Shiprock
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Shiprock

Shiprock

Navajo Nation town near the Shiprock pinnacle, with a major annual fair and Four Corners desert landscapes.

In Navajo it is "Naatʼáanii Néez", or "Tall Leader". Home to a famous annual fair and located near a mythical landmark, Shiprock is a sprawling Navajo Nation community in the four corners region. Plenty of fast food restaurants and service stations await the weary traveler, but there is no lodging, despite years of attempts by the local Navajos to get a motel project constructed. Maybe one day this will happen. Nearby Farmington has plenty of lodging for those interested in staying in the area.

The towering Shiprock pinnacle is a volcanic neck, called "Rock with wings" in the Navajo language. A couple of dirt roads go near the rock, but no climbing or hiking around the rock is allowed. It's easy to photograph, since the bleak landscape ensures few obstructions to the view.

The yearly Shiprock Fair is usually in early October. It's a big dusty confusion of midway and carnival entertainment, pow-wow dancing, rodeo action, and uniquely Navajo things like frybread contests and a Navajo beauty pageant (instead of prancing around in stiletto heels, the contestants must demonstrate "traditional" skills like butchering sheep). The fair kicks off the fall fair cycle that takes place on the Navajo Nation every year.

Nearby is the Four Corners Monument where four US states intersect: Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado.

Guide

Getting There

Shiprock sits at the crossroads of US 491 (north–south through the Navajo Nation) and US 64 (east–west across the Four Corners). The nearest commercial airport is Farmington (FMN), 45 minutes east; Durango–La Plata, Colorado is about ninety minutes north and has better connections. Albuquerque is a four-hour drive south.

There is no public transport into Shiprock — you need a car. Petrol stations in town are reliable; the next reliable fuel west is at Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, half an hour away. Drive carefully on the reservation roads at night: open-range livestock and unlit horse traffic are common.

Guide

Things to Do

The main reason to come to Shiprock is the rock itself — the volcanic neck visible from the highway for fifty miles in any direction. Beyond that, Shiprock is the largest community on the Navajo Nation, with several Navajo-run cultural sites and the biggest annual fair on the reservation in early October. The Four Corners monument, where four US states meet at a single point, is half an hour to the northwest.

Guide

When to Go

The high desert here sits at 1,500 metres, so winters are cold (snow common from December to February) and summers are hot but dry (daytime highs over 35°C in July and August). Spring and autumn are the most pleasant, with cool nights and warm days.

The first weekend of October — the Northern Navajo Nation Fair — is the best time to visit if you want to see something happening. Otherwise come in late spring (May) or autumn (September, October) when the light is at its best on the rock and the air is clear enough to see for fifty miles.