Hovenweep National Monument is located about 42 miles west of Cortez, Colorado (near Mesa Verde National Park) and about 67 miles east of Mexican Hat, Utah (near Monument Valley). No tours seem to go here, so renting a car is a must. While a regular car is fine for Hovenweep, having a high-clearance SUV for the Four Corners region as a whole is ideal.
Hovenweep, therefore, makes for a perfect stopover for those traveling between Monument Valley and Mesa Verde. You can also combine it with Canyons of the Ancients National Monument in southwest Colorado, which you can learn more about in our dedicated guide.
In my case, I spent the previous night in Cortez, Colorado before beginning my journey west through Canyons of the Ancients. I stopped at Escalante Pueblo, Lowry Pueblo and Painted Hand Pueblo before crossing the border into Utah and visiting Hovenweep.
I then proceeded onward to the Monument Valley area. Of course, one could also visit these destinations in the reverse order, starting from Monument Valley.
In Cortez, some of the top-rated accommodations include the Hampton Inn and the more budget-friendly Retro Inn. Finding a local Airbnb is another good option.
You may also want to take things more slowly and camp. As Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, which allows dispersed camping on its lands, you’ll have plenty of options as long as you’re not too close to an archaeological site (learn more here).
This also includes spending the night in your RV. If you don’t have your own, consider renting one on a site like Outdoorsy.