Chaco Canyon Boondock

Yes the road into Chaco Canyon is not the best. We travel with a motor-glider on a trailer behind the RV and get photos like the one here of Pueblo Bonita.Great place to visit even if the road in sucks.

trikepilot,

Would you clarify something for me ... after driving miles and miles back into Chaco Canyon to explore and photograph ... do you have to drive back out of it in the afternoon to camp?

In other words, are there any spots way back in there where you are allowed stay and drycamp overnight so you can continue the next day without another long drive in?

Phil...I have spent a lot of time in the area and I cannot think of any place that I would have boondocked. The geography appears to be pretty bleak and empty but that is far from the truth. There are lots of hogans spread out and sheep pens. Plus that is all Navajo Reservation and one needs to be careful not offend.I would recommend driving in and taking a camp site for a couple nights. depending on the time of year, a person might need water or just a quiet place. And the fear of flash flooding isn't a concern in the Park itself. I want to add too...that being out there in the Park at night is pretty spectacular.


Gary Haupt

Chaco Canyon is on my bucket list. Hope I make it.

trikepilot wrote:
Yes the road into Chaco Canyon is not the best. We travel with a motor-glider on a trailer behind the RV and get photos like the one here of Pueblo Bonita.Great place to visit even if the road in sucks.

What a great photo! Always love to see the parks from so many different perspectives.

I do have a question, for trikepilot; "Do you verify what the air restrictions and minimum flight altitudes are for the different National Parks are before taking flight? With the McCain law, noise level restrictions and now being researched, restrictions on Drone Flights, for our National Parks and Monuments, I thought you might be more familiar with these rules and could shed some light on the subject.

Thanks!

b

pnichols wrote:
trikepilot,

Would you clarify something for me ... after driving miles and miles back into Chaco Canyon to explore and photograph ... do you have to drive back out of it in the afternoon to camp?

In other words, are there any spots way back in there where you are allowed stay and drycamp overnight so you can continue the next day without another long drive in?

Chaco Canyon has a campground. It has no services so it is for dry camping only.

The fee is $10 per night and it is a first come first serve campground. If you get there and the campground is full then, yes I guess you would need to drive back out that night. I'm not sure if they have any overflow camping or not. It probably wouldn't hurt to call ahead just to see if there are openings at the campground and if they do have overflow camping.

Here is a link: Chaco Canyon

The Fee at Chaco Canyon is going up to $15 per night and it will be a reservation campground - starting Jan 8, 2014.

Chaco Canyon Camping

Your rig needs to be under 35 feet.

You cannot make a reservation yet - that will start on Jan 8 - but recreation.gov has the campground information, site listings, map, etc up and viewable.

Thanks for the campground info and links!

Drycamping in the desert is no problem for us (we're rockhounds). However having to make reservations for that campground sure takes some of the spontaneity away ... which is a bummer way out there as to you can't estimate how many days you might want to stay until you get out there and wind up having more fun than you thought you would.

Once you're out there in that campground and your reservation(s) run out, do you automatically have first dibs at signing up for more days - locally at the campground (using an iron ranger) - to extend the time in your campsite that you originally reserved?

I'm not sure you need to make reservations.

Obviously there is a need for reservations from some people going to the campground, or they would not be doing implementing that system.

When I want to go to a government park (COE is my most common type of federal park) - I look at the recreation.gov web site and look at open sites at the park for my size unit and needs. If it looks like less than 10% of the campsites are open - I will call the campground/ ranger station and ask about usage.

I might make a reservation 5 days or so before arrival. I'll usually reserve for 2 or 3 days.

For campgrounds not busy - I just show up.

I've never had any problem extending my stay - if the site was not reserved by someone else - out to the maximum permitted for that campground. When I arrive and ask for a site - I always ask if the individual site is reserved for any period in the next two weeks. I try to get a site which is open for two weeks. That can change over night - so be aware.

I have no idea about the usage percentage for the Chaco campground. Outside of holidays like Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day weekends - I would not expect the campground to be full / booked.

I'm hoping to be there either in mid-May or late September/ early October 2014. I'll find out if I'm completely wrong about the usage.