Butler Wash Ruins: A Walk Back In Time

Heading about 40 minutes northwest from my cabin in Bluff, UT, is Butler Wash Interpretive Trail. The drive up was beautiful, but black clouds are popping up on all horizons. The sun is bright with no clouds overhead, so let’s park and find the trailhead. What a view of Comb Ridge’s east side! There’s the trail, let’s go.

What a nice wide trail. It is sand, but not sand we sink into thank goodness. That can be a wear-and-tear walk but this is nice. This trail takes us about one mile round trip. Only half a mile to the ruins overlook. Piece of cake!

It can get a little tricky when the trail become rock, but we still have a pretty clear path.

This is one of the best signs I’ve seen for the bio-crust soil. It is very important to stay on trails and walk rock paths to protect the desert plant communities. Not to mention when wind picks up, that it doesn’t also pick up sand and soil creating unhealthy air for us to breathe. I’ll let you read . . .

When the soil has a rugged crusty look, you know it is bio-soil–as the sign says, avoid “busting the crust”! Not all bio-crust looks this obvious, so always good to stay on the established trail.

I’m a bit confused trying to identify this tree. Thought it was a vine growing up a Utah Juniper. Searching, I could not find the vine itself and the leaves on this “juniper” are very different. Turns out this is a shrub I’ve never seen before. It is a Cliffrose (Purshia stansburyana) and can grow 26 feet tall. It’s a member of the Rose Family and the flowers can bloom from April to the first frost which won’t happen until early November in many southwest desert areas. I sure love discovering new surprises along trails!

Whoa–this drop was a surprise, not the kind I’m excited about though. Where’s the trail? Hmmm . . .

I see it!

Looks like our trail is all rock to the overlook. Never fear. As long as the soles of your shoes have tread, like hiking shoes/boots or trail runner sneakers, you won’t slip on dry rock. Often you can safely walk/climb up steeper rock areas which seems unbelievable until you try it.

It took a minute to see the fenced overlook, but there it is.

These ruins were home to Anasazi, now called Ancestral Puebloan. This community was built in the 1200s during what archaeologists call the Pueblo III period. This time frame was late in the Anasazi occupation of the area. They built their homes high above the canyon floor primarily for protection, both from harsh weather and rival tribes.

These ruins have not been restored, but are protected as part of Bears Ears National Monument in southeast Utah. Something most people don’t realize is that Bears Ears protects over 100,000 archaeological sites across 1.36 million acres under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). I don’t want to get into politics, but we MUST do what we can to continue the protections of these amazing lands and historic resources!

The structures in the front row are kivas. They functioned as gathering places for ceremonies and social events in the community and sometimes included other tribe groups. Kivas are central to communities. If this is intriguing, check out this deeper dive about kivas.

The farthest right is a square Kayenta-style kiva, where the other three are round Mesa Verde-style. Most pottery found matches Mesa Verde traditions. This blending of cultural styles speak to different Ancestral Puebloan groups sharing ideas and practices. It also helps archaeologists track the movements and cultural connection between ancient populations.

The next alcove, specific purpose unknown.

What the farthest left alcove was used for is also not known. There could be more sleeping or storage areas or it could be a ventilation shaft serving the other two alcoves. Yes, many cliff dwellings had natural or planned/carved out ventilation tunnels/shafts.

Lower left from the above alcoves are more living spaces and storage areas. At the bottom is a wash. Along its edges as well as down the widening canyon was where the crops where grown.

But first, what is a wash? Glad you asked! It is a shallow channel following the land’s contour that allows water to flow (wash) from higher to lower elevations. They are also know for flash floods. If storms are in the area, a heavy rain several miles away could bring water barreling down the wash. Hikers and campers are advised to avoid washes when storms are in the the wider area–like storms that are forming today.

Along the edges of the wash the soil tends to be richer for growing crops. However, the farming methods used were specially adapted to the very dry environment. They grew the “three sisters” crops–corn, beans, squash–as their main foods. These plants provided key nutrients for health and survival. Corn supplies carbohydrates; beans for protein; squash provides vitamins. Seasonal rainfall in the wash likely helped farmers water crops in dry spells. Considering this landscapes gets less than 10 inches of rain a year, their farming skills seem ahead of their time. Quite an achievement!

So, is there a way to get closer to or up in the ruins? No way from this overlook since the drop is straight DOWN. Actually there is no way that is recommended, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try. All attempts involve steep scrambles and climbs over rocks and there is no recognizable trail to follow. Well, sorry folks, I like the overlook view just fine.

It always amazes me how plants survive on rock. Some sand here, but new soil/sand blow in to further enrich the roots which may be shallow. Roots may also grow down into cracks in the rock. After rain, the water may stay in those cracks for days feeding the plant. Here we have a tiny pine, a type of sunflower, and a Narrowleaf Yucca (Yucca angustissima).

Let’s head back. Uh-oh! Where’s the trail????? That rise ahead is steep and higher than I remember!

That’s right, the cairn, we passed two on the way up. What’s a cairn? It is a pile of rocks that’s used to mark trails, especially on routes that are not well defined like on rock or through high grasses. There tends to be one problem–people randomly build their own cairns–kind of a fun hobby–confusing hikers and helping people get lost. Not a good idea. However, notice our cairn. It is cemented together. Thank goodness!