Canyon De Chelly National Monument

  Canyon De Chelly has been the homeland of the Navajos for 400 years. Some families raise sheep and grow crops in the canyon during the summer and move to the top for the winter, following the patterns of their ancestors, but many more families live on top of the canyon year round. The national monument land is a small strip along the canyon rim; everything else is private property.  Visitors have access to ten overlooks and a 2.5 mile round trip trail to White House ruins in the canyon floor. Other activities such as hiking, back-country camping, horseback riding, and 4 wheel drive tours require a guide.

  The view from the overlooks of the sheer cliffs, the wide, green canyon floor, and the sunlit glow of the red rocks is spectacular. Puebloan ruins, deserted 700 years ago, can be seen in cliff alcoves.

        
   A pretty little campground with good spacing between the sites and shade from large cottonwood trees is located at the west end of the park. I think this campground was part of the national monument at one time. It’s now managed by the Navajo parks department so half price camping fees do not apply.

  Five of the overlooks are accessible. The campground has accessible sites which are no different from the other sites but are close to the restrooms. The visitor center is accessible.

  Most of the overlook lots are roomy enough for RVs. The campground has a few sites that will accommodate large RVs.
Park   36.15173, -109.50004

Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site

  John Lorenzo Hubbell began operating the trading post in 1878, supplying much needed staples to isolated Navajo communities in exchange for sheep, wool, rugs, jewelry, baskets, and pottery. Hubble family members continued running the trading post until 1967 when it was turned over to the national park service.  It still serves as a trading post for the community and visitors making it the oldest operating trading post in the Navajo Nation.
       
  The visitor center has exhibits about the Navajos, the Hubbells, the trading post, and rug making. The trading post sells basic supplies, souvenirs, finely made rugs, and other craftwork.

         
  The visitor center and trading post are accessible. There weren’t any tours of the Hubbell’s home the day that we visited but the park website states that the house is accessible.

The parking lot is large enough for any RV.
 Trading Post    35.70898, -109.55814

Petrified Forest National Park

  The logs found in Petrified Forest were caught in a jam during flooding about 225 million years ago. They became buried in sediment and eventually the cell structure of the logs was replaced with quartz. Iron oxide and other minerals added color to the quartz. It’s amazing how some of the petrified logs look just like recently fallen trees.
         
  But petrified trees are not all the park has to offer. The same minerals that colored the logs have contributed to the beauty of the hills of the Painted Desert. Many fossils of dinosaurs and plants have been uncovered in the park and are on display at the Rainbow Forest Museum. Evidence of years of human occupation can be seen in two ancient building sites and several walls of petroglyphs.

         
  About half of the park is accessible. We came into the park from the south, so in order as we encountered them: The Rainbow Forest Museum is accessible. The Giant Logs Trail behind the museum is not accessible due to numerous steps but many logs can be seen at the beginning of the trail. Two more trails are located across the bridge from the visitor center. Follow the sidewalk to the trails. We missed seeing the signs and did not realize that the first half mile is paved. The trail splits at that point and goes to Agate House and Long Logs Loop. Both of these trails are rough and may not be doable in a wheelchair.

  Crystal Forest Trail is paved but has some steep sections where wheelchair users will need to have some help. Jasper Forest and Agate Bridge viewpoints are accessible. Blue Forest Trail has a dangerously steep section and is not accessible. Newspaper Rock and Puerco Pueblo trails are paved and accessible. The viewpoints in the painted desert section are accessible but the trail at Tawa Point is not. The Painted Desert Inn was closed when we visited but it appears to be accessible. The accessible Painted Desert Visitor Center has very few displays but it does have a short video that’s worth watching.

  All of the parking lots have long RV spaces or room enough for Rvs to be parked through two spaces.

 The park does not have a campground but the Crystal Forest Gift Shop at the south end of the park has a free campground with picnic tables and ramadas but no hookups. We did not visit the gift shop so I can’t report on the level of accessibility.

Park  North Entrance  35.06579, -109.78251
Campground  South Entrance 34.79255, -109.89091

Concho Lake Campground

  The Arizona Fish and Game commission maintains this little lake and free campground. Amenities include trash barrels, a porti-potty and concrete pads without tables. The spaces are large enough for any RV but we parked near the lake for the view.
           
