Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum

Another Museum But More

As we continued our summer of 2025 8-day, 1800-mile road trip to central and southern Utah, we ended up in Blanding, Utah to visit Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum. I know it seems like an isolated area to visit but it was all part of our plan. To continue to visit all 46 Utah State Parks in person.

If you are even remotely interested in Native American history and archaeology and you happen to be traveling through this area, you should take a short break and visit this State Park. Much like Anasazi State Park Museum, it lives up to its name as a wonderful museum and not so much a park.

Located in the quiet … really quiet … town of Blanding, this Utah State Park is much more than just a museum, though. It is an archaeological site, an interpretive center, an art museum, a working repository of cultural artifacts and a literal “edge” of history.

The park’s name refers to the spot where the dense pinyon-juniper forests of the Colorado Plateau give way to the open lands to the south and east.

What is the real draw here? Well, this museum stands on the site of an actual ancient village once inhabited by the Ancestral Puebloans … in the past more commonly referred to as the Anasazi.

Not only can you view these ruins from above, you can actually climb down into a restored kiva that dates back nearly a thousand years. It is one of the few places in Utah where you are allowed to physically enter an ancient ceremonial structure like this.

More Than Just a Museum

Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum houses the largest collection of Ancestral Puebloan pottery and relics in the Four Corners region. That is no small thing. Over 6,000 artifacts are on display.

Many of them were recovered from local sites before looters could pilfer them or natural deterioration could destroy them. The museum itself is modern and well-designed with well-designed exhibits that help make sense of the ancient culture that thrived here between A.D. 825 and 1225.

You will find tools, sandals, projectile points and ceremonial items. You will also find informative displays that explain how the Puebloans built their homes, lived their daily lives and interacted with neighboring groups.

Some of the most fascinating exhibits revolve around pottery. The black-on-white ceramics produced here are among the finest anywhere in the Southwest. They show a level of craftsmanship and design that may surprise you especially when you realize they were produced with no metal tools and often fired in open-air pits.

Not Every Museum Lets You Do This

The outdoor archaeological site is compact but incredibly well-preserved. A short paved path behind the museum leads to a cluster of ancient dwellings.

There are remains of walls, rooms and storage pits. At the center is the restored kiva with a ladder descending into the interior. What is a kiva? It is “a chamber, built wholly or partly underground, traditionally used by male members of the Pueblo people for religious rites.”

Climbing down into that space is something special if not a little creepy. The interior is cool, quiet and earthy. The reconstructed roof and benches give you a sense of how communal and sacred these underground rooms really were. They were used for rituals, storytelling, teaching and probably decision-making.

Standing inside a thousand-year-old ceremonial chamber like that leaves a lasting impression. It is humbling. Even spiritual. And like I said, maybe a little haunting.

A Center for Research and Preservation

Edge of the Cedars isn’t just a museum for public education. It also serves as an official archaeological repository for the state of Utah. That means it is a working facility that houses over 1 million artifacts in its collections.

Most are not on display to the public but are used by archaeologists, researchers and students who continue to study the cultures that once thrived in this region. The glass walls at Visible Storage enable you to watch the curator at work on the museum’s extensive collection of pottery.

Because of that role, the museum sometimes receives artifacts repatriated from other institutions or from federal investigations into illegal artifact trafficking. There are various displays in the museum chronicling past incidents of criminal looting and the capture of many (not enough) of those involved. 

If you care about preserving Native American heritage, this is a place where that important work is being done every day. There are many people in the past who have made a lot of money by illegally stealing artifacts and selling them to eager buyers.

Events and Educational Programs

Since we were eager to continue our road trip, we were sitting in the parking lot just before 9:00 A.M. The two ladies working at the museum showed up like clockwork at 8:55 A.M.

There was no one else there for a while but we learned that Edge of the Cedars regularly hosts cultural events, lectures and hands-on activities for kids and adults alike.

If you are lucky, you might visit during one of their Puebloan pottery-making workshops or special events timed around solstices and equinoxes. These moments connect modern visitors with the celestial knowledge and seasonal rhythms that defined ancient Puebloan life.

They also partner with local tribes to offer perspectives on the living traditions of Native communities who are descended from these early cultures including the Hopi, Zuni and various Pueblo groups.

When to Visit and What to Know

Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum is open year-round and it is worth a visit in any season. We learned that spring and fall are particularly pleasant in Blanding with mild temperatures and beautiful light in the late afternoons. Summer can be hot and winter is quieter but the museum remains a wonderful indoor destination regardless of the weather.

In the distance far to the west are the easy-to-identify Bears Ears … two prominent buttes … prominently rising above the landscape. Of course these are what give Bears Ears National Monument its name. This monument continues to be a hot-button item depending on which party is in power on the federal level.

I’ll be frank. Blanding isn’t the most exciting town I’ve ever visited. We ate at a local restaurant and the steak I was served was way down the list of best I’ve ever had. And if you enjoy a drink of alcohol with your meal … any alcohol … forget it. It is a dry town. In more ways than one. It didn’t bother me as I can take it or leave it.

Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum
Information and Fees

Blanding is approximately 310 miles southeast of Utah. It is considered more of a place to gas up and move on before heading towards Monument Valley or The Four Corners.

Even so, Hovenweep National Monument is just under an hour away. I highly recommend a visit to that one as it is magnificent. 

• Hours: Monday–Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 P.M. Closed Sundays and Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day
• Admission Fees: I won’t include them here as they change constantly so you can check out the state website for updated fees.  

Local Tips and Other Things to Do

Edge of the Cedars pairs well with visits to nearby attractions like Natural Bridges National Monument, Monument Valley or Hovenweep National Monument. All of these explore different facets of ancient Native American cultures.

Blanding is also home to the Dinosaur Museum, a quirky stop that’s worth 30 minutes or so. We didn’t take that 30 minutes as we planned a lot of dinosaur-related stops later in our trip. 

Tip: If you want to make the most of your visit, download the museum’s self-guided tour app or grab a map at the front desk. It adds a lot to the outdoor trail experience. And the art display in the museum is actually quite impressive.

Final Thoughts

Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum isn’t the biggest or flashiest park in Utah’s State park system. It might, though, just be one of the most important.

It brings together history, science and cultural preservation. It is a park that remembers and displays a unique history. You can actually step right into the past and walk right through it.

Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum
660 W 400 N, Blanding, Utah 84511
Phone: 435) 678-2238
Website: https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/edge-of-the-cedars/

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