July 2015: A Quick Stop in New Mexico Before Exploring Utah in Depth (page 6 of 15)

J9 Wednesday, July 15

Originally, today’s plan was to head to Mesa Verde via Durango. But Yannick once discovered Ship Rock, so we decided to take a little 30-minute detour—plus the time spent on the trails—to go see it! Since the day promised to be long, we got up at 6:00 AM and left the hotel at 7:00 AM.

Around 8:00 AM, we caught sight of Ship Rock. Having prepared our visit using Google Maps’ satellite views, we planned to take the trail that leads straight to Ship Rock because it apparently lets you get right to its base. Taking Indian Service Road 13 would’ve given us a different angle, but according to Google Maps, you can’t go very far on it. So we took the planned trail instead.

It looked totally doable on the map… but in reality, it wasn’t that simple! We were practically driving through fields, and the trail disappeared at times. The grass was tall (more like small branches), and the car—though high off the ground—was basically mowing it down! I’ll just say it now: Yannick was having a blast, and I was freaking out about the undercarriage (but this wouldn’t be the last time on the trip I’d worry about the car…). Still, we made it to Ship Rock without any damage, and it was stunning!

Once we reached the base of Ship Rock, we realized there was a super-wide trail heading south that led to Indian Service Road 13—a trail Google Maps apparently didn’t know about!

At least it made getting back to the road faster. After plenty more photos, we set off toward Cortez.

Normally, it’s only a 45-minute drive from the town of Shiprock to Cortez, but we got slowed down several times by roadwork. That’s it—we’re now officially leaving New Mexico: a beautiful state we’ll definitely be coming back to because it still has so much to offer!

Next up: a quick stop in Colorado.

We grabbed a bite at Pizza Hut’s buffet before heading to Mesa Verde. We arrived at the Visitor Center at 1:00 PM. We knew it’d be late to get tickets for the guided tours, and sure enough, everything was sold out for Cliff Palace. But we got lucky—there were still spots for Balcony House at 4:30 PM, which gave us time to explore the park while we waited.

We stopped at several viewpoints (hopefully I’m naming them right): Montezuma Valley Overlook

Park Point Overlook

Then we headed to Chapin Mesa (we didn’t do Wetherill Mesa—too time-consuming for just one afternoon). Our next stop was Spruce Tree House.

Continuing from J9, Wednesday, July 15

We then got back in the car and drove the Mesa Top Loop, which first took us to Square Tower House (accessible only with ropes, even for renovation work, but of course, no access for visitors).

Next, we visited Pit Houses and Villages.

And finally, we enjoyed a view of Cliff Palace from the hill across the way.

We got back in the car and this time took the Cliff Palace Loop, arriving at Balcony House at 4:15 PM. The timing was perfect—we even had time to relax in the shade for a bit. The tour started with long explanations and safety warnings before we finally set off. The first ladder was a little intimidating from the bottom,

(and from the top too, for that matter!),

but it was easy to climb after all. We were among the first on the balcony, and it felt like forever until everyone was gathered up there.

Then came the ranger’s loooong explanations. What he was saying was interesting, but we didn’t necessarily understand everything, and we couldn’t translate it all for the kids. As a result, the visit felt endless, especially the time spent around the kiva.

At the exit, Calista told me, "Never again will you book a guided tour with a ranger!" It was a heartfelt outburst! 😉 The best part was when the ranger finally "let us go," and we could move on to the tunnel, climb along the rock, and then tackle the two ladders!

It was already 5:45 PM when we reached the top. We had planned to finish with the short Soda Canyon Overlook trail, but in the end, we didn’t feel like it. There was still almost an hour’s drive to the hotel, and we needed to do some shopping for that evening and the next two days.

A nice little encounter before leaving the park.

Once at the hotel, we had dinner in our room, and Yannick and the kids went swimming. I didn’t feel like it—the indoor pool had a high ceiling, but it was packed and noisy.

