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Old 07-01-2022, 04:15 PM   #1
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Canyons of the Ancients

Has anyone visited Canyon of the Ancients?

We have plans to visit Monument Valley and Valley of the Gods in a couple of weeks and when I was looking at Google Maps to find an interesting way to get back to southern Arizona I noticed Canyons of the Ancients. Going from Monument Valley to Canyons of the Ancients and then through Cortez would give us an interesting road back, but I don't know if the road through Canyons of the Ancients (Colorado 10, I think) is paved, dirt or gravel.

We will be towing a Jeep and will drive through Monument Valley and Valley of the Gods in that Jeep, but I don't want to take our RV on a dirt or gravel road so it would be a help to know what the road through Canyons of the Ancients is like. If it is paved then perhaps we should add it to the trip. If it is dirt or gravel I would not want to do that.

Can anyone tell me about that road? If so, thank you.
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Old 07-01-2022, 05:19 PM   #2
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Have you tried the satellite view on your GPS program? If you're using tRV Trip Wizard it will indicate if a chosen route is dirt or unpaved.
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Old 07-01-2022, 06:12 PM   #3
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Have you tried the satellite view on your GPS program? If you're using tRV Trip Wizard it will indicate if a chosen route is dirt or unpaved.
I did try the satellite view on Google Maps before I posted the question. The problem is that the image was not clear enough to tell what type of road it is.

I have not tried the RV Trip Wizard as I don't have that app, but I will download it and look. As I said, Google Maps was no help.
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Old 07-01-2022, 07:11 PM   #4
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Sorry, I missed that.

I did a look see on RV trip Wizard, it has the dirt road icon on it. I did a Google Maps and it looked pretty rough. Perhaps someone who has visited the area will post soon.
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Old 07-02-2022, 01:03 AM   #5
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This is an excerpt from the Monument website:

"Do I need a four-wheel drive vehicle to visit the Monument?
Which roads are paved, and what is the condition of the other roads?
That depends… several county roads leading to the Monument are either paved (CR 10)
or graveled. Most roads within the Monument have dirt surfaces. The need for a fourwheel drive vehicle varies according to the road surface and weather conditions. A
sudden rainstorm can turn a dry road into slippery mud, making travel difficult and
dangerous. In the winter, roads can be covered with snow, ice, or mud. During dry
conditions, generally a two-wheel drive vehicle with high clearance is enough on most
roads."

Here's the whole article:

https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/fi...cients_FAQ.pdf

Additional questions... call the office:

https://www.blm.gov/programs/nationa...f-the-ancients

or the Visitor Center:

https://www.blm.gov/visit/canyons-an...ter-and-museum
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Old 07-02-2022, 02:23 PM   #6
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I did what I probably should have done first. I called Canyons of the Ancients and spoke with what I believe was a Park Ranger. I asked if Colorado 10 was paved, dirt or gravel and he told me that it was almost all paved in one form or another, although there were "short" stretches that were dirt or gravel. When I asked what he meant by "short" he said that the sections that were not paved (in one form or another meaning, I think, that it was not all asphalt) were perhaps 1/4 mile in length sections, although he then said that he thought that it was now all paved.

He described what he meant when he said "paved", and I got the impression that he meant that some parts were tar and shell or some other improved topping. He also said that he has an RV and has no problem taking it on that road, so perhaps it is OK.
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Old 07-02-2022, 04:35 PM   #7
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Even if not completely paved you should have no issues driving on a good gravel road. We took our 40' motorhome on unpaved forest service and BLM roads approx. 20 mi. from pavement.
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Old 07-02-2022, 04:52 PM   #8
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Even if not completely paved you should have no issues driving on a good gravel road. We took our 40' motorhome on unpaved forest service and BLM roads approx. 20 mi. from pavement.
I guess we are probably not quite that adventurous.

We boondock a lot and that means that we are frequently on dirt and/or gravel roads getting to the boondocking space we want, but we rarely drive more than about one mile on that kind of road. 20 miles seems like quite a bit of "shake, rattle and roll".

If the sections that are not paved are only about 1/4 mile then I don't really see an issue, but my concern is that if it has rained heavily, then those roads might well be in very bad shape.
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Old 07-03-2022, 11:10 PM   #9
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"my concern is that if it has rained heavily, then those roads might well be in very bad shape."

