A National Monument is a protected area of land of historic, cultural, and/or scientific significance. While the National Parks Service oversees National Parks, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Defense, and the Bureau of Land Management can all manage National Monuments. Additionally, the office of the President has the power to designate National Monuments (National Parks are designated as such by Congress).

Chimney Rock is one of the most distinctive and mysterious Ancient Puebloan archeological sites in the Four Corners region. The varying architectural style of the structures within 1.5 kilometers of Chimney Rock suggests that inhabitants had diverse origins, types of family structures, and were influenced extensively by powerful Chaco Canyon culture. Current research is attempting to ascertain whether there was some kind of large scale migration from Chaco Canyon to the Chimney Rock region or whether there were many smaller communities living in the same space that each had their own connections to Chaco Canyon (trade networks).

What we do know is that Chimney Rock was special for its religious significance, as a place where the Ancient Puebloans studied the cosmos, and as the site from which they partially developed their advanced calendrical knowledge. Every 18.6 years, the moon enters a phase called Major Lunar Standstill (MLS) for a period of three years, meaning that it rises at the same point on the horizon each evening. During this MLS period, the moon rises in its different phases directly between the two Chimney Rock pillars. The Chimney Rock community Great House Pueblo was constructed to align with Chimney Rock and this phenomenon.

Pro Tips

Guided Tours

Recommended season(s): Monument is open year round and daily. Fall is the ideal season to visit the monument. Autumns months tend to be dry with moderate temperatures, and the flora produces beautiful fall foliage.