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Travel & Experiences

Offbeat Traveler: Chimney Rock National Monument in Colorado

San Juan National Forest archaeologist Wendy Sutton explains features of Chimney Rock's Ridge House ruin to U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on the day of the monument's declaration.

San Juan National Forest archaeologist Wendy Sutton explains features of Chimney Rock’s Ridge House ruin to U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on the day of the monument’s declaration.  (Shaun Stanley / Associated Press)

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Last Friday, President Obama signed a proclamation elevating Chimney Rock in southwestern Colorado to national monument status, raising its profile as a tourist destination.

The new monument, which sits on about 4,726 acres in the San Juan National Forest, encompasses two distinctive rock formations -- Chimney Rock, named for its resemblance to a stone chimney, and nearby Companion Rock. The site also houses several Ancestral Pueblo ruins dating back about 1,000 years.

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