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Mesa Verde Nat'l Park
To
Chaco Canyon, Bisti and The Climate
Highway
666, 64, 371, I-40 + 550 (was 44), 7900
We like this route from
Mesa Verde NP to Hwy I-40. Go south on NM Hwy 666 to Shiprock,
then east on Hwy 64 a short ways to Farmington.
Then south down Hwy 371 for the nice
drive thru
Bisti De-Na-Zin where
you can see
hoodoos
along the roadside, to
Hwy I-40. But there
are a couple of
great stops that you should make before leaving Four Corners and New
Mexico -- Chaco Canyon and
Bisti/De-Na-Zin
Wilderness.
Maps
A
highly acclaimed park, a wonderful park and it
is a World Hertage Site along
with nearby Mesa Verde NP (see page 4) and Grand Canyon NP. BUT
the nearest
lodging is about 50 miles away in Bloomfield, east of
Farmington (there is a no-frills, no-hookup campground
in the park for campers); it takes a couple of days to see the
park; and the last 16 of the 50
miles is washboard dirt road. Video
clip -- even with air ride on our coach the washboard road is
real obvious
and made more
obvious by Jan. Much
easier
with lighter cars and pickups as they whizzed by our heavy rig.
So if
those things do not discourage you, then continue on! Coming east on
Hwy 64, go thru Farmington to Bloomfield, then south on Hwy 550 (was
Hwy
44) to CR 7900
just south of
Nageezi.
Route 57 is now closed. Follow CR 7900 and signs to Chaco
Canyon.
Be
sure to check with the visitor center for activities like the
neat stargazing 'Star Party.'
(CR = County Road)
Jan and I tried entering the park from
the
south on Route 9 but, "Unless you are a local
Indian and know all the rough dirt trails, you won't get there," sez
the Sheriff of Crownpoint as we quarried him about the roads. We went in from the
north.
On
leaving the Chaco Canyon, crossover west to Hwy 371 and there are
couple of
short
cuts. We like CR 7500, an interesting dirt road
that leads down the back side of Bisti to Hwy 371, see map.
Ask locals for
current dirt road
conditions. The other short cut is the first paved road going west and
is farther north. Since you will be
seeing the Mother of all Anasazi Pueblos, you can pass on Aztec Ruin NM.
.
Not
shown on
neither Four Corners nor the New Mexico maps is Bisti
De-Na-Zin. It
is off
NM Hwy 371 and is just
northwest
of Chaco Canyon. It is one of those
wonderful and esoteric jewels I
found while surfing the net. I give it a gold star and it is a
short
visit. It
is on BLM land where camping
is free (usually but not always).
Going
into Bisti to see the
hoodoos, the road into the area is shaped like the letter "L." See
map. It
is 8 mile north of the intersection with CR 7500, (or
if
you are driving south
on Hwy 371 from Farmington, it's about 36 miles) watch carefully for small
signs.
Turn east on CR 7297 and continue about
1.5 mile to a "T." Turn left, north, on the shorter leg of the "L"
and go up the
road
for
about 0.5
mile, past the parking
area on
the
right bordered by a fence. Just
after the parking lot and before the hill, look
for a
trail on the left and then find any place to
park. Then grab your
camera and stroll around hoodoodom.
The existing trail where we parked has
lots and lots of tire tracks
(hoodoodat?)
so I am sure it
is OK to
park there. There are no rangers about, no
visitor center to ask hoodoowhatwhere, and no signage.
When you leave
the Bisti, head south to Hwy I-40 and to the end a of a marvelous
journey
into the past but
it is the beginning of another.
Climate and Weather
Climate
The summer
weather from Petrified
Forest to Monument Valley is very similar.
At 6000+ ft elevation, it is a little too warm for us coastal
Southern
Californians.
The average tempurature is 6
degrees
cooler in Mesa
Verde at higher altitude. But getting
there is another matter -- Phoenix
and Yuma are well over 100°.
Remember these are averages tempuratures and that half the days are
over the average. It
is not my idea of fun in June, July
or August, driving thru El
Centro and Phoenix.
Typical
averages from Petrified Forest to Monument Valley
Average
6
degrees
cooler at Mesa Verde in the summer
|
Some Views of the
Bisti.
Hoodoos
--
Bisti
De-Na-Zin Wilderness Area
Strange
and wonderful rock formations
Surreal
landscape
Area is noted for dinosaur fossils. If you are fortunate,
you
may find one!
Camp anywhere on BLM. No fees -- just as it ought to be
A local came by our camp, Nelson B, with Light'n -- shared
our
firewater
.
Some Views of
Chaco Canyon
Pueblo Bonito at Chaco Culture
National Historic
Park from The Overlook
Jan
with her
father Joseph (father Joe)
Kin Kletso Pueblo
View of Chaco Canyon -- looking southeast
At mid-distance, Pueblo Bonito on L and Pueblo Del Arroyo on R
Stairway to The Overlook
Wild aborigine women are very friendly --
even took us home!
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