Chaco canyon NP in NM ?'s

If you took the road in from the east from Nageezi, that's at least partly off-reservation trust land, not reservation per se. "Off-reservation trust land refers to real estate outside an Indian reservation that is held by the Interior Department for the benefit of a Native American tribe or a member of a tribe. Typical uses of off-reservation trust land include housing, agriculture or forestry, and community services such as health care and education." (Wikipedia)

Lynn

fanrgs wrote:
I have driven two 4WD pickups and a rental SUV into Chaco, but wouldn't take my car or fifth wheel on that road. On one of the pickup trips, I brought a tent, sleeping bag, food, and water and stayed at the park campground. The other trips, I have stayed in Bloomfield (closer than Farmington), and driven to Chaco from there. Once, I drove out late at night (after the Saturday night star party) and nearly hit a bull elk standing in the middle of the road just outside the park boundary.

FYI, the really bad portion of the road is on the Navajo Reservation. And they apparently don't plan to improve it in the near future.

I have driven two 4WD pickups and a rental SUV into Chaco, but wouldn't take my car or fifth wheel on that road. On one of the pickup trips, I brought a tent, sleeping bag, food, and water and stayed at the park campground. The other trips, I have stayed in Bloomfield (closer than Farmington), and driven to Chaco from there. Once, I drove out late at night (after the Saturday night star party) and nearly hit a bull elk standing in the middle of the road just outside the park boundary.

FYI, the really bad portion of the road is on the Navajo Reservation. And they apparently don't plan to improve it in the near future.

Chaco is not be missed. Summer thunderstorm can turn road into a quagmire. I worked on the Navajo Res and out of Farmington on some coal mines. The commute is long and difficult. Try to stay at the site or find a place to boondock nearby.

We drove there once in a 2wd Subaru with four people. We got out to push about 6x and were covered in mud by the time we got there. The day the mud people came to visit Chaco Cyn.

The site was clearly a regional center to celebrate cellestial events for Publeoan people. They travelled long distances to get there. The ponderosa pine logs used for vigas to support the roof structures came from distant mountains 50-90 miles away. The logs have been used to date the structures on the site. I love this place.

rbtglove wrote:
We stayed in the park - Yes it was rough going in BUT IF YOU TAKE IT EASY IT CAN BE DONE. there no hook up only a table, drinking water only at the small store. Need ant spray for sure. But well worth the effort. Campground is in the canyon near ancient ruins and when the sun goes down it is amazing. Not for wimps

That's the kind of place we live for! Don't care if it's a little rough, we can handle it.

One day isn't enough to fully appreciate Chaco. 21 miles of gravel - 1st 7 are good, 2nd 7 ok, 3rd 7 plan on slow going (10-15mph). We spent 4 nights in there last year - could have stayed longer! I'd hate to make the drive in and out in a single day, wouldn't allow enough time to see backcountry sites or the nighttime astronomy presentation.

don't take your RV down that road. Stay in Farmington and drive down in your toad.
as stated, it's washboard, about 18 miles of it and no exaggeration..it's ROUGH.
but do go, because it's worth the effort.

We stayed in the park - Yes it was rough going in BUT IF YOU TAKE IT EASY IT CAN BE DONE. there no hook up only a table, drinking water only at the small store. Need ant spray for sure. But well worth the effort. Campground is in the canyon near ancient ruins and when the sun goes down it is amazing. Not for wimps

Ditto on not taking an RV down there

We really loved Farmington too.

If you're a beer lover, check out the offerings from Three Rivers Brewing Co in Farmington.

I hope you enjoy Chaco. There's nothing like it. Spend as much time there as you can.

We stayed in Farmington and drove down to Chaco.
There is no way I would take an RV over the road into Chaco. In fact we will never go back because of the road into the park.
You have about 20 miles of washboard road into the park. This is a very rough washboard.