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| Hiking | 0.96 Miles |
230 AEG |
| | Hiking | 0.96 Miles | 1 Hour 14 Mns | | 0.81 mph |
| 230 ft AEG | 3 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | I had another pick up at the Monument Valley Clinic again and decided to hit a couple spots in the Navajo Nation along the way. We stopped at the Navajo Tribal Park office in Cameron, AZ and checked out exactly what was open and what was still closed.
My first choice was go to drive out to Tatahotso Point in the Marble Canyon area, but the ranger said that area is still closed to general access indefinitely. The only way to go out to that area is to hire a local guide company. The air was really thick with haze anyway. So, we opted to buy a permit for Coal Mine Canyon and White Mesa Arch. $12 each and we were on the way.
I have never been to White Mesa Arch and I was not disappointed. It's a huge arch. The access is fairly easy. The drive in was along sandy and rutted roads. The recent rains made some sections a little hairy. I have a high clearance 4x4 truck, but I did not have to engage the front tires and kept it at 2 wheel drive the entire time out.
The road up ends below the arch. The path to the base is fairly clear. I should have hiked around to the other side, but time was getting tight to make my pick up. I will be out there again one day. A sunrise or perhaps some astrophotography?
The arch is truly spectacular. It reminded me of Sedona and Zion with the beautiful white/red/orange/pink sandstone.
This area gets some traffic and I hope if anyone decides to go out here, they either get a permit like I did or stop and ask permission from the lease holder near the base. I gave him a wave as we drove out and he responded in kind. If we want to keep these places opened up, we need to respect the people and the land. Otherwise, many of these cool spots in the Navajo Nation will be restricted like the area south of Marble Canyon. That was directly caused by selfish, disrespectful and idiotic boneheads who trashed out the place, went in without permits, ignored local laws/regulations and basically insulted the Navajo people. But, hey they probably got their Instagram shots, so it's all good.....not. |
| _____________________
"Jobs fill your pockets, adventures fill your soul."
instagram: @andydilling |
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