The Answer is Blowing in the Wind: Desert Escape Day 10 – Window Rock to Cortez

Dear Maia, Isaac and Virtual Wanderers,

I started the day wanting to crawl back in bed. Dinner last night didn’t settle well and driving in the wind through the Four-Corners isn’t my favorite even when I feel great. I seriously considered staying over in Window Rock another day. After calling BringFido, I decided to stick with plan.

Navajo Code Talkers Memorial, Window Rock.

Kokopelli, Kachina and Cimarron pose near Window Rock.

We started at the Window Rock Code Talkers Memorial. It’s tradition. Plus, it gave me time to decide if I wanted to ditch Canyon de Chelly and just head to our next motel. We were the only ones at the Memorial, which is unusual.

By the time we finished, I decided I felt a tad better and we would head towards Canyon de Chelly. If I got worse, we could ditch the side trip and take a quick, boring route. I was also worried about wind and visibility. I’ve had a couple bad experiences driving through the Four-Corners in windstorms.

As we drove through Fort Defiance in BIA 12, I started to relax and focus on the gorgeous scenery. By the time we got to Crystal, the cut-off to the short route, I decided to keep going the long, scenic route. We continued to Tsaile, where I made the final decision to take the scenic detour to Canyon de Chelly north rim.

We took AZ 64 from Tsaile to the north rim turn-outs. The first turn-off is for Massacre Cave and Mummy Cave. It’s the same turn-off, but splits about a mile from 64. I believe this is about 16 miles from Tsaile. With of the overlooks have parking and short walks to the overlooks.

From there, we continued towards Chinle and took the Antelope House overlook. I always think I’ve gone too far because this isn’t far from Chinle. Watch for the sign!

Hiking trail at Antelope House, Canyon de Chelly.

Antelope House has a short hike that mostly slickrock. More info at this link. It’s about a mile and dog friendly. The vibes are absolutely stunning. This is my favorite of the overlooks. The wind was fierce, though. So, the dogs were a little bit freaked out.

Kokopelli, Kachina and Cimarron staying safe on a windy day at Canyon de Chelly.

After the scenic detour, we headed back to Tsaile on 64. From there, we took BAI 12 north through Lukachukai. We took a right on BIA 13 and the road began to climb right through the rich red rock. It’s an extraordinarily beautiful drive. The road is narrow, windy with several pot holes, but easy for my little car.

BIA 13 north gaining altitude after Lukachukai.

Climbing through red rock to the pines on BIA 13.

The summit has pine trees, a stark contrast to the red rock just minutes before. In a few miles, you see the Shiprock in the distance. The road flattens out and you cross into New Mexico. In about 20 miles, it a left turn on to US 491.

Look back at the mountains from New Mexico.

From there, we continued north on 491 through Shiprock, NM (crossing our day 1 journey) and back into CO. We drove past the Ute Casino in Towaoc, CO and into Cortez for the night.