Round Rock, Rock Point and Lukachukai-Flat Rock Scenic Drive

Round Rock and Little Round Rock are eye catching formations in the Chinle Valley region of the Navajo Nation in northeast Arizona. This pair of buttes sits between the Lukachukai Mountains to the east and the ground rising toward Black Mesa in the west.

One of the many scenic drives in Navajo country is the combination of Highway 191 south from Mexican Water, AZ to the Round Rock Chapter, then continuing south on Navajo Route 12 to Tsailie. The Highway 191 segment and then continuing on to Many Farms is called the Flat Rock Mesa Scenic By-way.

Both routes are scenic and lead toward the spectacular Canyon de Chelly. I think the base of Round Rock is the soft Chinle Layer supporting steep sandstone cliffs, probably the Wingate layer. From the right angles, it appears that Round Rock has an arch on the western side.

North of Round Rock, the Rock Point Chapter area features sandstone outcrops, mesas, and monument formations similar to Monument Valley. One of the most obvious is Whale Rock resembling a surfacing whale. Some of the small pinnacles may have cultural significance as part of the traditional Navajo religion.

South of Round Rock, the next community is Lukachukai, sitting along the base of the Lukachukai Mountains. At Lukachukai, Navajo Route 13 is another scenic drive crossing the mountains at Buffalo Pass and descending on the east side into Cove and on to Shiprock, New Mexico.

At the junction of Navajo 12 and Navajo 64 there are views of the square topped Roof Butte. Route 64 leads to three north rim overlooks of Canyon de Chelly and is part of the Among the People Scenic Road that continues south to Fort Defiance and Window Rock, AZ.

Inside Aztec Ruins

The self guiding tour at Aztec Ruins has 22 stops along a 700 yard trail. Stops 7 to 12 pass through a series of rooms just inside the north wall, giving an intimate view of the interior of this very large structure.

Aztec Ruins is located in Aztec, New Mexico along the north bank of the Animas River. It sits about halfway between the spectacular sites of Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde and shows influences from both areas.

 The trail guide at Aztec Ruins features both a western scientific description and a more personal poetic description. The poetic version emphasizes that the inner rooms are intimate spaces where food was prepared, children played and the grandparents told stories. As you pass through here, smell the aroma of corn and venison stew simmering in clay pots over a fire of Utah Juniper and Pinon Pine wood.

While passing through the low passage ways, there are sideways views into adjacent rooms through plexi-glass windows. There are close up views of the brickwork and there are several examples of grinding stones. On the exterior wall, there are small openings allowing a small amount of light to enter. Otherwise, these rooms would be quite dark.
 

Stop 11 shows an original mat of willows sewn with yucca cord. These rooms did not have hinged doors but instead used mats, hides, slabs, or feather blankets to block the drafts. Along with the mat is a frame of plastered poles. Men and boys wove the cotton cloth and yucca fiber blankets. Women made pottery and ground corn on the stones. There was a natural rhythm to their life, keeping time to the natural cycles.

The ceilings have spruce, fir, or pine beams set into the masonry walls. These large trees species are not available in the immediate vicinity of Aztec Ruins. Upstream on the Animas River are the San Juan Mountains where Ponderosa Pines, Engelmann Spruce, and Douglas Firs grow, but the distance to move the trees is at least 20 miles. The overlying poles are Aspens supporting a layer of Utah Juniper or rush mats. On top of the mats is a layer of compacted soil.

The interior tour passes out into the plaza area toward the east end of the overall site. Visitors are called on to imagine the scene of a ritual dance. Drummers and dancers emerge from the Great Kiva, welcoming the morning sun, forming male and female lines, the two lines of human life. All are invited “to remember to remember” who they are, and their relationship to each other, the ancestors, and to the Earth Mother.

Excavations in the plaza area found a deeper layer of pottery that resembled the Chaco Canyon style to the south. The upper layer pottery more resembled the Mesa Verde style from 40 miles to the north. As climate or other factors changed, the major influence on Aztec Ruins shifted between these two centers.

In the small on site museum there are displays of pottery including the unusual spiky pot that is thought to resemble the seed pod of the Datura or Jimson Weed. There is a similar style pot on display at the Anasazi 
Heritage Center near Dolores, Colorado.

 

Animas River near Aztec Ruins

The Aztec Ruins in Aztec, New Mexico is referred to as “the place by flowing waters.” At nearby Riverside Park, there is a 1.5 mile loop trail that provides good views of the flowing Animas River. In the future, this trail may be extended to the Aztec Ruins site. The Riverside Park is a short distance south of the junction of Highways 516 and 574, about 0.5 miles west of the Historic District of Aztec.

