at a distance of 200-300 yds from residential roads, as the mound itself is on a private golf course.

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

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.

Spirit Cave Ruins

Date Added: 19th Jun 2025
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: United States (The Southwest)
Visited: Yes on 1st May 2025. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 2

Log Text: As is the case with Five Kiva Ruin nearby, you can either view the site from an overlook or take a roundabout "trail" around the lip of the top of the canyon and scramble down some ledges to the canyon floor. The ruins are a short walk from and at the same level as the canyon floor.

To get to the parking area from Blanding, head south on US-191 for 4 miles and turn west onto UT-95 toward Natural Bridges National Monument. From the US-191/UT-95 intersection, aka Shirttail Junction, measure 1.7 miles and turn right onto unpaved San Juan County Road 288 aka Warren Allen Rd. This road may not be marked with a sign!

Continue on CR 288 for 0.4 miles and turn right at the first road junction. From here the road gets a little rougher. Careful drivers in passenger vehicles might have little or no trouble but if in doubt there is a parking pulloff to the left at this intersection. Drive (or walk) another 0.3 mile to a large cleared area on the right. Park here. The coordinates for this spot are 37.58524, -109.51625.

Walk down the hill east to a big semicircular ledge. The alcove containing the ruins is under this bench. To view it remotely, simply walk to the right along the lip of the canyon about 100-200 yds and the ruins will come into view down inside the alcove on the left.

I chose to hike to the canyon floor and access the alcove and ruins at close range. There is no official trail to the canyon floor but a network of social paths that I would call easy to moderate. Walk to the left about 200-300 yds and follow the canyon lip around to the east. Take the easiest way down that you can find. There may be a small amount of scrambling needed around rocks but it is a very short descent to the bottom. At the canyon bottom, turn right and head west about 200 yds towards the alcove and the ruins.

St-Pierre-Quiberon Alignement

Date Added: 2nd Dec 2024
Site Type: Stone Row / Alignment Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 1st Sep 2024. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: Very picturesque site of approximately 25 stones aligned in 5 rows, in a public park in the midst of an attractive housing subdivision. It is not a long walk from the parking for the Kerbourgnec Cromlech, so I left the car there and set off north down the Rue de Cromlech. In maybe 100 meters, there is an obvious pedestrian trail on the right flanked by hedges which leads in roughly another 100 m to the park and the site.

Stoneville Mounds

Date Added: 2nd 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

Log Text: This Mississippian mound falls into the same category as a number of others that can only be viewed from long range, e.g. Leland, Stoneville, and Mayersville. All are privately owned and on either agricultural land or large compounds set far back from the nearest public road. Unless permission is secured by the landowner, be prepared to shoot photos or videos from several 100 ft or more away. The best viewing spot I found was about at the midpoint of Experiment Station Road which lies about 800 ft west of the mound. There are no shoulders for safe parking so I had to park on a nearby field (dirt) road and walk a short distance to a reasonable vantage point. The mound is on cultivated land and is in good condition.

Story Mound (Chillicothe)

Date Added: 25th Jan 2023
Site Type: Artificial Mound Country: United States (Great Lakes Midwest)
Visited: Yes on 1st Apr 2021. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: A low chain link fence surrounds the site, preventing close access. However, the mound is easily seen from the parking area.