Yucca House National Monument

Yucca House National Monument contains a large, unexcavated Ancestral Puebloan above-ground architectural site. It's one of the largest Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites in southwestern Colorado. The pueblo originally built here was a major community center in the Four Corners area from about 1150 CE to about 1300 CE. Yucca House was abandoned about the same time Mesa Verde and so many other Ancestral Puebloan sites in the Four Corners area were abandoned, probably because of a major drought that had set in and was progressing for years.

There are no facilties or amenities on site. Henry Van Kleeck deeded the 9.6-acre property to the Federal government back in July of 1919. The National Park Service deemed it an excellent example of a valley pueblo and President Woodrow Wilson signed a Presidential Proclamation establishing Yucca House National Monument in December of that year. The National Park Service office at Mesa Verde National Park deals with administering Yucca House National Monument. There are access problems because the property is completely surrounded by private land. There is no signage along the unimproved gravel and dirt roads: nasty enough if the weather is wet, worse if you get lost. If you want to visit, inquire first of the park rangers at Mesa Verde. There are no fees involved.