The trail segment along the north river bank is paved and there is a wood chip return segment along an irrigation ditch. The east end of the paved segment ends near the Highway 516 bridges that cross the river. At the east end, there is also a local conservation project with some wetlands and some vegetation restoration efforts.

I saw a Bald Eagle perched in one of the tall cottonwoods along the south side of the river, in easy sight from the paved trail. Not many Bald Eagles nest in the Four Corners area, but they are often seen in winter months near the rivers and reservoirs. The river section below the eagle perch was busy with Mallard ducks and Canada geese.

The west end of the trail passes by an Animas River access point with a map of the Animas and San Juan River system. Near the west end there is also a pedestrian bridge connecting to more parkland on the south side of the river.

From the pedestrian bridge it is about 0.5 miles east along city streets to the Historic Aztec District. At Aztec Ruins I picked up a walking guide booklet that maps out the historic buildings and sites, mostly houses from the early 1900s. Many of the historic buildings are along Main Street with early houses and churches along Church Street.

Another attraction of the Historic District is the Aztec Museum and Pioneer Village. In early February 2011, the museum was closed for renovation but some of the many artifacts are visible through the fence, including old machinery and even some entire small buildings. I visited the Animas River and Aztec area on a 35 F degree sunny early February day. Snow was cleared from the trails and walking was easy.

                                     

Waterflow Rock Art

The Waterflow Rock Art site is unmarked and obscure on the north side of Highway 64, west of Farmington, New Mexico. There is a large outcrop of sandstone between mile post 37 and 38 across from the Big Rock Trading Post.

There is a driveway that provides enough space to pull over and look around. There is a slippery trail to the east and some panels visible across a fence to the west.

It’s not a very comfortable place to visit as the slippery trail is very close to the busy highway, but there are several panels that can be viewed without much effort. I didn’t go very far to the east but there are several figures to see, especially up high.
 

The panels to the west of the driveway are easy to view from a distance with binoculars. There is a fence and with a locked gate between the pullover place and the sandstone outcrop.

Animas River Walk-Farmington, NM

The Animas River Walk is a 6 mile trail system along the Animas River in Farmington, New Mexico. Two thirds of New Mexico surface water flows through the Farmington area at the confluence of the Animas, San Juan, and LaPlata Rivers.


For many years Farmington relied on the water for its growth as an agricultural town, though in recent years energy resources have taken a leading role. Several donations of land along the river corridor have helped create a scenic and relaxing trail in the main market town in the Four Corners.

I started hiking on the west end near the Berg Park area. Several segments of main trail have a brickwork surface. In winter, the very large preserved cottonwood trees stand out.

I saw signs later on that mention Fremont Cottonwoods as the most common and Narrowleaf Cottonwoods as the rarest. There are several brick plaza areas along the way. The River Reach Terrace has a large map showing the highlights of the River Walk.

There are two bridges crossing the Animas River with trail segments on both sides of the river between the bridges. There are several parallel trails, some staying close to the river banks and some winding through woodlands areas. In the segment between the bridges many Mallard ducks and Canada geese use the river. There are signs posted advising visitors what is good duck food and what is bad.
 

On the north side plaza there is an all veterans memorial with a monument and historical review of every United States war beginning with the Revolutionary War. Each service has a small monument and all the regional flags are on the display.

Toward the east end of the area there is the River Reach Landing and a White Water Park area. There is a map showing the where the landing areas are along the Animas and San Juan Rivers.
 

An unusual feature in a natural area is an interpretive display of a natural gas well. This operating well is described as being 1350 feet deep and brings up a water and gas mix to the surface where the fluids are separated and partially processed.

There is a geologic map of the regional layers from 8000 feet above sea level to 8000 feet below. The interpretive signs show the well penetrating to the Morrison Formation, which is visible on the surface near Moab, Utah and other Four Corners locations.
 

The east end of the River Walk features the Riverside Nature Center with views of preserved wetlands along a nature trail. Watch out for prairie dog holes near the Nature Center. There are a few interpretive signs that mention the birds common in the area. Some of the birds mentioned include quail and pheasants, Red Tailed and Coopers hawks, and magpies, along with the Mallards and Canada geese. There are some large nesting boxes near the wetlands area.

I spent 1:45 hours on the River Walk on a 42 F degree mid January day. I hiked about 4 miles including some of the side trail options but not all of them. The main trail and most of the side trails were cleared of snow and park workers were working on the trail even as I was hiking.