BACK ROAD ADVENTURE Navajo Mountain

Navajo Mountain Drive Explores Land Seemingly Forgotten by Time

“NAVAJO MOUNTAIN SEEMS FORGOTTEN BY the northwestern corner of the Navajo Nation. time,” said photographer LeRoy DeJolie We were driving the back roads past as he pointed toward the black hulking Navajo Mountain into Utah and looping back mountain dominating the northern horizon. “It into Arizona. Harley Klemme, a Navajo is the last frontier of the Navajos.” DeJolie, a guide who owns Overland Canyon Tours, tribal member, should know. He lives in this far and Joan Nevills-Staveley, director of the Page Chamber of Commerce, rode along. We took two four-wheel-drive vehicles and obtained Navajo Nation permits, necessary for this trip. The main route is not a four-wheel-drive road, but a highclearance vehicle is needed and a four-wheel

drive required on some side trips. Leaving Page at 6 A.M., we headed east on State Route 98 for 55 miles, then turned north on Indian Route 16. Known locally as Crossroads, signs indicate the way to Navajo Mountain and T'Sah Bikin, Navajo for “house made from rough sage,” also called Inscription House Ruin.

Six miles off State 98, we stopped at Inscription House Trading Post to top off our gas tanks. Cell phone coverage was spotty and tow trucks far away, so we were prepared for backcountry travel. Klemme served as our guide, and I packed an Indian Country map as backup.

About 16 miles from 98, a breathtaking view revealed Navajo Canyon to the left, or west, along with slickrock and buttes, all Navajo sandstone created from ancient sand dunes. On paved road, we passed through piñon-juniper vegetation studded with sagebrush.

At 10,416 feet, Navajo Mountain's overpowering presence is sacred to the Navajo, Ute and Hopi people. John Wesley Powell, Grand Canyon explorer, named it Mount Seneca Howland after one of his party members, but the name never stuck and it remained Navajo Mountain, or Naatsis 'aan, meaning “enemy mountain cave.” In 1863-64, U.S. soldiers rounded up and force-marched the Navajos to New Mexico. Chief Hoskinnini's band hid on Navajo Mountain for seven years, going back to Monument Valley only when the Navajos returned to their homeland.

After 26 miles of pavement, the road abruptly turned to bone-jarring washboards and sand-filled ruts. Klemme called it a “rez road” and hollered at us to hang on. The road was so rough he found it smoother if he drove off to the side in the ditch.

We passed the Navajo Mountain Alliance Church, then, after 32 miles, we took a dirt road to the left that leads to the late Senator Barry Goldwater's deserted Rainbow Lodge. Goldwater brought tourists here for horseback rides to Rainbow Bridge. The lodge is an 11.6mile round-trip along a four-wheel-drive road from where we were, so we went for it. We needed Navajo Nation permits to go there, since we were off the main road.

Bundled in a sheepskin-lined denim jacket, Endischee rode off into the gusting north wind.

Continuing northwest, the road divided and we turned right at the Illinois license plate nailed to a cedar post. Then we drove a short distance to a well, where a sign pointed to Navajo Mountain. Here the bad road got worse, and side roads took off willy-nilly. Klemme's instructions: “Keep to the left with the water tank on your right.” After 5.8 slow miles, we reached the buildings and rock remains of Goldwater's lodge scattered among the cedars. While eating sandwiches, we admired the ever-changing cloud shadow patterns playing across the vast Kaibito Plateau below us. A white sandstone dome squatted like a giant dollop of whipped cream on a sand-and-sage cake. Carved footholds marched up the side to an ancestral Puebloan lookout point. We retraced our way back to Indian Route 16 and turned left (north.) Another 5.3 miles farther, we came to the Arizona-Utah border. After skirting Navajo Mountain's eastern flank for 3.5 miles, we turned left for .7 of a mile to the burned-out, closed Navajo Mountain Trading Post, then returned to Indian 16. After all the side trips, I started re-counting mileage from zero again. Navajo Mountain Boarding School stands 3 miles from the trading post turnoff, then a cottonwood tree splits the road and we turned right (east) onto Indian Route 6310/Utah 434. We stopped while sheep guarded by a golden sheepdog crossed the road. After 6 miles, an unusually large earthen-roofed hogan caught our attention. The traditional single door faced east where Navajos greet the morning sun. A sign at 9 miles warned of the steep, one-lane road into Piute Canyon, where a chunk of fallen sandstone almost blocked the road. The canyon, dramatic with bluish-purple Chinle Formation, created a miniature Painted Desert.

Switchbacking out of Piute Canyon, we looked northwest to Lake Powell's startling blue water. Occasional green vegetation marked small springs leaking out of sandstone walls. Navajo Mountain loomed on the right, since we'd looped back south. The rocky road turned to pockets of blowing sand and Klemme increased his speed. “You don't want to slow down now,” he said as we plowed ahead. The Arizona border with Utah is unmarked. At 36 miles from Navajo Mountain Trading Post, on Indian Route 6310, we admired a red mesa, then dropped into the bottom of Cattle Canyon, its rippling sand dunes accentuated by the evening sun. Thin veils of blowing sand danced along dune crests before piling up against the north side of an old forked-stick hogan used for ceremonials Still heading south on Indian 6310, we passed a turnoff to Navajo National Monument, and after 60 miles hit pavement that felt soft as satin on our battered bones. A left turn onto Indian Route 221 leads to the Shonto Trading Post, established in 1919, that sells food, gas, rugs, silver and pottery. Back on 6310, it was 4 miles to 98, and then 60 miles back to Page.

DeJolie was right, this trip was a rough road to a place forgotten by time.

WARNING: Back road travel can be hazardous if you are not prepared for the unexpected. Whether traveling in the desert or in the high country, be aware of weather and road conditions, and make sure you and your vehicle are in top shape. Carry plenty of water. Don't travel alone, and let someone at home know where you're going and when you plan to return. Odometer readings in the story may vary by vehicle.

TRAVEL ADVISORY: Permits from the Navajo Nation are required for driving or hiking off the main highways without an official guide.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Permits may be purchased from: Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation Department in Window Rock, (928) 871-6636; Cameron Visitor Center on U.S. Route 89 north of Flagstaff, (928) 679-2303; or LeChee Chapter House/Parks and Recreation, 7 miles south of Page, (928) 698-2808; Overland Canyon Tours, Page, (928) 608-4072.