Hotel: Baymont Inn & Suites in Cortez, 105.25 € with breakfast (this one really annoyed us! It cost between 75 and 80 € at the end of 2014, but we didn’t book it right away, and suddenly, after January 1, 2015, it was 105 €! A random and unexplained price hike!) Guided tour of Balcony House: $16 ($4 per person) Day’s summary: Mesa Verde was worth seeing at least once, but it wasn’t the highlight of our trip. Yannick even tends to forget it when we talk about the places we visited… Ship Rock, on the other hand, really impressed us!

The rest is over here!

Hi Peggy!

Mesa Verde was worth seeing at least once, but it wasn’t the highlight of our trip.

We, on the other hand, really enjoyed our stop at Mesa Verde! We did the Petroglyph trail—a super pleasant hike that made the day much more varied—and the visit to Cliff Palace was fascinating! It was actually the Mesa Top Loop that we liked the least.

Ship Rock—I hadn’t heard of it before, but those photos are stunning!

Looking forward to the rest!

Hi Peggy,

Tent Rocks is really gorgeous!! I also love your photos of Ship Rock—the cloudy sky there looks amazing. As for the Native American ruins, I have to admit they don’t really appeal to me... Especially if I have to sit through a guided tour 🤪 See you, Laure

Hello,

For sure, our next trip to the western USA will include New Mexico! 😎

We really loved Mesa Verde—it added some great variety to our itinerary. An impressive park. The boys still have fond memories of it, including the guided tour of Cliff Palace, which we didn’t find too long.

We also stayed at the Baymont Inn & Suites. Not great. We didn’t even dip a toe in the pool—the water looked so sketchy (murky and a little green 😕). The room was $109, which was a better rate than this year. The highlight of the evening was the Mexican restaurant where we had dinner!

Looking forward to more...

Hi Peggy,

Love your travel journal (as always 😉)! So many practical details, personal impressions—everything I enjoy! Plus, the first part really interests me 😇, and I’m reading it very carefully.

I wouldn’t have dared plan New Mexico in the middle of summer. I thought the heat would be unbearable and the storms way too frequent, but you two didn’t seem to suffer too much 😛. Your photos are gorgeous and so dreamy.

Looking forward to the rest! Laure

PS: Calista has grown so much since last year🙂

Hi Fanny,

We, on the other hand, really enjoyed this stop at Mesa Verde! We did the Petroglyph trail, a super pleasant hike that allowed us to diversify the day nicely and the visit to Cliff Palace was really interesting!

We had considered doing the Petroglyph trail, but since we had a meet-up at 4:30 PM at Balcony House, we decided to skip it to avoid running out of time. The Balcony House tour was pretty interesting, but we were expecting something a bit more active (since they mention ladders and such...), and I think our Ranger enjoyed hearing himself talk a bit too much...😉

See you soon for the rest

We’ll give it a try today...

Hi Laure,

I also love your photos of Ship Rock—the cloudy sky really makes them stand out.

I’ll pass that along to the photographer! ;) Yeah, he did some touch-ups to enhance the sky, but I like them too!

As for the Native American ruins, I have to admit they don’t really appeal to me... Especially if I have to endure a guided tour. 🤪

I think I get overwhelmed pretty quickly at sites that are *too* "cultural"...😊

Hi Virginie,

Definitely, our next trip to the western USA will include New Mexico! 😎

After the far north, it's time for the south!🙂

We really loved Mesa Verde—it added so much variety to our itinerary. An impressive park. The boys still have great memories of it, including the guided tour of Cliff Palace, which we didn’t find too long.

As I said, it’s not that we didn’t like it—it’s just that it wasn’t our favorite...

We also stayed at the Baymont Inn & Suites. Not great. We didn’t even dip a toe in the pool—the water looked so sketchy (murky and a little green 😕). The room was $109, with a better rate than this year.

We didn’t think the hotel was that bad: the room was spacious, and even though it faced the indoor pool, it was well soundproofed—we couldn’t hear a thing once the door was closed. The breakfast was well-stocked too. That said, the pool really wasn’t inviting, and the front desk staff weren’t very friendly... For the room price, it was about $121 including tax in early January.

Hi Laure, Glad to see you here! 🙂

Your travel journal is amazing (as usual 😉)—so many practical details, personal impressions, everything I love!

Thanks so much, that means a lot!

