Location: Northwest New Mexico State Highways 371 & 57 (Secondary Route 9), (2 miles north of Crownpoint, 28 miles north of Interstate 40 Exit 53 at Thoreau), travel east on Highway 57/Secondary 9 (paved) for 13.5 miles to a 3-way junction; turn north (left) onto rough gravel/dirt, continuing on Highway 57 for another 18 miles to the south park boundary, then another 0.8 mile to the pavement and a 3-way intersection; turn easterly (right), proceed 0.6 mile to a “T” intersection by the visitor center; turn southerly (right) and go past the v.c. for 1.1 miles to a third intersection; turn easterly (left) onto the campground access road for a final 0.3 miles to the campground.
ALTERNATE ACCESS: From New Mexico State Highway 44 at milepost 123 + .4 at Blancoi Trading Post (60 miles northwest of Cuba, 31 miles southeast of Bloomfield) head southwest on New Mexico Highway 57 (rough gravel/dirt) for 22.5 miles to the north park boundary; continue on gravel for another 3 miles, then pick up the paved, one-way park road for another 3.7 miles to a 3-way intersection; proceed ahead for another 0.6 miles to the visitor center and continue per above directions.  (Note: as an alternative to the alternate access above, you could take San Juan County Road 7800 out of Nageezi, which links with Highway 57 at a junction 14 miles from the Highway 44; but Road 7800 is typically in worse shape than “Highway 57″; none of the unpaved roads are recommended in wet weather.)

Facilities: 46 campsites, including 19 park ‘n walk sites, plus an overflow area; sites are small, fairly level to slightly sloped, with minimal separation; parking pads are gravel, mostly short or short+ straight-ins; small to medium-sized areas for tents; b-y-o SHADE; Fireplaces; b-y-o firewood; drinking water from central faucets in the parking lot behind the visitor center; restrooms; holding tank disposal station; gravel driveways; nearest supplies? adequate to complete supplies are available in Grants, Gallup or Farmington.

Activities & Attractions: Ruins of a prehistoric civilization; visitor center with interpretive displays; nature and interpretive trails throughout the park; campfire circle.

Natural Features: Located on a high desert plain in Choco Canyon; campground vegetation consists of low brush and some grass; the side canyon is flanked by cliffs and buttes; elevation 6,200′.

Season, Fees & Phone: Open all year, subject ot weather and road conditions, with limited services in winter; $5.00 for a site plus $3.00 park entry fee; campsite reservations requirede for large groupos; park headquarters (505) 988-6716 OR (505) 988-6727.

Camp Notes: A trilogy of major questions about Chaco Culture may cross your mind.  “Why should I go?” is a natural question to ask while planning the trip at home.  When you finally arrive in the park, it might be “how the heck did I manage to get here?” Reaching the campground, “Why did I come?” In order to apprecicate this grueling trip to Chaco,you have to be a dedicated amateur, student or professional archaeologist or anthropologist; or a backroads junkie in need of an adventure “fix”.  The campground is usually full by mid-afternoon on weekends and holidays, so plan accordingly.  It is used mainly by groups of students and others who enjoy poking around for clues to the lifestyle, industry and art of the ancients.  Chaco Canyon contains hundreds of small, scattered, residul sites of its Indian occupation from about 5,000 B.C. through the early twentieth century.  The most notable of the ruins, Pueblo Bonito, had more than 600 rooms.  Chaco Canyon was the nerve center of a complex civilization which used 400 miles of roads to communicate with at least 75 outlying villages scattered throughout 33,000 square miles of the San Juan Basin and beyond.  Some of the most fascinating of the ruins are a dozen well-crafted masonry pueblos of the 11th abd 12th centuries,  Chaco’s sudden abandonment around 1,300 A.D. coincides with those of so many other similar communities in the Desert Southwest.  In the early 1,700’s the Navajos moved into the deserted neighborhood, but they too pull-up stakes by the 1940’s.