It has been raining there heavily this last week. That red dirt turns into siliconized dinosaur snot. We were there last fall just after a rain and I went 300 yards on a virtually flat road in my 4WD Tremor with locking diffs and big knobby tires and turned around.
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Old 07-04-2022, 06:09 AM   #10
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Quote:
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"my concern is that if it has rained heavily, then those roads might well be in very bad shape."

It has been raining there heavily this last week. That red dirt turns into siliconized dinosaur snot. We were there last fall just after a rain and I went 300 yards on a virtually flat road in my 4WD Tremor with locking diffs and big knobby tires and turned around.
LOL, That is a vision I will have difficulty erasing from my brain!
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Old 07-04-2022, 07:46 AM   #11
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We just did both in past several weeks. AWD CR-V I took 3-5 lbs out of tires in monument valley but still had bike load bike rack in back. MV crews were fixing a section of dirt road as we left. Had been heavy rains
Canyon of the Ancients gravel sections were washboard roads. Very jarring if going to slow. I’m used to blowing down these type roads while aired down for rock crawling. About 30 mph smoothed out but I do not recommend trying it if never down before. If you ever wheeled just north of Florence little dirt road just before train tracks. Leads back to box canyon and other trails.
Worse road was northern part on road CC past the left turn onto road 10. 10 had couple of three sections of gravel. Couple of washboard section but not as bad as on CC. I didn’t air down for canyon of Ancient.
Phoenix is our domicile and still in Cortez/ Durango for another handful of weeks
Enjoy. Beautiful country. Look at million dollar highway Silverton to Ouray. Safe travels
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Old 07-05-2022, 08:55 AM   #12
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Quote:
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We just did both in past several weeks. AWD CR-V I took 3-5 lbs out of tires in monument valley but still had bike load bike rack in back. MV crews were fixing a section of dirt road as we left. Had been heavy rains

Canyon of the Ancients gravel sections were washboard roads. Very jarring if going to slow. I’m used to blowing down these type roads while aired down for rock crawling. About 30 mph smoothed out but I do not recommend trying it if never down before.
Thank you for the information. I guess I will give it a pass.

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If you ever wheeled just north of Florence little dirt road just before train tracks. Leads back to box canyon and other trails.
Yes. I drove that road some years ago, although I did not try to get through the narrow part where you have to do some rock climbing. I like off roading but I have a stock Jeep and draw the line where I can not go without modifications, and where my wife says "I am not going there. You can let me out here".

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Enjoy. Beautiful country. Look at million dollar highway Silverton to Ouray. Safe travels
We were at Ouray perhaps 10 years ago, and it is a beautiful place with a beautiful, but twisty, road getting to it.

Safe travels to you, as well.
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Old 07-05-2022, 09:40 AM   #13
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The road thru Valley of the Gods is excellent for a jeep
[IMG][/IMG]

And don't forget to jeep the nearby Moki Dugway:
[IMG][/IMG]

If you've never been, consider boondocking at Goosenecks State Park, which provides easy access to both of those sites:
[IMG][/IMG]

Looks like you'll be getting back to AZ about the same time I am leaving on a long trip to the midwest and back east.
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Old 07-09-2022, 12:05 PM   #14
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The road thru Valley of the Gods is excellent for a jeep
[IMG][/IMG]

And don't forget to jeep the nearby Moki Dugway:
[IMG][/IMG]

If you've never been, consider boondocking at Goosenecks State Park, which provides easy access to both of those sites:
[IMG][/IMG]

Looks like you'll be getting back to AZ about the same time I am leaving on a long trip to the midwest and back east.
The last time we were at Goosenecks State Park there was nothing there, and I do mean nothing.

We do a lot of boondocking so I am not concerned about camping at Goosenecks state park, but I am concerned that if we bring a toad and if we leave the RV unattended while we are off Jeep-ing someplace, then someone might break into the RV. When we were last at GSP we were the only ones there and I fear that leaving an RV in a place with no one else around is just too much temptation for some people.

I thought we might camp at Mexican Hat or Bluff and take the Jeep to both Valley of the Gods and Moki Dugway. I especially want to see the latter because it is the shortcut from Natural Bridges south and I have always been tempted to take it, but have not because of worries about how that part of the road is for an RV.
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