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Seven Kivas

A ruin built around an unusual concentration of kivas, the round semi subterranean rooms that anchored Ancestral Puebloan ceremonial and social life. Climb-Utah calls it one of the most significant sites on Cedar Mesa.

Short hike, high clearance advised for the trailhead, and moderate navigation, meaning you want a written route description rather than instinct. Climb-Utah states a BLM backcountry permit is required here, and the site sits inside the Cedar Mesa permit area where day hiking needs the 5 dollar per person per day pass, so budget for one even though this record currently carries no permit rule. Kiva roofs doubled as the working surface of the household and the surviving masonry is fragile; stay off the structures, do not enter rooms, and leave sherds where they lie.

Logistics

Sources

• manager: https://www.blm.gov/office/monticello-field-office
• desc: https://climb-utah.com/CM/7kiva.htm
• notes: https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/permits-and-passes/lotteries-and-permit-systems/utah/cedarmesa