Taste of House on Fire and Mule Canyon Trailhead - Bears Ears National Monument

House on Fire

Location Coordinates:
(37.542504, -109.730760; Parking 37.537314, -109.732772)

Within the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument, the House on Fire is one of the region's most popular cliff dwellings that's right along Highway 95 between Blanding and Natural Bridges in the South Fork of Mule Canyon. It's a one-quarter mile drive on well-maintained native-surface road. It's called House on Fire because at certain times of day the lighting makes it looks like there's a glow to it, with smoke and flames coming out of it. It's very popular with photographers. It's a short hike, 3 miles round trip with little elevation so it's good for the whole family.
Time your trip to House on Fire by arriving at the trailhead with enough time to hike the 1.5 miles and hit the ruin approximately late morning, depending on the season. You’ll never forget this magical place lit ablaze with sunlight reflecting off red-orange rock. You’ll also remember the mystery and the wonderment you feel gazing upon ancient structures, pictographs, and petroglyphs.
The Mule Canyon/House on Fire trailhead requires a $2.00 per person permit at trailhead if not purchased in advance at Kane Gulch Ranger Station. Beginning in March 2018, advance reservations for overnight trips in the Bears Ears area may be obtained on recreation.gov or the Kane Gulch Ranger Station. Please visit the BLM Cedar Mesa Permits webpage for more information. Just a FYI...We purchased an annual hiking pass for “Cedar Mesa & Comb Ridge Day Hiking”. It cost us, as of May 2023, $44.50 and is good to the end of May 2024.

Here are some links that will give you some more info:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BzroGmQ-Ac (Trek Planner)

https://www.hikingproject.com/trail/7021924/house-on-fire-ruins

https://www.visitutah.com/places-to-go/parks-outdoors/bears-ears-national-monument/ancestral-pueblo-cliff-dwellings

https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/permits-and-passes/lotteries-and-permit-systems/utah/cedarmesa

P.S. Sorry I haven't figured out how to make these "Real Links" so you will just have to copy and paste these to go to the websites. If anyone knows how to make these real links please let me know...Thanks!