Access to Moon House is off an old Mormon Road cutting through the heart of Cedar Mesa. My brother and I started our journey to Moon House using a topography map, obscure directions (based on the memory of an old Forest Ranger), and a good dose of naivety. I use the word naivety purposefully because we began our travels on the south end of "Mormon Road" and slowly ascended up a treacherous, washed out and boulder filled dirt road. I had been advised that a high clearance vehicle was needed and thought my little Ford Ranger would be perfect but not far from an area referred to as the "twist" my knuckles were incredibly fatigued and my prayers constant.
After reaching the formidable conclusion that we were too far to go back and it was getting to close to sunset to continue my brother and I luckily found a great spot to camp for the night off the road.
The stars were incredible. High on the top of a mesa in the remote wilderness, our own nothingness was evident as the elaborate spectacle of stars filled the sky. Despite the crisis's of our assent we were now below the beauty of the stars and we soon slept deeply.
In the morning, we were invigorated with a renewed sense of ability and determination and after cleaning up our site and heading further up the road about another mile we reached the plateau of the mesa and the road became far more passable. Soon we found the "drill hole" way marker and trail head/permit post.
We hiked to the rim of McCloyd Canyon and began our decent scrambling down the canyon walls, finding kearnes and shoe prints along the way.
As we came around a corner our first glimpses of Moon House came into view.
The main ruin has both an inside and outer wall that some suppose were fortifications and there are a number of loop holes which offer specific views of strategic locations in the canyon.
There are probably around 40 different rooms and structures within a small confined section of the canyon and we spent time at the central site, the granaries to the south and the kiva to the north.
Perhaps the highlight for me of this first visit to Moon House and was after exploring a couple of alcoves further up the canyon I found under a non conspicuous stone slab which in my mind I thought would be the perfect cover to niche or hidden artifact. Seeing that there was little evidence that the slab had ever been moved back I positioned myself beneath the small rock ledge and pulled the slab back. To my excitement I found that there had indeed been man made space created behind the slab. The contents of this small little space was long since gone but my imagine was captured. I delicately placed the stone back into its previous position and erased my imprints leaving the discovery for someone else.
Moon House is an incredible experience and a wonderful introduction into the area of Cedar Mesa. Later, my brother and I would learn the road out and back to State Highway 261 is far more passable in the direction opposite we came, which has left future explorations far more tempting.
As a general courtesy and etiquette, if you ever have the pleasure of exploring the area as with all other adventures please take only pictures and leave only footprints.***Update October 2009***
Had the opportunity to visit Moon House again with some of my high school buddies on a short weekend excursion. We came in from the west this time (highly recommended) and camped close to the "drill hole" and had a wonderful time.
(I've added a couple of extra photos from this second trip to the photo album.)
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