Bogley

[goofball]

thinking of doing a trip here. for those who have visited the navajo nation for extended backpacks, did you have any problems ? i am concerned w/ my vehicle, don't want to get back to it vandalized or towed/incapacitated.

also, any advice on routes or areas to visit that anyone is willing to share ? navajo mtn. area obviously is prime real estate i would love to see. seems most people hit the northern part. anyone have knowledge of the west to sw area around navajo mtn. ?

and oh, how prevalent might water be in early april in canyons around navajo mtn. ?

[RedRoxx]

Just done the north trail as an in and out to Rainbow Bridge--one of the best overnighters I've done. Didn't get a permit as it was a last minute deal. I was solo but knew another backpacking group was in there doing the partial circumference of the mountain--I couldn't make the kickoff. I saw a couple of Navajo with a pack train, and the others after I had been at the Bridge about an hour. That was it for folks on the trail.
Absolutely fantastic scenery.
April should be great as snowmelt off the mountain will supplement the drainages for water nicely.

I had no trouble with my vehicle at the TH, and I know a gentleman who has done the full deal three times and has had no vehicle incidents either.

[goofball]

thanks rr, that is good to know.

after gawking at nexrad images the past 2 days its obvious there is more awesome scenery to see surrounding navajo mountain than could be seen in a month. guess i can't go wrong w/ anything up there !

[shaggy125]

Navajo Mountain area is awesome. I went a couple March's ago and it snowed on us on the hike in. Water was plentiful with runoff coming down the mountain, Cha and Bald Rock were flowing nicely. Nasja had plenty of fresh water as well. You can take the moki steps up to the head of Lehi and then follow cross joints to both Anasazi and Moepitz, amazing scenery in the canyons and on the slickrock surrounding. Fantastic area, possibly my favorite so far. Permits weren't an issue, $5 per person, per day so a bit pricey if you are staying for a long time. We just got them early and had them mailed to us before the trip. Nat has been more than once and may have more info.

[Scott P]

I was there last April as part of a nine day trip and we never had any problems with our vehicle getting broken into, but I would get a permit to make sure you are there legally.

Permits cost $5 a day and $5 a night per person (as of last year) plus an additional parking fee in some areas for every day the vehicle is on the reservation (even if you are hiking to an area ourside the reservation) which can add up ($50 pre day for a group of five for example), but make sure you get the premit.

Try to get a permit by mail as we found the offices closed when we wanted to hike Aztec Creek and couldn´t find anyone to get us a permit and had to change plans.

Another bit of advice is that roads on the Navajo Nation are confusing. They go everywhere and nowhere and plan on taking wrong turns and getting lost at least some of the time.

Aztec Creek is high on my list. Have a great time.

[goofball]

thanks shaggy n scott.

aztec creek is exactly where i was looking at going, starting at round rock. doing 3 or 4 days wandering around it to the lake and back. plus conducting a raid over into west, wetherill, or mountain sheep canyons, dawdling on cummings mesa for a day along the way maybe. plans malleable right now.

might be looking for partners if anyones interested. have already requested a permits form from the navajo parks.

[catch22]

goofball wrote: thinking of doing a trip here. for those who have visited the navajo nation for extended backpacks, did you have any problems ? i am concerned w/ my vehicle, don't want to get back to it vandalized or towed/incapacitated.

also, any advice on routes or areas to visit that anyone is willing to share ? navajo mtn. area obviously is prime real estate i would love to see. seems most people hit the northern part. anyone have knowledge of the west to sw area around navajo mtn. ?

and oh, how prevalent might water be in early april in canyons around navajo mtn. ?

Whenever I get down there to explore, the canyons in this photoset on flickr is going to be at the top of the list, from what I've found it's somewhere SEish of Tuba City but tough to find many other details on the location:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21059999@N08/sets/72157607640647214/

[Scott P]

Quote: might be looking for partners if anyones interested. have already requested a permits form from the navajo parks.

I'd be very interested. I've heard that Aztec is even better than West so it is way high on my list! :2thumbs: