Raven and Chickadee
  • Home
  • About
  • Gallery
  • Contact
 November 2, 2013

House On Fire Ruins

Often, I see a photo of a place and I say to Eric, “I want to go there.” That’s how we came to visit the House on Fire ruin. It’s a relatively unknown ancient Anasazi dwelling, but it ranks among the most beautiful ruins that we’ve visited.

What makes this eight hundred-year-old ruin so spectacular is the way the light plays off of the sandstone, making it appear as though the ruins are engulfed in flames. But the flames only appear in photographs, and only when the light is just right. So not only was I determined to visit this ruin, but we had to get there when the light was perfect.

The House on Fire ruin is located in Mule Canyon, on Cedar Mesa in southeastern Utah. It’s an area we’ve not previously explored, and as we discovered, it’s a territory rich with ancient ruins that are generally unmarked, unmapped, and left to the explorer to discover. Although we had excellent directions to the ruin, our first attempt at finding it took us on a bushwhacking expedition of about six miles over rough terrain; we discovered to our chagrin that we were hiking the north fork of Mule Canyon, not the south fork.

The hike to House on Fire is a surprisingly easy three-miles round trip, a relief after the previous day’s marathon. We arrived mid-morning, the best time for photographing the ruin, and found just a few other people, including a professional photographer who travels twice a year from Italy to photograph the Southwest. “It is the most beautiful place to photograph,” he said and generously shared tips for capturing a fiery image of this magnificent ruin.

We camped at Natural Bridges National Monument, a park that’s often overlooked in favor of its more popular nearby siblings (Canyonlands and Arches National Parks). On the day we arrived for a visit, the monument had just reopened after the ridiculous government shutdown. We scored a campsite in the tiny campground and Eric managed to shoehorn the trailer into a site—the door opened into a juniper, but we were in!

(On a side note, on our drive to Natural Bridges we passed by an overlook for the Colorado River that had been closed by the government. How ridiculous is that, to close an overlook? We were delighted to discover that someone had somehow hauled away one of the enormous yellow concrete barriers; on the remaining barrier, they had painted, “This land is my land, this land is your land. Amen!!”)

We spent three nights at Natural Bridges; in addition to hiking the North and South Forks of Mule Canyon we visited the overlooks in the park and hiked to two of the three bridges— Sipapu, a Hopi word referring to the entryway through which their ancestors emerged into the world; and Kachina, named for the spirit beings of the Pueblo tribes. The hikes were only about one and one-half miles round trip each, but with about 500 feet in elevation gain, they were steep, requiring a series of ladders, stone steps cut into the rocky hillsides, and railings.

It’s a gorgeous place; peaceful, beautiful, and little visited in comparison to the better-known national parks.[portfolio_slideshow]

Share with friends:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Categories : Travel, Utah
Tags : Anasazi ruins, House On Fire, Mule Canyon, Natural Bridges National Monument
← Next Post
Previous Post →

Comments

  1. Colette says:
    November 3, 2013 at 7:20 am

    Wow, what a beautiful place and what a difference when the light is not being reflected.

    Loading...
    • Laurel says:
      November 4, 2013 at 7:12 am

      Yes, the difference was astonishing. And it only shows up in photos!

      Loading...
  2. Peggy Setterberg says:
    November 3, 2013 at 9:54 am

    Glorious pictures and light, you really captured it…..
    Such a sweet picture of you Laurel #14…

    Love,
    Peggy

    Loading...
    • Laurel says:
      November 4, 2013 at 7:11 am

      Thanks Peggy! xoxo

      Loading...
  3. Nancy says:
    November 4, 2013 at 8:31 am

    ZAH! What a place! There’s a phrase in Spanish…. “vale la pene”, which means worth the pain. Your bushwhacking detour trek upped the ante on your experience, but so worth it. Rickety ladders indeed! Understandable that there were a group of photographers waiting for the right light. Loved the imagery, as I do of all your posts.

    Our golden October is shifting into the reality of November….

