The Scenic Route To Shiprock
Sandstone spires, pine forests, and lava flows.
Most people traveling between Gallup and Shiprock take Highway 491, which is the most direct route, clocking in at about 90 minutes. However, if you have an extra ½ hour or so, there is a scenic route through the red rock cliffs and pine forests of the Chuska Mountains that is far more scenic.
Directions: Take Hwy 491 north to Yah-Ta-Hey. Catch Hwy 264 to Window Rock, Arizona. Head north on IR-12 in Window Rock. Follow IR-12 to Sheep Springs where it intersects with Hwy 491 again.
![ponderosa pine, spruce, and fir woodlands in front of the Chuska Mountains on the way to Shiprock](https://gallup.imgix.net/images/chuska-mountains.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=b01a31402c814a601954b3d4a047b72d 320w, https://gallup.imgix.net/images/chuska-mountains.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=055f77b31e5d4a6d598186c9b65fc6f0 540w, https://gallup.imgix.net/images/chuska-mountains.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=5268d649133f5ff6ff398d0abb62b2d1 768w, https://gallup.imgix.net/images/chuska-mountains.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=87094cf607e0c4e075fe0fe94e40e3c3 1024w, https://gallup.imgix.net/images/chuska-mountains.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=d8eae83f24d39c6453963c9c1981f263 1200w)
Chuska Mountains
The Chuska Mountains are a range of volcanic mountains on the New Mexico/Arizona border, almost entirely within the Navajo Nation. Geologically, they are on the southeastern edge of the Colorado Plateau. The highest point is Roof Butte at 9,823 feet. Most of the range is within the Navajo Nation Forest, a verdant landscape of ponderosa pine, spruce, and fir woodlands. In fact, the Ancestral Puebloans relied on these forests for the timber used to build the Great Houses in Chaco Canyon. They would tote the logs over 50-miles on foot.
![Close-up of a pueblo wall with a superimposed image of pueblos at Chaco Culture National Historic Park](https://gallup.imgix.net/images/Chaco-walls.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=4f467a176ffa8b5190ac6edcf606a7a5 320w, https://gallup.imgix.net/images/Chaco-walls.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=7ed1ab59c11f34eec6d420db9960d4c3 540w, https://gallup.imgix.net/images/Chaco-walls.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=a9174ea78a41ccff2c2ede5449d2140b 768w, https://gallup.imgix.net/images/Chaco-walls.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=9111ed7be0f692dcfcd6c12b115270c5 1024w, https://gallup.imgix.net/images/Chaco-walls.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=b389d65a11c44dcb30731b6b7464d58d 1200w)
Geology of the Chuska Mountains
The high desert of the Colorado Plateau, where Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico meet, is a visual smorgasbord for anyone who enjoys raw, rugged western landscapes. Over millions of years, the water and wind eroded the layered stone into mountains, mesas, and canyons. The towering basalt cliffs are a testament to the volcanoes that buried the region in layers of lava and volcanic ash. The abundance of sandstone is a testament to an ancient sea that covered the region.
Towering red spires rise from the earth like stone sentinels, isolated from the surrounding mesas over millions of years by the forces of nature. The Chuska Mountains are part of the Navajo Nation, inaccessible without permits. However, there are two impressive sandstone spires readily visible from a quick side trip off IR-12.
![The rock formation Cleopatras Needle stands in front of desert cliffs](https://gallup.imgix.net/images/Cleopatras-Needle.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=6a27b71904183b409575962e532903ea 320w, https://gallup.imgix.net/images/Cleopatras-Needle.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=8ce207b5d22486f319e1019f149b295f 540w, https://gallup.imgix.net/images/Cleopatras-Needle.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=431bd1a88a14fd01f0988430ad550bdb 768w, https://gallup.imgix.net/images/Cleopatras-Needle.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=fa447173deed5f1b1fff5f1ee5375c75 1024w, https://gallup.imgix.net/images/Cleopatras-Needle.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=fd947dca4b74db011efe984928b0d3f6 1200w)
Cleopatra’s Needle & Venus Needle
About 15 miles north of Fort Defiance, take Navajo Service Route 31 east. Start watching for Cleopatra’s Needle on the left. It is one of the skinniest sandstone spires in the world. There are several spots where you can pull off to get photos from several angles, often by gates used by local ranchers.
The Venus Needle is about a mile further. The road curves around a red mesa. Once you can’t see Cleopatra’s Needle, you will see the Venus Needle next to the road on the left, aka north side of the road.
![Venus Needle, visible from Navajo Service Route 31. Morning light. Heavy shadow on the west side, bright red on the east.](https://gallup.imgix.net/images/Venus-Needle.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=01318e1076aeedf236f2452ca7200003 320w, https://gallup.imgix.net/images/Venus-Needle.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=4e21027598dcbe1651bf8dc7f94edab6 540w, https://gallup.imgix.net/images/Venus-Needle.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=b12264a13ed4fd2007a842d7d1791df7 768w, https://gallup.imgix.net/images/Venus-Needle.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=80f4f8746a856f774fced5e959dc78ec 1024w, https://gallup.imgix.net/images/Venus-Needle.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=e4169d3f8ba4776c27455418a9b60bb5 1200w)
It is easy to get photos of both spires from the road; however, they are on private land. No trespassing.
Photo tip: The best light for Cleopatra’s Needle is in the afternoon, when the sun is in the west, but high enough to light up the plains and the canyons. The morning light is better on the Venus Needle.