I wouldn’t have dared plan New Mexico in the middle of summer. I thought the heat would be unbearable and the storms way too frequent, but you guys didn’t seem to suffer too much. 😛

As for the storms, we definitely got our share... but luckily, they didn’t stop us from enjoying ourselves. We just had to skip a few things, mostly in Utah in the end... And the heat? Not unbearable at all, really. We actually found it hotter around Las Vegas.

Your photos are gorgeous and so dreamy.

Thanks!

PS: Calista has grown so much since last year! 🙂

She’s growing way too fast for my liking... 😄

Day 10 – Thursday, July 16

No early wake-up today—we left Cortez around 9:15 AM. Our goal was to reach Caineville by evening. Google Maps offered a few routes, and we chose to go through Bluff to visit the historic fort and take UT-95.

I’d discovered Bluff’s historic fort on Virginie’s blog (VallM17) and wanted to check it out, but I wasn’t expecting it to be *this* good! It’s like an open-air museum, and it’s free! There are tons of little houses with period-accurate setups, and you can listen to pre-recorded stories (in multiple languages) about the people who lived there. Too bad the French audio didn’t work most of the time—though when it wasn’t available, we’d listen in German instead. I found German easier to understand than English! That said, I’m kinda glad the French didn’t work in every house, or Hugo and I would’ve spent *hours* there. And the best part? Bluff’s setting is absolutely stunning.

But we had to hit the road again. Next stop: Goosenecks State Park, just 30 minutes away.

We weren’t *super* impressed by the view of the San Juan River’s meanders—it was pretty, but nothing more. What really got us was how overpriced it felt for just a viewpoint! Oh well, since we’d already paid, we figured we might as well enjoy the shaded picnic table for lunch.

Back on the road, we passed Valley of the Gods (already visited in 2014) and tackled the Moki Dugway climb. We’d driven it in 2014 too, but this time the sky was blue, and the photos turned out way nicer!

Then we headed to Road Canyon, a hike I’d spotted in Violaine’s (Biquette07) travel journal and instantly wanted to try. I got the details from Ouestusa.fr, where the ratings were: interest ***, hike difficulty **, road difficulty *. For us? Total opposite—we’d flip those stars: road difficulty ***, hike difficulty **, and interest *.

Anyway, here’s the story! First, the road: Ouestusa.fr says, “Take US-261 south for about 13 miles until you reach Cigarette Spring Road.” But that’s if you’re coming from the north—we were coming from the *south*. Both Google Maps and our GPS (Sygic) sent us down a different route:

Since two sources agreed, and we hadn’t seen what Cigarette Spring Road looked like, we trusted the directions—never imagining the nightmare we were about to drive into. Meanwhile, the *other* route was basically a highway! 🤪 I’m calling it a nightmare, but thankfully nothing actually happened… I just stressed *so* much for 6.6 km. The road was sandy, rocky, steep, and narrow—no way to turn around. The photos don’t do it justice. We fishtailed on a climb, and I was convinced we’d get stuck in the middle of nowhere! And the more I panicked, the more Yannick and the kids laughed…

We *did* eventually make it to the trailhead—car intact, and I could finally relax.

About payment: There was a sign at the road’s entrance with some info, mentioning a permit to pay at some BLM office (I don’t remember which). We thought we could pay on-site with an envelope, but there wasn’t a single envelope in sight. So we just drove through without paying. Now that I think about it, maybe that was a sign we should’ve turned back! lol😉

Time for the hike: Supposedly a 2-hour round trip, an easy walk. But since this wasn’t our day, you can guess it wasn’t that simple…

We started at 2:30 PM. The trail was well-marked and flat.

Then we reached the canyon and descended—easy enough!

We could already see the ruins in the distance. Whose land was this?

Then we hit a big water hole—looked deep and murky, impossible to cross. We backtracked and quickly found cairns leading left. Naturally, we followed them. Sometimes they’d disappear, and we’d struggle to find the way, but then we’d spot more cairns or even well-trodden trail sections. Because of these markers, we assumed we were on the right path and forgot the route was supposed to go *through* the canyon, not around it… Eventually, the cairns led us along the mountainside, and I started feeling like it was getting dangerous. We could see the ruins—so close!—but we were in a bad spot, and it wouldn’t have been smart to keep going.

The return trip was way faster since we weren’t lost. We got back to the car at 5:30 PM—three hours after leaving! What was supposed to be a chill walk turned into a total flop. I still don’t get where all those cairns were supposed to take us.

As I mentioned earlier, the return via Cigarette Spring Road was a breeze. After what we’d been through that afternoon, I wouldn’t even call it a *road*!

Continuation of Day 10, Thursday, July 16

Once back on the paved road, we tackle the last stretch of the day, which is much more relaxed. We still have a little over 2 hours of driving left, but the landscapes along UT95 are absolutely stunning!

We stop for a short while at a viewpoint over the Colorado River: it’s gorgeous too, and we’d love to stay and admire the scenery, but time is ticking.

We arrive at Little Egypt around 7:30 PM: the sun hasn’t set yet, but unfortunately, there are mountains behind which the sun will disappear. We arrive 10 minutes too late to enjoy the beautiful light—what a shame...



We set off again toward Hanksville, arriving 30 minutes later. Quick stop at the gas station: we’re dreaming of fizzy drinks after such an eventful day, and we know there won’t be anything in Caineville.

Then, the drive from Hanksville to Caineville: the scenery is stunning, and we’re also treated to a colorful sky that gives the rock formations a purplish hue. Yannick would love to stop again for some photos, but I’m eager to get to the hotel, and we’ll be passing this way again tomorrow evening. Let’s hope the colors are just as beautiful...

We arrive at the Rodeway Inn at 8:45 PM. We chose this hotel over staying in Hanksville for two reasons: there’s a pool, and it saves us from moving our stuff since we’re staying for two nights. After a quick meal in our room, we head to the pool until it closes at 10:00 PM. We really need to unwind after today!

The Rodeway Inn isn’t exactly a luxury hotel—the rooms are clean but a little outdated, and the fridge and microwave aren’t the newest—but it’s located in the middle of nowhere, and we almost always had the pool to ourselves. There was an atmosphere we truly loved: it’s a great memory! 🙂

Hotel: Rodeway Inn in Caineville, 80.05 € including breakfast Goosenecks SP: $5 Day’s summary: Some real scares for me today, but also incredible landscapes. I don’t regret taking the UT95 route or spending the night in Caineville.

The rest is here!

Hello Peggy

Nothing’s simple—everything gets complicated 🏴‍☠️

The roads and trails, you’re never really sure about anything. For maps, I use Google but also Garmin’s BaseCamp with downloaded (free) maps and topographic ones. It takes time, but it helps confirm things a little better.

But what I said at the start still holds true. 😐

Safe travels, especially when everything ends well.

Looking forward to the next part 😉 😉 😉

Hello Peggy, I’m devouring your travel journal with so much pleasure—it’s always so well-written and fun. I’m savoring it even more since I won’t have the chance to return to the American West this summer... well, gotta rebuild the savings! 🙁 I’m really sorry Road Canyon almost turned into a total disaster for you... especially if I’m the one who convinced you to go. For car access, we stupidly entered the parking lot coordinates into the GPS, and—miracle—it led us there without any issues (though I wasn’t exactly confident, especially given how narrow the track was, fenced on both sides, with no room for a U-turn!!). I don’t remember struggling to find THE grain silo you see in all the photos, but I have to say, my guy is a born scrambler with an internal compass, and we just followed him with our eyes half-closed! Still, we’d set off with "just" the directions we found on PTSW, ouestusa.fr, and Isap29’s site. On the other hand, one thing we *did* plan well was being there at the right time (late morning) to get that completely magical golden effect that blew us away once we saw the photos!!😎

Violaine

Hi Gilles,

For maps, I use Google but also Garmin’s BaseCamp with downloaded (free) maps and topographic maps.

I don’t know BaseCamp, so I’ll have to check it out! :)

Hi Violaine, Thanks for following along! Too bad you can’t go back yet, but I’m sure you will someday. Once you get a taste for it...

I’m sorry Road Canyon almost turned into a real disaster for you... Especially if it was me who convinced you to go. 😊

Oh, don’t worry about that—it wasn’t your fault at all! 😉 We were the ones who set off a bit too casually; it definitely seemed too easy for us! 🤪

For car access, we stupidly entered the parking coordinates into the GPS, and—miracle—it took us there without any issues (though I wasn’t convinced, especially with how narrow the track was, fenced on both sides, and no room for a U-turn!!).

We also entered the parking coordinates, but as I mentioned, it didn’t take us via Cigarette Spring on the way there, which is actually a pretty easy track. Do you think you took the same route as us, since you said it was narrow and didn’t allow for a U-turn? (Because I didn’t find Cigarette Spring too narrow.)

Day 11, Friday, July 17

A very relaxed morning—we really needed it. After breakfast and a stop at the laundry, we spend a good two hours at the pool. We eat lunch in our room, then head out to Little Wild Horse Canyon at 1:15 PM. Nice surprise: we expected a 1.5-hour drive, but we’re at the parking lot an hour later.

The approach hike through the sand is a bit tiring in the full sun, but it goes by quickly.

After about twenty minutes, we spot the first obstacle

that we have to bypass on the left with a little climbing.

We then reach the junction of LWHC and Bell Canyon.

We won’t do the full loop—we’ve decided to keep going into the canyon until around 4:00 PM and then turn back. It’s gorgeous, fun, and we’re all loving it, kids included!

Continuation of Day 11, Friday, July 17

Back at the car by 5:30 PM, we head to Goblin Valley right next door. We hesitate a bit at first because the road between LWHC and Goblin Valley is already pretty shaded at this hour, and we’d be annoyed to pay the $10 entry fee only to end up in the same situation as at Little Egypt the day before…

In the end, we go for it—and we’re glad we did! The kids love climbing everywhere!

After that, we head back to Hanksville, where we eat at Stan’s Burger Shak.

Then we return to the hotel, driving past the stunning rock formations we’d talked about the day before.

One last dip in the pool and a soak in the hot tub before bed—what a great way to end the day!

Hotel: Rodeway Inn in Caineville, 80.05 € with breakfast Goblin Valley SP: $10 Day’s summary: A day where we took it easy to recharge before tackling more sights. It was perfect!

Next part here!

Hi Peggy,

Et + je stresse, + Yannick et les enfants rigolent…

That reminds me of some memories!! And in my case, they still laugh about it long after 🤪🤪

Otherwise, I love this UT95—the landscapes are gorgeous in the photos, so in real life it must be amazing!!

And then Little Egypt and Goblin Valley... well, I love those too, and I’m savoring them in your photos...

Have a great weekend, Laure

Hello,

I’d discovered the historic Bluff Fort on Virginie’s blog (VallM17) and wanted to check it out, but I wasn’t expecting it to be this great! It’s like an open-air museum, but free! There are lots of little houses with period furnishings, and you can listen to the stories of the people who lived there through pre-recorded messages in several languages. It’s too bad the French doesn’t work very often (but when it didn’t, we listened in German—I found German easier to understand than English…), and at the same time, it’s a good thing the French wasn’t available in every house because Hugo and I would’ve spent hours there! And what makes it even better is that Bluff is set in a stunning landscape.

Glad I could inspire you to visit this place 😎 Still, the description I gave on the blog is really brief and doesn’t do it justice—like you said, it’s a place full of emotion that’s worth discovering. The French comments were already spotty last year. We can’t blame them—their budget must be tight! Entry is free, but there’s a donation box in the shop. Since we were so well received by the volunteer grandpa who showed us the film and answered a bunch of our questions, I left a little something.

We’re not super impressed by the view of the meanders carved by the San Juan River—it’s pretty but nothing special. And we think it’s overpriced for just a viewpoint!

I don’t remember paying anything, and neither does Laurent 😊 Did we miss the box???

Well, since we already paid, we might as well enjoy the shaded table to eat our lunch.

We had lunch in the same spot! So far, your day and ours are identical: same hotel departure, same visits, same timing, same picnic table.

The peaceful walk turned into a total flop! I still don’t understand where all those cairns were supposed to lead us.

Off-the-beaten-path hikes don’t give up their secrets easily... This hike is on my wish list for a next trip (along with New Mexico). Your story warned me!