Hike to the Horse Collar Ruin Overlook

Horse Collar Ruin is one of the best-preserved ancestral Puebloan sites in the area. The overlook provides excellent views of the structures and surrounding canyon country.

Length Roundtrip: 0.6 mile (1 kilometer)
Elevation Change One-way (from Parking Lot to Overlook): 57 feet (17 meters) loss, 35 feet (10.6 meters) gain

Getting There

Start at the Horse Collar Ruin parking area and follow the unpaved trail 0.3 mile (0.5 kilometer) to the overlook.

Details

Duration

30-45 Minutes

Activity

Hiking

Age(s)

All ages, but minors should be with an adult parent or guardian.

Pets Allowed

No

Activity Fee

No

Park entry fees are required.

Location

Horse Collar Ruin Overlook Parking Area

Directions from the Natural Bridges Visitor Center: Turn right out of the visitor center parking lot. Follow the driving loop approximately 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) until you see the sign and parking for Horse Collar Ruin.

Reservations

No

Season

Year Round

All seasons – The Horse Collar Ruin Overlook Trail is open year-round, but roads may close in winter due to extreme weather conditions. Summer months get very hot, with temperatures in the 100s. Suggested visiting time is spring and fall.

Time of Day

Day, Dawn, Dusk

Although the trail is open after dark, Horse Collar Ruin is not visible after sunset.

Accessibility Information

Service animals are allowed on this trail.

This is a primitive trail. This trail is not wheelchair accessible. Audio recordings of the posted signage are not available. The trail has 57 feet (17 meters) loss and 35 feet (10.6 meters) gain one way, from parking lot to overlook. There is uncertain footing in places. Stay clear of the sides of the canyon; although they are not sheer, they can be steep.

The nearest restrooms are flush toilets located outside the visitor center and a pit toilet located at the Kachina Bridge parking area. The nearest water is available at the visitor center.

Horse Collar Ruin is named after the horse-collar shaped doorways in two of the structures.
This view is only accessible from the canyon floor. The Overlook is on top of the mesa.

NPS Photo

Horse Collar Ruin

Once you reach the overlook, look across the canyon and down to the cluster of structures below. Binoculars are especially helpful in spotting the small details. Look for the ruin’s namesake – two doorways in the shape of horse collars.

We don’t know much about the structures of Horse Collar Ruin. We believe they were built by ancestral Puebloans, who left the area more than 700 years ago. Why are the structures so perfectly round? Why did their builders not use the back of the alcove as a wall and save themselves a great deal of work? Where they used for storage? If so, why is there evidence of fires lit inside them? These are just some of the many questions archeologists hope to one day answer. What do you think?

Learn More

• 

  Horse Collar Ruin

  Read more about Horse Collar Ruin

• 

  Other Places to Go

  Learn about the major features at Natural Bridges National Monument.

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  Natural Bridges National Monument

  Everything you need to know about the monument.