Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
131
which has been trading since 1875. The Tanner family offers jewelry, Navajo rugs, pot-
tery, alabaster sculptures, old pawn, and katsinas (kachinas).
Bob French Navajo Rugs,
on US 64, 18 miles west of Farmington (
&
505/598-5621;
www.bobfrenchnavajorugs.
com), sells silver and turquoise jewelry and a range of antique and new rugs.
Hogback
Trading Company,
3221 US 64, Waterflow, 17 miles west of Farmington (
&
505/598-
5154
), has large displays of Indian jewelry, rugs, and folk art. And
Navajo Trading
Company,
126 E. Main St. (
&
505/325-1685
), is an actual pawnshop, with lots of
exquisite old jewelry; you can peruse bracelets and necklaces while listening to clerks
speaking Navajo.
GETTING OUTSIDE: NEARBY PARKS &
RECREATION AREAS
Shiprock Peak
This distinctive landmark, on the Navajo Indian Reservation southwest of Shiprock, 29
miles west of Farmington via US 64, is known to the Navajo as
Tse bidá hi,
“Rock with
wings.” Composed of igneous rock flanked by long upright walls of solidified lava, it rises
1,700 feet off the desert floor to an elevation of 7,178 feet. There are scenic viewing
points off US 491, 6 to 7 miles south of the town of Shiprock. You can get closer by
taking the tribal road to the community of Red Rock, but you must have permission to
get any nearer to this sacred Navajo rock. Climbing is not permitted.
The town named after the rock is a gateway to the Navajo reservation and the Four
Corners region. There's a tribal visitor center here.
From Shiprock, you may want to make the 32-mile drive west on US 64 to Teec Nos
Pos, Arizona, and then north on US 160, to the
Four Corners Monument
(
&
928/871-
6647;
www.navajonationsparks.org). A concrete slab here sits astride the only point in
the United States where four states meet: New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona.
Kids especially like the idea of standing at the center and occupying four states at once.
There's no view here, but vendors sell crafts and food. Some people find a visit here not
worth the trip or cost. The monument is open daily 7am to 8pm Memorial Day to Labor
Day and 8am to 5pm the rest of the year. The cost is $3 per person for all ages.
6
Navajo Lake State Park
The
San Juan River, Pine River,
and
Sims Mesa recreation sites,
all with camping,
fishing, and boating, make this the most popular watersports destination for residents of
northwestern New Mexico. Trout, northern pike, largemouth bass, and catfish are caught
in lake and river waters, and the surrounding hills attract hunters seeking deer and elk.
A visitor center at Pine River Recreation Area has interpretive displays on natural history
and on the construction and use of the dam.
Navajo Lake,
with an area of 15,000 acres, extends from the confluence of the San
Juan and Los Pinos rivers 25 miles north into Colorado. Navajo Dam, an earthen
embankment, is three-quarters of a mile long and 400 feet high. It provides Farmington-
area cities, industries, and farms with their principal water supply. It's also the main
storage reservoir for the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project, designed to irrigate 110,000
acres.
Anglers come from all over the world to fish the San Juan below the dam, a pastoral
spot bordered by green hills, where golden light reflects off the water. Much of the water
is designated “catch and release” and is teeming with rainbow, brown, and cutthroat
trout. Experts will be heartily challenged by these fish that are attuned to the best tricks,
while amateurs may want to hire a guide. For more information, see “Getting Outside in
