Navajo Country Guided Trail Rides
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Author: Matthew Jaffe
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| Navajo Mountain rises to 10,388' on the Utah/Arizona border on the Navajo Nation. The last 20 miles are not paved and require 4 wheel drive in rain and snow. Camp and the start of the trip are on the east side. The mountain creates varied weather systems. | First night's camp on east side of Navajo Mountain at the Manheimer's place. |
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| The first 3 miles of road out of camp is passable by four wheel drive, pleasant going, beautiful scenery. | The caravan moves easily along the road towards the Cha Canyon trailhead. |
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| A rest stop at the parking lot, Cha Canyon trailhead | The trail boss |
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Pat readjusts packs |
Cha Canyon Trail viewed from the trailhead |
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| The north trail to Rainbow Bridge begins with a short switchback into Cha Canyon | The almost 3 miles across Cha Canyon is the easiest trail of the 14 miles to Rainbow Bridge |
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| The trail we have just crossed - Cha Canyon, viewed looking back before descending Bald Rock Canyon. | Marian at the top of the Bald Rock Canyon switchback that hugs the canyon walls descending 500' to the canyon bottom. |
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| One switchback direction offers views of the the Kaiparowits Plateau on the other side of Lake Powell. | The trail switches back revealing Navajo Mountain with snow and, over the 90 degree drop off, the canyon bottom with a stream and yellow fall cottonwoods. |
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A reliable stream refreshes Fry Bread. |
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| A few minor slickrock switchbacks lead from Bald Rock Canyon to Surprise Valley | Well trained horses carefully negotiate steep slick rock. |
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| A steep rocky trail leads through a pass out of Nasja Canyon to a plateau. |
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| The first camp on the trail was found by the trail boss on the plateau before Oak Canyon; plenty of water for the horses left by rain. |
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| On the way to Oak Canyon the trail skirts a sandstone cliff bordered by towering formations. | Marian admires a hogan, Navajo traditional home where the ancestors of some of the current residents of Navajo Mountain lived over 100 years ago. |
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| Viewed from the top of the switchback, one of the pack horses is barely visible near the colorful cottonwoods promising water at the bottom of Oak Canyon. | The beginning of the rocky switchback into Oak Canyon. |
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| The steep entry into the eastern tributary of Bridge Canyon. | The trail slopes steeply down, twists and turns on its way to Lake Powell, about 4 miles away. |
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| Walls narrow and the trail, surrounded by a creek with lush vegetation, drops steeply towards the bottom of Bridge Canyon. |
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| Bridge Canyon zig zags, the trail levels off the last 3 miles, crossing and recrossing the creek. | The canyon bends abruptly and Rainbow Bridge comes into view a half mile downstream. |
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| Danny, Evelyn, Ferrisen and Ed pose beneath a plague dedicated to Nasja Begay, a Paiute who guided the first recorded expedition of Anglos to Rainbow Bridge. |
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| Pat's Appaloosa, Kohla, contrasts nicely with the sandstone walls of Bridge Canyon. | Evelyn's Appaloosa, Hoskinnini settles in for a rest at the second night's camp at the junction of Bridge and Redbud Canyons. |
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| On the third day of the trip, we retrace the trail all the way back to the camp on Navajo Mountain, beginning with the steep climb out of Bridge Canyon. | Looking back at the entrance to the Bridge Canyon trail, a rest is in order as we top the sand dune on the plateau leading back to Oak Canyon. The Kaiparowits Plateau is on the horizon. |
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| Navajo Mountain is getting snow but in the canyons this has been a dry trip. | Between Oak Canyon and Nasja Canyon we round a slick rock cliff. |
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The trail into Nasja Canyon is one of the steepest and rockiest. The bravest ride, some of us lead our horses. We go one at a time so we don't dislodge rocks on anyone below. |
Nasja has some sandy level trails between the seriously steep parts, good stream, colorful sandstone, yucca and pinyons. |
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The Surprise Valley slickrock trail. |
The Bald Rock Canyon trail hugs the colorful sandstone sheer walls in switchbacks improved by the CCC in the '30's. Only the bravest, such as Marian Lee and Pat Roberts, stay on their horses and enjoy the view past the serious drop-offs. Giant bald sandstone domes define the landscape down to Lake Powell and the San Juan River. |
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| After crossing Cha Canyon again we are back at our Navajo Mountain camp. Evelyn, the trail boss herself, treats us to Navajo Stew and fry bread. | The spectacular sandstone formations on the Navajo Mountain Road were carpeted with snow on our drive out after a warm, dry 3 day trail ride to Rainbow Bridge. |
Those attempting the trail ride to Rainbow Bridge should be experienced riders. If you bring your own horses they should be in top condition and experienced on steep rough trails. You must go with a Navajo guide. Evelyn Yazzie Jensen,
Gunnar Jensen |
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