Day 6: Moon House & Upper Johns Canyon
Thursday, April 14, 2011
After another very windy and cold night, Jared and I had some breakfast and headed over to the Kane Gulch Ranger station again. We wanted to make this an easy day since we had done a bunch of hiking all week, so we decided to go check out the Moon House Ruins. We had attempted this hike a few years ago (before the permit system was started) but we were unable to find the way down and across McLoyd Canyon to the ruins, so we wanted to finally reach the ruins this time. We arrived at the ranger station at 8:00am and quickly obtained our permit. Then we were soon on our way down the Snow Flat Road to the trailhead.
This time we did end up reaching Moon House Ruins and spent about 2.5 hours exploring the area. We were lucky and had the place all to ourselves. On our way back across the canyon to the Jeep we did eventually meet two other groups of three who were hiking in to the ruins. I guess we got there at a good time :)
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Outer Wall by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
The outer wall of the main Moon House ruins.
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Moon Snake by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
What looks like a snake pictograph located above the ruins.
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Behind the Wall by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
A view from behind the outer wall. A very cool and unique place.
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Painted by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
The very unique stripe painted on an interior wall that the Moon House Ruins is known for.
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Stripe by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
A closer look at the paint on the interior wall.
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Spiked Snake by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Here’s a closer look at the snake-like pictograph from inside the outer wall.
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Three Rooms by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Three structures next to the main Moon House ruins.
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Moon House Rooms by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Many old structures make up the Moon House complex.
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Striped Roof by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
An interesting pattern and smoke-stained ceiling.
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Round Room by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
A small round structure found a little ways down canyon from the Moon House Ruins, but on the same ledge.