Practical Guide

Visitor information

January 2024·Friends of Cedar Mesa·3 min read

The Bears Ears region covers more than a million acres of high desert, slickrock canyons, and pinyon-juniper mesas. It is a place to learn about before you arrive — not a place to learn about on the road in.

Where the region is

Bears Ears National Monument sits in San Juan County, southeastern Utah, between the Colorado River, the Abajo Mountains, and the Navajo Nation. The two flat-topped buttes that give the monument its name are visible from Highway 261 and have been landmarks for travelers for at least the last several thousand years.

Access points

The most common starting points for visitors are the communities of Bluff, Blanding, and Monticello to the north and east, and Mexican Hat to the south. None of these are large. Services — gas, food, lodging — are limited and seasonal. Plan ahead.

From Bluff, a state highway takes you to most of the well-known canyon access points along Cedar Mesa. From Blanding, the Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum is the single best place to begin learning about the cultural history of the area before going further afield.

What to bring

Water — much more than you think you need. There is no reliable surface water on most of the mesa top.
A real map — paper, with topographic detail. Cell service is unreliable to nonexistent across most of the region.
Sun protection — long sleeves, brim hat, real sunglasses. The sun reflects off slickrock and red sand.
A waste kit — sealable bags for solid waste, especially in popular canyons.
Patience — distances on the map are deceptive. Two miles in canyon country is not two miles on a sidewalk.

Permits and fees

Several of the most-visited canyon areas require day-use permits or overnight permits, available from the Bureau of Land Management Monticello Field Office. Fees and quotas are seasonal. Check the current BLM information for the specific area you plan to visit before you go.

Where to learn before you go

The single most useful thing a first-time visitor can do is read first, drive second. The education resources page lists primers on the region’s archaeology, geology, and ongoing cultural significance. The visit-with-respect essay is a short philosophical companion to the practical tips guide.

A note on guides Several legitimate guide services and tribally led tours operate in the region. Hiring a guide who knows the landscape — especially one with tribal heritage — is one of the best ways to deepen a first visit. It also reduces visitor impact, because trained guides know which routes can absorb foot traffic and which cannot.

When to come

Spring and fall are the most comfortable seasons. Summers are punishingly hot on the mesa top and dangerous in slot canyons during monsoon flash-flood season (typically July through September). Winters are mild during the day but bitter at night, and roads can ice over quickly.

Whatever season you choose, plan for the place to be larger, quieter, and more demanding than you expected. That is most of what makes it worth visiting.