On the Wild Road

An Expedition Through Bears Ears National Monument, Utah

June 9 - 13, 2017

TOUR LEADER: Ernie Atencio of Land and Culture Consulting. Ernie is a cultural anthropologist, conservationist, former national park ranger, writer and frequent contributor to High Country News.

About the Tour

Bears Ears is the newest United States national monument. It protects 1,351,849 acres of public land surrounding the Bears Ears buttes. Located in San Juan County in southeastern Utah, the monument contains a multitude of historic, cultural and natural resources. The monument is co-managed by the Bureau of Land Management and United States Forest Service.

Join us for four days in the field to visit our newest national monument and some of the sites that make Bears Ears a special place that deserves protection.

Learn about the 1906 Antiquities Act and an innovative new model for tribal involvement in public-lands protection
Find out about some of the management challenges facing the region, including protecting cultural resources and wildlife habitat; oil and gas and fracking; haze and air quality and river issues
And see some of the most unique archaeological sites and natural landscapes in the West

High Country News Travel has partnered with Seven Directions|Cultural and Sustainable Tours to bring you this exclusive travel experience. We hope that this connection will become a gateway to increased awareness of the need for sustainability and wildlife conservation throughout the American West.

About Us

Seven Directions|Cultural and Sustainable Tours has been providing educationally based tours in the American West for over 12 years. All of our journeys go beyond the ordinary and are meticulously managed –– carefully planned to minimize the impact on the environment and the cultural resources we showcase, and to offer an ecotourism experience based on sensitivity and sustainability. With a commitment to flexibility, Seven Directions|Cultural and Sustainable Tours pledges excellent customer service and seeks to fulfill the expectations of its customers. We facilitate tours that create a truly unique and memorable experience that is also affordable, relaxing and profound in every respect.

High Country News Travel is a service from High Country News. Our goal is to offer educational, adventurous, meaningful and transformative travel opportunities. It has always been part of the High Country News mission to “inform and inspire” people, and we want to take that even further by creating journeys that focus on exploration and enjoyment while helping to broaden our clients’ perspective on humanity and the environment.

Itinerary

Day 1. Friday, June 9. Best Western Durango Inn & Suites, Durango, Colorado (D)

We meet in Durango, Colorado, in the early afternoon. Check-in at the hotel begins at 4 p.m.

It is important that every participant arrives in Durango no later than 4 p.m. Those arriving at the airport must provide for their transportation to the hotel. (Taxi 970-259-4818)

At 5 p.m., we gather in the hall of the hotel for an orientation on the journey and for an overview on the next day’s program.

By 6:30 p.m., we meet at our restaurant along the downtown historic street — Chimayo Stone Fired Kitchen. Downtown Durango is a nationally registered historic district. Before or after dinner, you are welcome to enjoy a stroll along Main Avenue, which is lined with buildings dating back to the early years of mining and narrow-gauge trains.

Day 2. Saturday, June 10. La Posada Pintada, Bluff, Utah (B, picnic L, D)

Our adventure begins after breakfast, by 8:30 a.m. While we’re on the road, Ernie Atencio will introduce us to some of the issues that distinguish this and other areas in the Southwest:

Antiquities Act and national monuments
multiple land management jurisdictions
oil and gas development

This area offers numerous important archaeological sites.

Our first stop is at the 40-room Lowry Pueblo, located in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. It is part of the Chacoan architectural tradition and features a beautiful Great Kiva.

We will also visit Hovenweep National Monument, on the Colorado-Utah state line. This site is unique due to its numerous towers — which might have been used for defensive purposes but also appear to be astronomical observatories with solstice and equinox alignments — built by the Ancient Puebloans between 500-1300 CE.

Picnic lunch and soft drinks are provided.

Then we’ll travel to Bluff, Utah, where we settle in our hotel for the following three nights. Bluff originated as a Mormon settlement along the San Juan River, and wonderful period homes are still here, surrounded by the characteristic geology, nature and colors of the American Southwest.

During travel and dinner, we will hear about the history and highlights of the Bears Ears country.

Dinner in Bluff.

Day 3. Sunday, June 11. La Posada Pintada, Bluff, Utah (B, picnic L, D)

After breakfast at 8:30 a.m., we leave to drive through Blanding and travel to Cedar Mesa.

We will make many stops with short walks to archaeological sites along the way to learn about the area history’s, which spans thousands of years, explore the rich prehistoric and historic culture that has left its mark on the landscape and alongside canyons, and view rock art along Comb Ridge and on Cedar Mesa.

