A trip back in time: Anasazi State Park Museum
Tucked along State Highway 12 in Boulder, Utah, sits the Anasazi State Park Museum. This is a must-see, family-friendly, educational roadside stop. Plan to take about an hour to visit the ancient Indian ruins and indoor museum. This Utah Anasazi site remains largely untouched. Excavations were first made by the University of Utah in 1958 and 1959. And, although major areas have been identified and hundreds of thousands of artifacts extracted, only about half of the site has been explored. Excavated site areas are marked and blocked off by railings with clear viewpoints and easy observation access.
Also called Ancestral Pueblo Indians, the Anasazi are often linked as predecessors to the modern Pueblo Indians. Anasazi refers to ancient farmers who lived in Utah, New Mexico and Arizona between about A.D. 1 and 1300.
Paved trails from the visitor center to each of the sites offer easy wheelchair and walking access. The trails are self-guided with interpretive markers at key points. I held a discussion with my children as we stood at the top of the excavated ruins:
- What do you think it was like to live herefi
- How do you think the Indians got foodfi
- What do you think they atefi
- Why do you think they shaped the structures as they arefi
- What natural materials might the Indians have usedfi
- What would you have liked or disliked about living herefi
A housing replica located at the site was my kids’ favorite. The open structure invites guests to explore and consider what it may have been like to live in the wood and mud-like dwelling. Be careful not to hit your head – the Anasazi must have been shorter than we are in general now because the ceilings were small, leaving us plenty of room for discussion about what we imagined the ancient Indians to be like!
Inside the recently remodeled Anasazi State Park Museum visitor center is an interactive display. My children enjoyed making rub-art pottery drawings, guessing the age of artifacts, identifying seeds with a microscope, and watching brief, educational videos. The museum highlights the history and life of the Pueblo Indians as well as the process of excavation.
The visitor center also offers a small gift shop with Indian artifacts, books, and other items for purchase. Outside the museum, picnic tables are available for lunching or snacking.
IF YOU GO:
The Anasazi State Park Museum is open year-round, but closes on New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The museum is a great quick stop while traveling through Boulder.
Anasazi State Park Museum
460 North Highway 12
Boulder, UT 84716
(435) 335-7308
Hours:
May 16-Sept. 15, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sept. 16-May 15, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Cost: Family entrance, $10 or per person, $4
For more information about the area, visit www.stateparks.utah.gov/stateparks/parks/anasazi/.
MORE TO SEE:
After your stop at the Anasazi State Park Museum in Boulder, get a treat at the neighboring Country Store or eat the Burr Trail Grill (see my story on things to see along Highway 12 ). And, while you’re in the area, plan to hike to the beautiful Calf Creek Falls.
