HikeArizona.COM

Friday June 18 to Monday June 21 (4 days, 3 nights)


I'm in "watchful waiting" mode (bad pun) with left eye surgery completed on 4/28 and right eye surgery scheduled on 5/19. With compromised vision, I've been sticking close to home. This is making me "itch" for June 1st clearance to get back into REAL HIKING again! With that being said, I want to throw it out there for discussion for a 4 day weekend in Chaco Canyon with side trip into Bisti Wilderness. We're at critical mass for Friday June 18th thru Monday June 21st and made an inquiry to the Ranger Station about reserving the Group Camp Site for those dates.

Thoughts? Letting Rob off the hook with all the organizing logistics but count on his archeological insights during the Chaco treks...

Average June temperatures for Chaco are Hi 86F and Lo 47F with 0.4" monthly precipitation.



Chaco Canyon & Bisti Wilderness Experience 2010

Chaco NPS map http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=43978
Farmington NM to Chaco map http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=43977
Chaco Canyon Experience 2007 http://hikearizona.com/photoset.php?ID=3782&start=0
Chaco NPS website http://www.nps.gov/chcu/index.htm
HAZ reference http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=12079



Bisti BLM map http://www.takemytrip.com/064corners/06_09a.htm
Bisti Wilderness Experience 2007 http://hikearizona.com/photoset.php?ID=3773
Bisti BLM website http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/wilderness/bisti.html
De-Na-Zin Wilderness reference http://www.hanksville.org/voyage/misc/bisti.html
HAZ reference http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=1962




Tentative Agenda
Arrival at Chaco Group Camp Site (reserved under name Camp Schulhauser) Friday June 18th around lunch time. NOTE: If we aren't at sufficient numbers for Group Camp Site, we'll "free-for-all" grabbing individual sites clustered together.

Many sites in Chaco and Bisti to take in. Maybe bring the mountain bike…

Depart Chaco Group Camp Site Monday June 21st around lunch time.

Got my medical clearance to return to work, drive a vehicle, and light activity. Test 20/25 left eye and 20/20 right eye

Hooray!

Great! I hope I can can catch the next trip.

I go back to work tomorrow, and will have a schedule and more information then!

Hope you can join us Rob...
.
Took a peak at the Pueblo Bonito weather forecast for later in the week => HI of 90degF and LO of 45degF. I can handle that for our June 18th forecast as well...

I have the 20th and 21st off. I should be able to get in late on the night of the 19th, leaving right from work.

@Randal Schulhauser
Hello Randal my names Brandon i'm new to this site (not new to hiking or exploring) I've always wanted to go to the Chaco Canyon Temple there. I was just wondering what someone would have to do to go? like recommended equipment etc..

Brandon;

I'll PM you some details...

RANDAL

So Rob, your plan is to arrive Saturday night - correct? If that's the case we'll target Bisti Wilderness for all day Saturday and Chaco for all day Sunday. Look for my red F-150 and the bright orange tent to find our camp site in Chaco http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=126550

RANDAL

Yeah, I'll probably be getting in around 9-ish Arizona time. I'll keep my eye out for your truck. Sounds like a plan. I'll PM you my cell here in a minute.

Looks like we're aiming to depart Chez Schulhauser's by 7am on Friday 6/18. Google Map route to Chaco Culture National Historic Park visitor center shows 471 miles and 8 hours and 37 minutes travel time. That puts us at Gallo Camp Grounds about 4-ish on Friday afternoon.

For all the other "fence sitters" - you IN or you OUT???


Also attached a couple of target trails for Chaco exploration...

I've never done the South Mesa trail (the only one in the park I haven't, in fact).

Thinking maybe on Monday morning 6/21 (get-away-day) to see if we can take in a couple of the "outliers" before hitting the road back to PHX. Anyone got some "tips" about any of the "outliers" (see attached...) ;)

I've always wanted to hit up the outliers - sounds like a plan to me!

PageRob wrote:I've always wanted to hit up the outliers - sounds like a plan to me!

Considering the travel time, it's frustrating to leave there without having explored every possibility. I'll probably skip all the main sites on my next visit to see what I missed before.

I'll make my decision sometime tomorrow (Wed). If I go, I'll be heading up from Tucson via Globe/Show Low/St Johns.

How are you guys going?

PHX to Payson to Heber onto AZ377 to Holbrook to I-40 to Thoreau onto NM371 and over to Chaco. I'm in Ahwatukee if you want to meet at a coffee shop (Einstein's @ 7-ish?) near I-10 and Ray Road?

I'm going to be coming down from Farmington, so y'all won't see me on the road in, unless you're coming back late from the Bisti.

So Rob any word on backroad conditions, say shooting over from Crownpoint towards Pueblo Pintado and head north towards Fajada Butte into the Cultural Heritage Park?