Westwater Canyon Trail

The Westwater Canyon Trail is located on the south side of Blanding, Utah at road 500 South only about one block west of the main road Highway 191. This isn't the same site as the Westwater Ruin, which is about two miles to the southwest, further down the same canyon.

There are trails along the rim of this desert canyon going to the north and south. The south trail has some displays of the historical heritage of the area. There is good desert hiking to the north much of it on an ATV trail.
In the Heritage Trail section to the south there is an observation tower and an amphitheater. From the tower there are good views of the canyon area and the Blue Mountains to the north. This is a desert canyon with Pinon Pine and Utah Juniper trees and sage brush dominating.

The cultures represented include the Navajo Indians whose large Reservation is not far to the south. Two reconstructions of the traditional Hogan dwellings of the Navajo are presented along with an oven and a shade house structure.

The Anglo reconstruction shows and cabin and a variety of old farm implements. There were several historic old wagons and wheels on display also. These different sites are connected by a network of trails rather than a loop.

The Spanish Village has a small building and a corral and out building. The hiking trail to the north descends into the canyon and crosses and seems to go a long ways on the west rim. There are some minor Ancestral Pueblo sites just under the canyon rims.

I hiked around this area for about 1:20 on a hot mid summer day.