    Loading...
    • Laurel says:
      November 4, 2013 at 4:32 pm

      “Vale la pene” — What a great expression!! And that little adventure was definitely worth the pain.

      Loading...
  4. Amanda says:
    November 4, 2013 at 8:39 pm

    Wow! Amazing difference the light makes. Beautiful photos, looks like a beautiful area.

    Loading...
    • Laurel says:
      November 4, 2013 at 8:54 pm

      The light is magical. xo

      Loading...
  5. Kyle and Cyn says:
    November 5, 2013 at 12:41 am

    Wow, great photos as usual. Over here in Aussie land for a few weeks, watched the Melbourne Cup today. Even won $238 betting on the favorite. Will send you some photos, off to Fraser Island for a few days. Luv, Cyn and K

    Loading...
    • Laurel says:
      November 5, 2013 at 4:50 pm

      Can’t wait to see your photos!

      Loading...
  6. Valerie says:
    November 6, 2013 at 9:29 am

    That is amazing how the light makes that look like flames. Beautiful photos! Some rather funny hahaha!

    Loading...
    • Laurel says:
      November 6, 2013 at 5:19 pm

      Thanks, lil’ sis. ;-)

      Loading...
  7. ALICIA says:
    May 20, 2016 at 11:08 am

    This is one of my favorite ruins to hike to in Utah. Found your blog from John & Pams blog – great pics! My parents are full time RVers too! – Alicia @ http://www.girlonahike.com

    Loading...
    • Laurel (AKA chickadee) says:
      May 21, 2016 at 6:09 am

      Thanks, Alicia! We love this ruins too — as well as many other more remote places on Cedar Mesa. Check out Fallen Roof Ruins sometime if you haven’t been there.

      Loading...

Welcome to our blog!

Eric and Laurel

If you enjoy hiking, biking, kayaking, birding, art, music, quirky towns, good food, and good friends—you'll enjoy traveling with us. Join us as we explore the backroads of North America—we love company and comments!

~Laurel & Eric

Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
~Mary Oliver

Subscribe to our blog!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Recent posts

  • Turning The Page
  • Moving Forward
  • A Relaxing Week In Delightful Madison, Wisconsin
  • It’s Been A Whirlwind
  • Big Changes Ahead
  • The Fraught Life Of Abraham Lincoln: Springfield, Illinois
  • St. Louis: The Arch Is Cool, But There’s So Much More
  • Hot Times In Huntsville And Memphis
  • The Long Road To True Equality: Montgomery, Alabama
  • A Brand New Adventure (And The Challenge Of Leaving Home)

Archives

Categories

  • Adventures With The Kitty (8)
  • Aging Parents (7)
  • Musings (61)
  • Reality RV (20)
  • Travel (336)
    • Alabama (6)
    • Arizona (23)
    • Arkansas (1)
    • British Columbia (11)
    • California (31)
    • Canada (17)
    • Colorado (4)
    • Florida (55)
    • Georgia (6)
    • Idaho (4)
    • Illinois (3)
    • Indiana (2)
    • Kentucky (2)
    • Louisiana (9)
    • Maine (3)
    • Maritimes (8)
    • Massachusetts (3)
    • Michigan (1)
    • Mississippi (5)
    • Missouri (1)
    • Montana (5)
    • National Parks (24)
    • Nevada (10)
    • New Brunswick (4)
    • New Hampshire (1)
    • New Mexico (13)
    • New York (7)
    • North Carolina (9)
    • Nova Scotia (5)
    • Ohio (3)
    • Oklahoma (1)
    • Oregon (41)
    • Prince Edward Island (1)
    • Rhode Island (1)
    • San Juan Islands (17)
    • South Carolina (3)
    • South Dakota (3)
    • Tennessee (4)
    • Texas (28)
    • Utah (13)
    • Vermont (1)
    • Virginia (1)
    • Washington (39)
    • Wisconsin (2)
    • Wyoming (4)
Raven & Chickadee © 2023 | Photography by Laurel Vukovic & Eric Setterberg
Website by Michaels & Michaels Creative, LLC
%d bloggers like this: