Chaco Canyon: Remote Historical Park

Above, some of the ruins at Chaco Canyon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park (commonly known as Chaco Canyon) is not far from my home in New Mexico. It is located northeast of Crownpoint. 

The only thing about Chaco Culture National Historical Park is that in order to get there, one must drive about 20 miles of dirt road, which sometimes gets rough with rain ruts. I visited it two years ago.

Still, it is a worthwhile place to visit. It has one campground, Gallo Campground. If planning to camp there, bring plenty of water.

Above, Gallo Campground at Chaco Canyon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Only In Your State has posted an article on Chaco Canyon.

They begin it with:

Located in a remote section of the Four Corners region, Chaco National Historical Park is one of the state’s most underrated parks. However, it’s one that everyone should consider visiting. With its historical and cultural significance including ancient dwellings, there’s a lot to see at this remote national park in New Mexico.

To read more, go here. 

Why Was Chaco Canyon Abandoned?

Above, one of the great ceremonial kivas in Chaco Canyon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park is an interesting place to visit. It is only 79 miles from my home in New Mexico. The nearest town is Crownpoint, New Mexico.

Getting there is adventure itself as most of 20-mile road is unpaved and gets pretty rough from ruts left by rainstorms. I visited it two years ago. It has a visitor center and a campground (Gallo Campground) and very little else. Visitors should be fully supplied with food and water if staying over.

There is a mystery of why the Chaco people left the area. Researchers have theories and TheTravel has posted an article discussing them.

They begin with:

The Chaco Canyon is home to some of the most important and significant Native American ruins in the Southwest (there is much more than just the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde). The ancient Native American ruins at Chaco Canyon are some of the elite few to be preserved in a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the USA.

But there is a mysterious story to Chaco Canyon. At some point, the ancient inhabitants packed up and left. But why? Why would they leave? While it is impossible to go back in time and ask the departing Ancestral Pueblo survey questions, researchers do have some ideas.

 To read more, go here.

California State Parks Proposing To Penalize No-Shows

Above, Gallo Campground at Chaco Canyon had a number of no-show reserved campsites. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

California in recent years has not been known for common-sense beneficial legislation. The state's government is packed with one-party lunatics.

However, that being said, there is a new bill that has been introduced that would penalize people who make campsite reservations in state parks but don't show up to use them. I am all for this. 

I noticed a lot of reserved campsites at Chaco Canyon in New Mexico that had no occupants. They didn't bother to show up.

No-shows have been a problem since they prevent others from using those reserved campsites. The bill, Assembly Bill 618 would hit those inconsiderate people right in their pocketbooks.

According to RV Travel:

One of the biggest issues that RVers report in our Campground Crowding column is the number of empty campsites caused by no-shows. Now, finally, something is being done about it at California state parks.

Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, a California state lawmaker, is proposing a bill that would hit the no-show right in their wallet and make it difficult to book again at any of California’s 280 state parks.

Assembly Bill 618 would change the current policy and overhaul the reservation system.

To read more, go here. 

Why Visit Chaco Canyon In New Mexico

Above, most of the ruins are an easy walk to reach. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Last year, I took a drive to Chaco Canyon, which is not too far from home and whose access road turnoff is near Crownpoint, New Mexico. Its actual name is Chaco Culture National Historical Park. 

The access road to Chaco Canyon is about 25 miles of dirt road, much of it has ruts on its surface. It was a little bumpy, but my motorhome handled it fine. To be on the safe side, call first to check road conditions, especially during monsoon season (June to September).

Chaco Canyon is an interesting place. If one likes to explore ancient Indian ruins, this place is the place to visit.

Chaco Canyon has a campground, Gallo Campground, that can accommodate tents and RVs. One must bring their own water as the campground has no water and there are no food facilities. It also has a visitor center that compares favorably to ones that are in national parks.

Above, at Chaco Canyon's Gallo Campground. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

TheTravel has posted an article on Chaco Canyon.

It begins with:

Anyone who loves history and archeology or who is fascinated with a remote wilderness landscape will be blown away by the sheer feel and look of Chaco Canyon. While many places are described as secrets, which, on inspection, should really remain secrets, Chaco Canyon is a unique archeological gem that everyone should be singing about. It’s a living, glorious rebuttal to the wrongly-held notion that Plymouth was the first real city in the United States or that American history started with the arrival of Christopher Columbus in continental America in 1492.

For its sheer elegance, its muted eloquence, and its raw, unspoiled beauty, Chaco Canyon will only fail to impress those to whom nature, in its unalloyed beauty, or history, in its most fascinating—have no hold over.

To read more, go here.