Dragon lairs are among the most important locations in Skyrim. They're great for picking up more Shouts, as well as battling dragons which will eventually grant the player more dragon souls, scales, and bones. The latter two are then used to make some of the most powerful equipment in the entire game.

RELATED: Skyrim: The 10 Most Underrated Quests In The Game

However, finding these word walls and lairs isn't always easy. Sometimes you might stumble upon them by accident, but more often than not they tend to go overlooked due to their difficult to access locations. Not to mention some of them are simply much more worth the trek than others.

11 Skyborn Altar

Head east from Morthal, all the way up into the snowy mountains to discover this isolated little altar. Skyborn Altar isn't as great as one would imagine, and it's definitely not ideal when it comes to fighting a dragon due to the lack of space.

A few different quests might send the player here, but there's nothing extremely noteworthy other than the world wall and the dragon itself. The only notable thing to loot is a corpse by the wall.

10 Ancient Ascent

Another disappointing dragon lair is without a doubt the Ancient Ascent. Despite looking immensely cool, it just doesn't deliver in terms of loot and combat experience. The place is a bit cramped for fighting a dragon. To get here, head southwest from Helgen, or east from Falkreath and up the mountains.

RELATED: Skyrim: 10 Things You Missed In Sovngarde

What makes it a slightly better place than the previous lair is the fact that it at least has a nice little chest for the player. The word wall itself doesn't teach a particularly useful shout, however, since Animal Allegiance is used rarely (if ever).

9 Lost Tongue Overlook

From Riften, head towards the southern mountains to find this ominous entrance. Beware of a soul gem trap at the entrance before wandering closer, as well as the necromancer and various skeletons that also guard the altar.

Not to worry though, because the Dismay shout of the wall makes this a worthy visit, as does the large chest of loot located next to it.

8 Dragontooth Crater

The Reach isn't the easiest place to survive in due to the abundance of Forsworn. The same goes for this deadly lair known as Dragontooth Crater, which not only has a dragon as an enemy but Forsworn and a hagraven as well. Prepare for a pretty tough and demanding fight.

Luckily, with so many enemies there's good loot on the horizon as well. After picking up the Elemental Fury shout, don't forget to check the chest next to the word wall for some nice randomized reward loot.

7 Eldersblood Peak

Skyrim Elderblood Peak

Directly south from Morthal, this impressive altar stands atop a mountain after walking past several ruins. The trek here is perilous to say the least as Frost Trolls can be found on the path, making the whole journey so much more painful.

RELATED: Skyrim: Ranking The 10 Coolest Dragons

However, the saving grace of this lair is the shout itself, which grants you Disarm. It's one of the coolest shouts in the game, one that often drives players crazy when used by Draugr Lords. There's also a chest next to the altar, as well as a whole bunch of potions.

6 Mount Anthor

Mount Anthor is a more closed off lair, which can make fighting the dragon a little bit tedious. It overlooks Saarthaal from the southern mountains almost directly, and is a bit tricky to get to. Historically, it's an important location for King Olaf One-Eye.

The word wall has the Ice Form shout on it, which is decent but not the best. However, what's nice is the nearby alchemy station which is handy for making health potions after a long battle.

5 Shearpoint

From Irkngthand, travel across the mountains to west, and you'll find this unassuming yet dangerous lair known as Shearpoint. It's not quite like any of the other lairs, mainly due to the fact that approaching it will not only trigger a dragon encounter, but also awaken Dragon Priest Krosis from his slumber.

Although the fight is quite punishing, Krosis' mask is a pretty decent as it boosts lockpicking, archery and alchemy by 20%. Moreover, there's the usual reward chest by the word wall. The Throw Voice shout can be learned here, which is a decent distraction for enemies.

4 Northwind Summit

Northwind Summit is pretty easy to spot from afar, and is located on the path from Windhelm to Riften. A few minor quests might lead you here automatically, including bounty quests for the dragon residing here.

RELATED: 10 Facts You Didn't Know About Dragons In Skyrim

There's a nice reward chest for the battle, and the word itself is Aura Whisper, which is great for detecting life. However, the true advantage of this location is the abundance of orichalcum and moonstone ore which can be mined nearby. There's even a smelter for any blacksmith purposes.

3 Bonestrewn Crest

Directly south of Windhelm, the Bonestrewn Crest lair can be spotted fairly easily due to its central location in Eastmarch. It's the place to go to find the Frost Breath dragon shout, which is a surprisingly good and powerful shout, making this a great stop.

Moreover, the lair is close to a bunch of different ore veins, including iron and orichalcum. A reward chest with random loot is also included. Due to how open the area is, the fight here is a bit more manageable than in most lairs.

2 Saering's Watch

Solstheim's unique dragon lair, Saering's Watch, is found on the islands northern mountains. The place is quite large, and resembles Labyrinthian due to its presence among various Nordic ruins. This is a central location for a quest related to the citizens of Skaal, so you're most likely going to be directed here eventually.

Due to the size of the place, there's more than one chest around here which makes it a great spot. The other enemies, namely Draugr, won't pose much of an issue when fighting the dragon, and will also yield some loot which is nice. Some soul gems and potions can be located inside a camper's tent in the area as well. All in all, the battle should be easy, and for the lack of effort you do get quite a bit of reward.

1 Autumnwatch Tower

From Ivarstead, head directly south towards the mountains. The lair is marked by an old watchtower, which should make it easier to find and spot from afar. Due to the elevation, the fight won't be easy, but at least the other enemies are mere bandits and not a Dragon Priest or trolls.

There's a ton of loot here, thanks to the bandits camping here and the word wall. On top of the Marked for Death shout and the reward chest, there's a wide range of alchemy ingredients, a skill book for light armor, enchanted boots, a potion and an ore vein for silver. Given how easy it's to access, this shouldn't be missed. Considering the difficulty level of the fight and all the rewards, it's the most ideal lair to enter.

NEXT: Skyrim: 5 Best Dungeons (& 5 Worst)