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.