Campground      34.44165, -109.63205

Apache Gold Casino

   This casino has a full hookup RV park but dry camping in the lot is also okay. I’ve read reports that say there’s a $10.00 charge per night. We didn’t see any signs and no one came to collect the fee or tell us where to go to pay it.

   We parked in the regular lot where we fit by backing up over the gravel island. There are a few longer spaces to the left near the parking lot entrance.

The casino is accessible but the aisles are a little narrow.
 Casino    33.3572, -110.66871

Old Dominion Historic Mine Park

  Old Dominion was the first cooper mine in the Globe/Miami mining district. It operated from 1880 to 1931 and, during the boom year of 1919, employed 1,400 people. Most of the buildings are gone but the concentrator tanks, the headframe and many pieces of old equipment are still on the grounds. The old roads are now walking trails and signs provide information about the mine and equipment.

  The Park Ave. Trail is hard packed, flat and accessible. Most of the signs along the trail can be easily read but some are off the trail and surrounded by loose gravel so it’s hard to get close enough to read them.  The other trails are steep and have sections that are washed out or have large, loose gravel. It’s possible to go on some of them with the help of a strong pusher.
The parking area is large enough for any RV.
          
Park    33.40915, -110.79176

Gila County Museum

  This small museum is located in the Old Dominion Mine Rescue station. It contains artifacts and exhibits about the mines and history of the area.

  The museum is accessible. Steps leading to two of the rooms can be avoided by circling around the rooms and using a different doorway.

  The parking lot has a RV space.
Museum    33.40961, -110.79535

Bullion Plaza Cultural Center

  One of the first things you notice as you drive down the main streets in Globe and Miami AZ are the huge piles of tailings and overburden. Underground cooper mining began in the early 1900s but soon gave way to huge open pit mines which are still operating today.

  A good portion of the museum is dedicated to the Mexican and Slavic immigrants who came to work in the mines. Displays with donated items explain the customs that the immigrants brought from their home countries and how they adapted to living in America. Other exhibits cover mining, minerals, Native Americans, McKusick tiles, military history, and ranching.

  An accessible entrance with a door bell is located at the rear of the building. The ringing of the bell  may not be noticed by the museum staff so a member of your party may have to alert them.

  RVs will fit along the street at the front of the building. The rear lot is small so park along the street in the rear or walk/ roll from the front street parking to the rear entrance.
Museum   33.39402, -110.8795

More Saguaro Man

   Saguaro Man is a regional Burning Man gathering. If you’re not familiar with Burning Man, it’s a weeklong celebration of art and self expression where giving is encouraged and the exchange of money is forbidden. It’s held every year at the end of August on a salt playa in northern Nevada. We’d love to go to a Burning Man gathering but the playa is too hot, windy and dusty. 70,000 people attended last year. Saguaro Man with only 800 people is much more manageable.
  So here’s Saguaro Man!




 
 
Things to know:

• The last five miles is very rough dirt road but all types of cars and RVs can make the trip even when the road is wet.

• Quiet hours are from 6:00AM until 11:00AM. Yep, there will be music and noise until the sun comes up but then all the partiers can get a little sleep. Ask about the quieter areas if you don’t want to be really close to amplified music.

• The required mandatory participation can be as simple as wearing a funny hat or as elaborate as creating a large wooden sculpture for the burn.

          

• The camps that have open bars are the most popular. Live entertainment and food are good too. If you want a lot of visitors set up close to the road.

• Your camp structure should be able to withstand high winds. The yurts built from insulation panels held up really well.

•   You won’t want to leave camp until the last day so make sure you have enough supplies.

Things to know if you have mobility problems:

• Saguaro Man is not accessible. The roads are surfaced with large, loose gravel. Going overland is very hard due to soft soil and mounded tufts of vegetation. A strong helper is needed to go anywhere.

• Camp as close to a road as possible. We made the mistake of camping in the middle of the field. We underestimated how hard it would be to roll across the ground and when it rained the silty, sandy dirt became a sticky gumbo. Tony spent a couple of hours cleaning my wheelchair. It was a mess! I should have taken pictures.

The weather changed by the minute. We had sunshine, a cold snap, strong winds, light showers and soaking rain. Thursday was very windy with stinging sand so that most people huddled inside their RVs and tents until evening when everything calmed down. Showers on Friday and Saturday put a damper on the burns. We missed both of the burns because it was too wet to be out. But all in all it was fun and we would go again.
Saguaro Man      34.48756, -109.77264