Buffalo Pass on Indian Route 13 NM
This is a 'shortcut' to go from Shiprock SW over Lukachukai and onto Chinle. Anyone ever traversed this road? Steep cliffs? No guardrail? Impossible climbs?
Forum Discussion
- I drove it in a 27' Class C Eastbound from Chinle to Shiprock several years ago shortly after it was paved for the first time. Beautiful drive, mostly in first and second gear. As I recall much of the area was posted to not even stop as it is on the Indian Reservation. I also recall a length limit posted on the Chinle side. I wouldn't recommend towing anything very heavy or long.
- Yep, we towed over it a few years ago. The curves aren't too bad; the view from the top is spectacular; but the climb both up and back down is very, very tough. I'm very glad that we made it to the top at all -- and glad we made it back down. (And very glad that we had the brakes done before the trip. Even geared down to first, we still had to come very close to smoking the brakes.)
Would we do it again? No, not towing. As a day trip out with camera (and without RV), though, I highly recommend it.
Oh, and check the pix in the album called Shiprock from BIA 13 in my flickr page, linked from my signature below. The ones from further away were shot from the top of the pass back toward the volcanic necks.
Lynn
