16 Room Cliff House Travel Guide.

16 Room House, aka 15 or 17 Room House (disagreement among archaeologists on the correct number of rooms in the pueblo), is an Anasazi cliff dwelling stretching across a massive alcove.  Windows within the rooms look down upon land that may have been used for farming, and the San Juan River.  Pictographs on the walls contain a large number of hand prints.

·         Location from Monticello is 107 miles using CR 441 route, or 111.1 miles using CR 438 route. Travel 58.1 miles along Hwy 191 (make a left turn at the junction of Hwy 191/163 to continue on Hwy 191).  This area is Navajo Reservation land, please remember to stay on designated roads and do not trespass onto private lands. There are two ways to get to 16 Room House, County Road 441 (maintained dirt/gravel road) for 6.9 miles to the junction of County Road 438, then 4.8 miles along CR 438 (maintained dirt/gravel road this section only) to the ruin site.  Or continue down Hwy 191 for three (3) additional miles to County Road 438 which is paved for eight (8) miles before the junction with CR 441, then continue the 4.8 miles to the ruin site.

This altered map is from an original from gjhikes.com

·         Admission: Free

·         Difficulty: Trail up to ruin site is extremely steep and narrow before a narrow ledge to enter the various rooms along the alcove.

·         Camping: Not Allowed

·         Pets: Not Allowed

·         Facilities: None, nearest town (Bluff) is 25.1 miles.

We spent several hours exploring the ruins and taking the short trail down to the San Juan River.

Mary Cokenour 

The Road to Hall's Crossing.

From State Highway 95, Hall's Crossing is 46 miles via Route 276 South; giving access to Lake Powell, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, a marina, airport, Hall's (aka Burr) Ferry to Bullfrog which connects to the other section of Route 276, lodging and campgrounds.  Along the route, there are trailheads for hiking and 4 wheel driving; the famous "Hole in the Rock" Pioneer Trail; canyons to explore and Native American cliff dwellings.

After spending two days exploring Fry Canyon (yes, I have to write this up still), we were on the way home and saw the sign for Hall's Crossing.  We'd heard so much about it, hadn't been there before, so what the heck; it was still afternoon and what better way to kill time than to explore someplace new.  As with most of San Juan County, this route is filled with beautiful landscapes and scenery; so many trails to check out at another time, and, of course, history.

Monument Valley in the Distance

Red House Cliffs

At 18.2 miles is the trail to Clay Hills Crossing; one tip of Lake Powell that can be accessed via the San Juan River.  It's at 20.7 miles that a historic plaque is mounted to tell the story of the 1879-1880 expedition of the pioneers, and their stop at Clay Hill Pass.  A road had to be constructed to allow the 83 wagons, horses and pioneers to descend 1000 feet below, and continue to their destination, Bluff.

While trails and sites are pretty welled marked along Route 276; the cliff dwelling is not.  There is a pull-in area (mile mark 23.6), but no sign designating why it is there; that is, until you see the ruins.  To reach them, a trek through a sandy dry wash and then up a steep, rocky incline will get you to them.  Once on the ledge, the ruins are fascinating in detail and design; there might be faded rock art on the walls, but they have been defaced with modern graffiti from the unintelligent.  There is a metal box on a rock shelf which contains a notebook and pen where you can sign in that you visited; so really no need to deface the rock walls.

The Trail to the Ruins.

View from the Ruins.

Cliff Dwelling Ruins.

Hand Carved Portals or Fire Pits.

At around mile mark 30.0, the Henry Mountains can be seen in the distance; 32.7 miles is San Juan County Road 2131 aka "Hole in the Rock" Trail.

At 34.5 miles is winter boat storage, and the Cal Black Memorial Airport; named after Blanding resident and San Juan County Commissioner, Calvin Black.  (San Juan Record article, click Here.)  Sand dunes are abundant in the landscape of Route 276 now, some even petrified; also sandstone formations that take on the shape of the sand dunes themselves.

