Kinishba Ruins

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 0.5 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 5247 - 5283 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 45 mins.
Trailhead: Fort Apache Museum
Fee: $5/adult, $3/senior
Attractions: Ancestral pueblo

The Kinishba Ruins are located on White Mountain Apache Lands in the Fort Apache Indian Reservation west of Fort Apache, Arizona. Kinishba, aka 'Brown House', is a National Historic Landmark whose massive size consisted of around 600 ground floor rooms. The ruins were occupied by the ancestors of today's Zuni and Hopi Pueblo tribes up into the 1400's. - (Visitor Guide to Kinishba)

17 Room Ruin

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 0.2 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 4316 - 4381 feet
Cellphone: 2-4 bars
Time: 1 hr.
Trailhead: CR 438 MM 12.8
Fee: none
Attractions: Cliff dwelling, pictographs

The 17 Room Ruin is located on the Navajo Reservation near the San Juan River across from Bluff, Utah. The ruin stretches across a large alcove that has a commanding view of the farmable land that lies between the river and the base of the cliffs where the Ancestral Puebloans of the time could have cultivated their crops. Certain aspects of the ruin hint that it was engineered with certain defensive features. The site has several other names associated with it including '16 Room Ruin' but it is labeled on our mapping software as 17 Room Ruin so we are going with that.

Aspen Trail

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 0.8 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 6993 - 7223 feet
Cellphone: 0 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: Visitor Center
Fee: none
Attractions: Scenic canyon views

The Aspen trail is located in the Navajo National Monument near Kayenta, Arizona. The trail begins behind the Visitor Center off of the Sandal trail where it partially descends into the head of Betatakin Canyon. The head of the canyon is a semi lush environment with a thick aspen and conifer forest that is watered by various seeps. The Aspen trail also serves as the main route to the Betatakin Cliff Dwelling. The cliff dwelling isn't visible from the Aspen trail but free guided tours are available twice daily at 8:15 and 10:15 MDT between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Sandal Trail

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 1 mile
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 7110- 7267 feet
Cellphone: 0 bars
Time: 45 mins.
Trailhead: Visitor Center
Fee: none
Attractions: Scenic view of Betatakin

The Sandal Trail is located in the Navajo National Monument near Kayenta, Arizona. The trail begins behind the Visitor Center where it follows a paved path over slickrock and several wooden bridges. At the end of the short trail there is an overlook where visitors can peer down into the alcove of the well preserved Betatakin cliff dwelling built by the Anasazi or Ancestral Puebloans back in the 13th century. The trail should be accessible to wheelchairs with some minor assistance in places due to the grade.