San Juan River Trail below Navajo Dam

The San Juan River Trail is a 2.5 mile round trip along the north side of the San Juan River below Navajo Dam in northwest New Mexico.

The trail head is at the end of County Road 4280, north off of New Mexico Highway 173, 18 miles east of the town of Aztec. The hike to the Simon Canyon Ruins starts at the same point.

The trail starts along a service road that heads up the east rim of Simon Canyon. The San Juan River Trail branches off to the right, heading up river. On the day I hiked, I saw a sign post at the trail junction, but not a sign.

The tail waters flowing below Navajo Dam are clear and cold and make this area a very good trout fishing area. On a cool but sunny late November day, I saw several fly fishermen standing thigh deep and casting for trout. One of the landmarks along the trail is called ET Rock. Further on is Lunker Alley. This area doesn’t allow motorized boats and I saw a few rubber rafts with paddles maneuvering in Lunker Alley.

The sandstone cliffs along the trail are part of the San Jose formation, deposited 50 million years ago. The San Jose is a relatively recent layer compared to what is mostly visible in the Four Corners area. The youngest rocks in view at the top of Mesa Verde are 70 million years old, and the Entrada Sandstones at Arches National Park are 180 million years old. The canyon sides are covered with Pinon Pines and Utah Junipers with patches of sagebrush. Close to the river banks are cottonwoods and tamarisks. There are a few benches and tables along the trail and several places to fish from the bank.

The trail seems to end sooner than it needs to. My hike took 1:20 hours for the 2.5 mile round trip on a 44 degree sunny day in late November. There is a similar Simon Point Trail along the south side of the San Juan between the fishing access points.

The area above and below Navajo Dam are mostly part of Navajo Lake State Park with many campsites, day use areas and boat launch facilities. Navajo Lake is 15,000 acres and is the second largest lake in New Mexico. Navajo Dam is 3800 feet long, 400 feet high, and was constructed between 1958 and 1962. The longest arm is 25 miles long and the elevation is 6085 feet. There is a short hiking loop at the Pine Campground from the campground to the lake.

The San Juan River Fly Fishing Guide (Below Navajo Dam, New Mexico)