In all four of the regions Native American languages, the two buttes that dominate the Cedar Mesa are known as Bears Ears. Not only is that name very fitting, it’s also very cute. Surrounding these cute buttes is one of my favorite places on the planet. The area is a playground for adventurers and explorers with thousands (~100,000) of archaeological sites, tons of canyons, viewpoints, hikes, 4WD roads, rivers, and camping spots. It’s rarely visited, largely unstaffed, and mostly free from the tickets, reservation system, and Rangers. But that’s all about to change. The new, new Bears Ears National Monument has a total protected area of 1.36 million acres and The BLM are about to increase their funding and staffing to help “protect” the monument’s resources and manage the inevitable increase in visitation. So get out there while you can before Cedar Mesa, Blanding, and the Bears Ears get overrun… like everything else in my favorite place on earth.

The area that is now part of the National Monument used to be such a mystery to me when I first began exploring the southwest. The dirt roads, the 4WD trails, the ruins that lie deep within it’s canyons were all just out of reach and information wasn’t forthcoming. That made it all the more intriguing. It took me years of research and reading and meeting people to find some of the gems I’ve explored near the Bears Ears. Let’s do our part to keep the west wild while exploring the natural playground that is this magnificent culturally and geographically important feature.