Badger House Community Trail

Overview

This self-guided, mesa-top walk strings together four excavated Ancestral Pueblo sites on Wetherill Mesa. It’s a 2.25-mile round-trip that includes a short, mostly paved approach from the Wetherill Mesa Kiosk to a roughly one-mile interpretive loop. Expect gentle grades, mixed paved and gravel surfaces, and about 111 feet of total elevation change—easy to moderate for most hikers. It’s a calmer corner of the park, ideal when you want substance without the crowds.

What You’ll See

You’ll trace a timeline of settlement spanning roughly 600 years:

• Modified Basketmaker Pithouse: Early semi-subterranean dwellings that hint at the community’s beginnings.
• Developmental Pueblo Village: A longer-occupied village phase with early masonry and a great kiva at its center.
• Badger House: A multi-room block with two kivas; one kiva reportedly connects to a tower foundation via a tunnel—an unusual feature in the region.
• Two Raven House: Low-walled rooms, a notably small kiva, a fire-reddened pit likely used as an earthen oven, and evidence of a palisade possibly used as a windbreak or to manage domesticated turkeys.

The setting is classic mesa-top pinyon–juniper country. Geologically, the park’s cliffs and alcoves are carved in erosion-resistant Cliff House Sandstone, while the softer Menefee Formation below feeds springs and seeps that sustained past communities.

Access and Logistics

Reach Wetherill Mesa via a steep, winding 12-mile road; allow about 45 minutes from the main park road. Vehicles over 25 feet are not permitted. The loop begins about half a mile from the kiosk—walk or bike the paved segment and cross the Long House Loop to the signed footpath. Wetherill Mesa operates seasonally with limited hours; typically open late May through early September and closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. In 2025, the gate opens at 8:30 am, last entry is 2:00 pm, and all visitors must exit by 4:00 pm. Pets are allowed on this trail; keep dogs leashed.

Conditions and Cautions

The 2000 Pony Fire swept this area, so shade is minimal. Plan for full sun exposure and heat. Surfaces are generally good, but gravel sections can be uneven. The access road is steep and winding—drive cautiously and skip it if your vehicle exceeds the length limit.

Best Time to Hike

Aim for morning: cooler temps, softer light on the excavations, and plenty of time before the early afternoon last-entry cutoff. Avoid Tuesdays and Wednesdays when the area is closed, and expect the strongest sun from late spring through summer. Cloudy days can be a gift here.

Tips

• Bring more water than you think you’ll need; there’s little to no shade.
• A bike can make the paved approach quick and easy; the interpretive loop itself is a walk.
• If you’re building a full Wetherill Mesa day, pair this with Long House (ticketed tour) or Step House when staffed—check current operations before you go.