Tempi'po'op Trail
Utah’s Color County District recently completed improvements to both the Tempi’po’op Trail and the Anasazi Valley Trailhead to address drainage issues and ensure equitable access for visitors. The Trail receives nearly 80,000 visitors per year, over 30,000 of them via the Anasazi Valley Trailhead.
The Trailhead is equipped with parking, restrooms, covered picnic areas, and kiosks with safety-related information, information about the history and cultural use of the area, and other details.
The Tempi’po’op Trail, a two-track and single-track trail, is 3.5 miles in length. Recommended users include equestrians, hikers, and mountain bikers. On the IMBA Trail Difficulty Rating System, it is rated as Moderate/More Difficult. From this trail, visitors can reach a whole network of interlinked trails.
Tempi’po’op (pronounced tumpee poo oop) means “rock writing” in Southern Paiute. The Tempi’po’op Trail traverses the geographic formation known as Land Hill, which was heavily used by both Ancestral Puebloans and Southern Paiute. This trail is popular for numerous petroglyphs (rock writing) and the remains of a pre-historic Ancestral Puebloan farmstead that are interpreted for visitors by means of informational kiosks.
Land Hill affords spectacular views of the Red Mountains, Snow Canyon State Park, Santa Clara River, and distant Beaver Dam Mountains. From the Anasazi Valley Trailhead, the trail winds upslope for .75 miles to reach the Ancestral Puebloan farmstead and 1.2 miles to reach the main area of petroglyphs.* The trail continues south beyond the main petroglyph area by way of single track that hugs the cliff edge. More petroglyphs can be seen here with close observation.
An old road is the basis for the next section of the trail as it climbs Land Hill to its highest point. At the last turnaround in the road, the trail dives off the top, returning to single track and following the edge of the rim. As the hill moderates, the trail returns to an old road until reaching its end at the intersection with the Upper Graveyard Trail. Take the Upper Graveyard Trail and then the Fishhook Trail to reach the Tukupetsi Trailhead.
*The section of the trail between the farmstead and the petroglyphs is open for hikers and mountain bikers but remains damaged from high-rainfall storms.
Accessibility Description (ABA/ADA)
The parking lot for the Anasazi Valley Trailhead consists of a hard-packed surface, with 2 of the 4 delineated spots next to the toilets marked as accessible. Of those 2 spots, 1 is wide enough to accommodate vans equipped with a side ramp for mobility devices.
Adjacent to the parking area are 2 unisex accessible vault toilets. There is no running water onsite.
A 5-foot-wide trail made of compacted gravel connects the parking lot and toilet and leads to a 4-sided information kiosk with shaded vertical panels.
The gravel path also leads to 3 nearby covered picnic areas, each with a picnic table sitting on a concrete pad. Although lacking extended tabletops, these tables are open on both ends to accommodate visitors in wheelchairs.
The gravel walkway also provides access to the Tempi’po’op Trail, which was designed according to ABA accessibility standards for outdoor areas.
On the portion of the trail between the trailhead and the Ancient Pueblo farmstead, the slope is generally less than 8 percent, with a few short stretches greater than 8 percent. The trail could have loose gravel in spots, so visitors should exercise caution. The section of the trail that extends beyond the farmstead, and the other trails that spiderweb out from there, are not flat or hard-packed and do not have a stable surface, so they may pose challenges to people with mobility impairments.
At the farmstead, additional interpretive panels, which are angled toward the viewer, describe the use of the farmstead when it was occupied.
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Directions
Tukupetsi Trailhead – From I-15 Exit 6 turn north on Bluff Street. Turn left on Sunset Blvd. Continue on Sunset Blvd as it turns into Santa Clara Drive. Continue 0.5 miles past the Jacob Hamblin Home and turn left onto a gravel road that leads to the Tukupetsi Trailhead. Anasazi Valley Trailhead – Follow the directions above, except continue past the Jacob Hamblin Home for 3.2 miles as Santa Clara Drive turns into Old Highway 91. Turn left on a gravel road and travel 0.1 miles to the trailhead.