Page 169 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Southwest USA & National Parks

THE FOUR C ORNERS  167

THE FOUR CORNERS

Dominated by the Navajo reservation, which is the size
of Connecticut, and presenting sweeping panoramas of
mesas, canyons, and vast expanses of high desert, the Four
Corners is the perfect destination for those wanting to
experience native culture and the real west.
Although it receives less than 10 inches (25 cm) of rainfall per
year, this arid land has supported life since the first Paleo-Indians
arrived perhaps 12,000 years ago. The people now known as the
Ancestral Puebloans lived here from about AD 500 until the end of the 13th century. They were
responsible for the many evocative ruins here, including those at Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon,
and Hovenweep National Monument. Their descen dants include the Hopi, whose pueblos are
said to be the oldest continually occupied towns in North America. The Navajo arrived here in
the 15th century, and their spiritual center is Canyon de Chelly with its 1,000-ft (330-m) red rock
walls. Monument Valley’s impressive landscape has been used as a backdrop for countless
movies and TV shows. The region is also popular for hiking, fishing, and whitewater rafting.

Sights at a Glance
Historic Towns and Cities National Parks and Monuments Key
3 Tuba City 2 Navajo National Monument Interstate
6 Window Rock 7 Canyon de Chelly
8 Bluff National Monument Major highway
9 Blanding 0 Hovenweep National Monument Highway
r Farmington w Four Corners Monument Railroad
t Aztec Navajo Tribal Park
u Telluride e Chaco Culture National
i Ouray Historic Park
o Silverton a Mesa Verde National Park
p Durango Historic Sites
Areas of Natural Beauty 5 Hubbell Trading Post National
1 Monument Valley Historic Site
y San Juan Skyway Tour
Indian Reservations Montrose
4 Hopi Indian Reservation 50
Colorado 14
q Ute Mountain Indian Reservation 191 Ridgway
Monticello
491
550 160
Pagosa
95 160 Springs
Lake Mexican Cortez
Powell Hat
Big Water 163
Mexican 160 64 64
Page Kayenta Water
Shiprock
Bloomfield
98
550
191
160 491 Counselor
89
Chinle
371
264
Cameron
Gallup
0 km 40
40
Flagstaff 0 miles 40
Little Colorado
Chambers
40
The slopes of the San Juan mountain range, Colorado, in fall
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