Navajo Mountain (Utah)
Five hours southwest of
Bluff, on the Navajo Reservation, Navajo Mountain rises to
10,388 feet. Geologically unique as an isolated,
laccolithic dome, the mountain towers above 1500 foot deep
canyons and breath-taking contours of Navajo sandstone. All
the pre-history and
history characteristic of the Colorado Plateau is here to
enjoy with the added attraction of Navajo culture. Trips
take place on ground continuously inhabited by the Navajo
since they settled in this area in the 1300’s.
Abandoned hogans are in evidence along with the cattle and
sheep of modern Navajos, living and working on their
ancestral lands. If available, a Navajo guide will
accompany our groups. The mountainside and canyons offer
opportunities to view Anasazi ruins and rock art, archaic
and paleo-indian hunting camps, and evidence of the large
mammals they hunted. The route itself is identifiable as
the route pioneered by the Cummins-Douglas expedition which
culminated in the first, official, Anglo discovery of
Rainbow Bridge. Other historic expeditions led by John
Wetherill can be traced through journal accounts and
physical evidence along the way. The trail around the
mountain averages 5,500 feet in elevation and combines
travel across open sandstone, through pinon and juniper
groves, with short descents and ascents of 100 to 500 feet
while crossing five major canyons. The canyons themselves,
fed by run off from the peak, offer a reliable source of
water, and a beautiful swimming hole at one camp site.
Deer, mountain lion, and the song dog are commonly sighted.
The reliable water promotes a varied population of reptiles
and allows the growth of the unique Red Bud shrub. Most of
our trips end at Rainbow Bridge National Monument where our
guests have arranged passage on a Lake Powell tour boat
down to Page, AZ. Some trips continue from Rainbow Bridge
around the mountain to the old Rainbow Lodge trailhead.
This part of the trail is not always passable with llamas
and this route is contingent upon our annual scouting
trip.