mule canyon ruins

This is a must-see/must-shoot for photographers, like me. The hike is about 30 easy minutes and the ruins are spectacular.

I love to show this to friends who'd never seen or been in ruins of this type. It's a great place to stop between PHX and Moab, and you can stay for an hour, or overnight off in the boonies (just don't make a mess/tread lightly). It's a graded trail to the overlook and the ruins are indeed impressive, much like a mini Mesa Verde cliff palace. House on Fire is amazing as you can get down into it and get a feel for life in a kiva 1000 years ago. The construction, the placement of the entry, etc. is all very easy to appreciate, just treat it with respect so future generations will know it too.

If you like Anasazi ruins then this is the place for you. South canyon was supposed to be more interesting than north and so my wife and I chose that one to hike in. A word of warning, the trail head is very close to the road but easily missed because there is no real parking area. House on Fire is the best reason to walk this trail, sure there are other ruins there but HoF is the best. The trail itself is fairly flat but can be hard going in the sand, especially if, like us, you walked all day the day before!

Amazing ruins in a remote canyon. Took us longer to hike into the canyon than we thought it would but the trip out was much quicker. Predominately untouched, the ruins offer an up-close view of history. Please respect these national treasures!

Well maintained & preserved, some reconstructed Ruins. Signs explain the history & significance of the site & people who lived there so many years ago. Well marked turn from the highway. Adequate parking. Short easy walk.

If you're at all interested in UT pre-history, this HAS to be the biggest (educational) band for the (time/money/effort) buck around. Free, informative, 15 seconds off UT-95, wheelchair accessible, and a very good example of one of the most distinctive features of ancestral Puebloan life. It would be just plain silly to drive by & not stop.

Basically this is a highway rest stop with some stabilized Ruins. Probably the most interesting rest stop you'll ever encounter. If you want to hike, there's lots more ruins in the area.

You can walk right to and around the ruins .... handicapped accessible. Well preserved and a nice easy spot to stop and see Ancestral Puebloan ruins.

Mule Canyon is a neat preserved ruin with a good interpretive panel. It discusses the dwelling, kiva, and connected tower. It doesn't take that long to visit. Good place to get out and stretch before heading into the park.

This located on an unmarked county road (SJC263) on the north side of UT 95. There is a good chance you will miss it since it is not marked and the only marked board "Mule Canyon" leads to Mule Canyon Ruin exhibit. House on fire is 1/2 mile east of the marked Mule Canyon Ruin exhibit. There is a pullout right after the mile marker 101 before reaching the Mule canyon marker if your are coming from Blanding, UT. After you turn right there is a fee station, it is $2 per person. You can drive pass the station and park the car in front of the trail. The trail to the house of fire is about 1.2 miles. The trail continues further, so if you are just interested in the house on fire, don't go further than 1.2 miles. If you have some way of tracking your miles, stop around 1.2 miles and looking for the ruin. It is towards the right on a height from the trail. We had missed the ruin and went an additional .25 miles looking for the ruin. We saw the ruin when we we were returning back. To get the light reflection for burning roof effect, most suggest to visit around mid day to afternoon. We reached the area by 10:30pm but spent our time locating the park and ruin. We were at the ruin around 1pm, still could see the reflected light and got some good shots.

The only reason we swung by Blanding UT and were on UT-95 was to photograph one special place. You won't find it on most maps and even if you do it won't mean much to you. This place is officially Mule Canyon that is just off UT-95 about 10-20 miles West of US-191. Mule Canyon in it's own right is not all that much to talk about. It is a nice canyon, with a dry (Mid May) riverbed and scrub vegetation typical of the area. The canyon is not all that deep and is easy to hike in. About 3 miles in a cliff dwelling that is commonly called "House on Fire" you can find out more about it by doing a Google search. House on fire is a typical cliff dwelling but has a unique feature. In late morning, early afternoon the dwelling itself is still in shade but the apron of rock at it's base is in sun. The sun hits this apron of rock and reflects up to the roof of the alcove containing the dwelling. The color and pattern of the rocks, when illuminated by this reflection look like the dwelling is on fire - thus the name "House on Fire".This is my 2nd attempt to photograph this phenomenon. My first attempt 2 years ago was rained out. This time I got it.

Mule Canyon is a comparatively narrow canyon with soaring walls, and there’s a nice hiking trail along the bottom. Since the Anasazi built their dwellings facing roughly west, you have to look up to your right to see the ruins as you head up the canyon from the road – roughly north. The ruins on the south side of the road in the really deep and wider part of Mule Canyon are a bit harder to find. There are ruined towers at the edge, and from that spot, if you look down to the left you can see the ruins on the typical rock ledge under an overhang. There’s a trail for the totally non-vertiginous that takes you down the wall to the ruins.The hiking trail on the northern part takes you past several great ruin sites – most notably among them House on Fire. You can climb up to it easily, as well as to the next larger set of ruins. This is one exciting and impressive as well as breathtakingly beautiful hike anybody with normal mobility can do. If you do hike Mule Canyon, also stop at the Butler Wash ruins further east on 95 – now those are a real special treat and close to the road.

This is a ruin at what I would call a rest stop. Has I think a vault toilet restroom but not sure. We were on our motorcycles and just needed a break. We walked through the ruins and discovered the park service did an excellent job of restoring some of the walls and had many posters describing the ruins. Really was informational and since I am interested in history I thought it was one of the best breaks I took. If you are driving down 95 you should stop. It only takes a few minutes, it is free and informative.

Go at the right time of day, and you'll see why the ruins are called House on Fire!It's a lovely easy 1 mile hike down in the canyon on the riverbed before you scramble up the slickrock to get beside the house on fire ruins. Very easy to find, fab to photograph too.

A "must see" in Utah for a photographer. We didn't hike the entire canyon. My goal was to shoot House on Fire. It was a short, easy hike and a pleasant morning. The canyon can be a little windy so make sure to bring a decent jacket. Very cool place.....