Cortez: Cultural History and Non-Motorized Trails

Cortez offers two distinct areas of interest for trip planning: cultural heritage and non-motorized trails. At Hawkins Pueblo, evidence of settlement by people of the Pueblo I and Pueblo II periods dates back to at least 900 CE. The Cortez Cultural Center presents exhibitions on the cultures of Indigenous peoples of North America, while Phil’s World has a different focus, with its non-motorized trail offerings.

Archaeological Traces of the Past and a Conservation Mission

At and around Hawkins Pueblo, there is evidence of settlement by people of the Pueblo I and Pueblo II periods dating back to at least 900 CE. The period names provide the historical classification, while “at least” marks the date as a lower limit. This places the cultural and chronological information side by side without assigning the settlement a single exact year.

Hawkins Preserve is protected by a conservation easement intended to preserve public access to its natural and archaeological resources. The two Hawkins sites have different emphases: the Pueblo provides a historical reference point, while the Preserve has a conservation mission. The mission is to conserve the resources and uphold the stated goal of preserving public access to them.

Culture at the Cortez Cultural Center

The E. R. Lamb Building became the home of the Cortez Cultural Center in 1988. The center presents interpretive exhibitions on the cultures of Indigenous peoples of North America, as well as representative artifacts from the Fulkes Collection. The exhibitions and collection pieces convey the subject in different ways: through interpretation and representative artifacts.

Native American Dances are held in the on-site dance plaza during the summer. The permanent exhibitions and summer dances differ both in how they present the subject and in season. If a dance date is important to you, check the schedule for your travel dates. The year 1988 places the building’s history as the center’s home, while summer refers to the time of year when the dances take place.

Non-Motorized Trails at Phil’s World

Phil’s World is part of the Cortez Special Recreation Management Area, which focuses on non-motorized trail opportunities. Phil’s World has 15 miles of designated non-motorized trails on BLM land. The trails are flow trails with a low to moderate level of technical difficulty. The designated 15 miles are approximately 24 kilometers, providing a metric reference for planning.

Two separate criteria help put this in perspective: the 15 miles indicate the designated trail length, while the low-to-moderate rating describes the technical difficulty. The area’s focus and the trail characteristics answer different questions: the non-motorized focus applies to the Cortez Special Recreation Management Area, while trail length and technical rating apply to Phil’s World.

Discover more destinations: Mancos, Mesa Verde National Park, Dolores.

View the broader travel guide: Montezuma County.