36.7 miles is the start of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, but it's not until 46.0 miles that you officially come into Hall's Crossing.  The road to the left leads to the community's private housing, school, etc.; not a resident?  Don't go there unless you were invited.  Stay straight and this leads to the toll booth, gas pumps and convenience store.  What we did see of the landscape and Lake Powell were gorgeous, so it's no wonder people flock here during the warmer months.

Why the name Hall's Crossing?  Back to the Hole in the Rock pioneers is the answer; Charles Hall, his two sons, and several other men built a ferry wide enough to haul two wagons at a time (remember, there were 83 total) across the Colorado River.  Lake Powell (named after John Wesley Powell) was created 1963 with the building of the Glen Canyon Dam; it took 17 years to completely fill. 

Now we visited Hall's Crossing on February 28, 2016; the ferry was only running on a Saturday schedule; the toll booth was unmanned, but there is an automated machine for payments, the pumps and store were closed.  Current information for the Lake Powell ferries can be obtained at the Utah Department of Transportation site: http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/f?p=100:pg::::1:T,V:2257

So, planning on a trip to Hall's Crossing and Lake Powell, don't forget to see all the other sites along Route 276 South as you travel along.

Mary Cokenour

Canyon de Chelly, South Rim - Part Two.

That was a delicious lunch and a restful stop at White House Overlook; now time to continue down Route 7 (the South Rim road) to the next spot, Sliding House Overlook. Sliding House Overlook is another hike over rocky terrain and a long look downward. The ruins are a prime example of what happened when the ancient Puebloans built in, what they thought was, a safe crevice of the wall face. The onslaught of wind and rain caused the sandstone to weaken and avalanche down onto, and underneath, the homes.

Sliding House Ruin



Sliding House Ruin

Sliding House Ruin Panorama

Sliding House Overlook Panorama

Face Rock Overlook is where you have to park to walk to Spider Rock Overlook; it's sort of the tease of what you're in store for at Spider Rock.

Face Rock Overlook Panorama

The walk to see Spider Rock itself is 200 yards (600 feet or not even a quarter of a mile); the walkway is lined with cactus, pinyon pine trees and yucca plants.  It's like a stroll through a botanical garden and then suddenly, WOW!!!  Spider Rock is an 800 foot towering spire of sandstone with a small amount of ruins at its base.  It is an amazing site to see!  This is a sacred place for the Navajo and Hopi; its basis is the legend of the Spider Woman. She is associated with the emergence of life on earth; she helps humans by teaching them survival skills.  Her greatest gift to the Navajo was teaching them the art of weaving.

In Hopi legends, Spider Woman molded animals from clay, but they remained lifeless until she wove a white blanket over them, spoke her words of magic and instilled life into the creatures.  When Spider Woman molded people from clay, she hugged them and sang a song to instill life into them.  She then divided the animals and people into the groups that inhabit the earth today; the animals, man and woman were given specific roles.

Spider Rock Overlook Panorama

Follow the trail to the left to another overlook and see this magnificent area from another viewpoint.



Ruins in the caves within the cliffs.

But wait, I'm not done yet; look beyond Spider Rock and in the distance is Black Rock Butte.



Black Rock Butte viewed from Route 64, the North Rim

Besides the breath taking landscapes, don't forget to pay attention to the plant life; it might be a desert area, but life still makes itself known out here.

Blooming Prickly Pear Cactus

Cholla (Cactus family)

Hairy Goldenaster (Sunflower family)

Pinyon Pine

Long Tailed Brush Lizard; missing part of its tail

Instead of going back through Chinle, we headed on up the North Rim along Route 64 into Tsaile, Arizona.  Along the way I was able to get that shot of Black Rock Butte I posted above.  We were just passing the Navajo Community College when Tsaile Peak had an unobstructed view.  I couldn't find a name listed for the mesa beyond it, but the pinnacle sticking out from the side of it just might be "Black Pinnacle".  Which means we now have to take a trek down Route 12 to verify that thought; I'd also like to get to "Window Rock" which is an arch.

Till then, further adventures are waiting to be written up.

Mary Cokenour