We will return via the breathtaking Moki Dugway to reach Sand Island, where we can see the cliff face stretching more than 100 yards next to the San Juan River, displaying petroglyphs covering thousands of year of habitation in the area.

Throughout the day Ernie will lead a discussion on several topics pertinent to what we see:

archaeology and cultural history
natural history
land use history
cultural resource management

Dinner in Bluff.

Day 4. Monday, June 12. La Posada Pintada, Bluff, Utah (B, picnic L, D)

At 8:30 a.m., we are again on the road heading south to the Cedar Mesa area, via the bright red Valley of the Gods, up to one of the most stunning views in the Southwest — Muley Point. The whole area is rich with vestiges of pre-contact and historic life.

A picnic lunch will be at the edge of one of the magnificent boulders.

If the weather is good and roads are viable, we may drive to the base of Bears Ears Buttes! These are the landmarks of the new national monument, and the site is central to many Native American cultures and their history.

Here we will meet a representative of the Intertribal Coalition that was the main force behind the recognition of the area as a National Monument. We will share a dinner at the campsite and talk about the success and the issues surrounding this new nomination.

Discussion topics of the day:

regional haze and coal-burning power plants
integrated bio-regional land management
wildlife habitat conservation
what’s next for Bears Ears and other monuments?
discussion with tribal representative regarding Bears Ears campaign and management

Day 5. Tuesday, June 13. Return to Durango, Colorado for departure (B, picnic L)

On the way back to Durango, we will stop in McElmo Canyon, a small research center and a good way to access the area of the Canyon of the Ancients.

After a picnic lunch and a toast to our adventure with wine from the local winery, Sutcliff Vineyards, we make our way to Durango for farewells and some more pictures. Then, we all leave for our destinations.

Please make travel arrangements starting at 2 p.m.

Pricing Details

Land-only price per person: U.S. $2,560 per person. Based on double occupancy.

Single occupancy supplement: U.S. $310

Booking Deadline: May 5, 2017

Included: all accommodations; private transportation on a comfortable mini-coach; driver’s expenses; all breakfasts, lunches and dinners, including one glass of wine or other alcoholic drink; an expert conservationist; private escort; admissions; taxes.

Daily meals included: B=breakfast included; L=lunch included; D=dinner included.

Not Included: Travel and Life & Health insurance; drinks and alcoholic drinks not included in the menu; the meals not listed in the program; gratuities for guides.

Travel and Life & Health insurances are highly recommended. An “Indemnification and Hold Harmless” agreement has to be signed by each participant before starting the trip.

50 percent deposit due upon invoicing; balance by May 5, 2017.

Weather and clothes: Mainly warm, but thunderstorms are likely to occur. A windbreaker jacket and a warm pullover are recommended, as well as short- and long-sleeved T-shirts, light and heavier trousers, and heavy shoes. Don’t forget to bring a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses and camera!

Notes

Participants on this tour must be 18 years or older.

Please let us know if you have any food restrictions or if you are vegetarian or vegan.

Are you fit to walk 2-4 miles on trails?

When Seven Directions LLC receives the Booking Form it will send an individual contract with the detailed trip rules and an invoice.

The most important are:

Deposit is due upon booking the tour. It is 50 percent of the total tour price. Balance is due on or before May 5, 2017.

70 percent of all payments are refundable if cancellation is made by written notice prior to 45 days before date of departure (not later than April 24th).

If cancellation is made after 45 days prior to departure the client is not entitled to any reimbursement.

Full refund for cancellations made by Seven Directions Tours.

Important clause:

Failure to perform not attributable to SEVEN DIRECTIONS due to acts of force majeure. If for any reason beyond the control of SEVEN DIRECTIONS, SEVEN DIRECTIONS is prevented from or interrupted in performing Services by reason of any governmental law, regulation or ordinance, executive order or decree, court order or decree, act of God or public enemy, acts of terrorism, accident, strike or other labor controversy, riot or civil disturbance, delay of a common carrier, inability without fault to obtain any commodity essential to the conduct of its business, or any other cause of any similar nature, or if the Services are interrupted or postponed by reason of any such cause, or the death or incapacity of a principal of SEVEN DIRECTIONS, performance of the Services specified herein are excused and SEVEN DIRECTIONS may terminate this Agreement without further liability; provided, however, if the circumstances of the act of force majeure allow for the partial provision of Services, as determined by SEVEN DIRECTIONS in its sole personal discretion, then payment under this Agreement will be reduced by that pro-rata portion of the Services not provided, but only in the event SEVEN DIRECTIONS is unable to provide a reasonable substitution through reasonable efforts.

Before departure each traveler will be required to sign a legal waiver "INDEMNIFICATION AND HOLD HARMLESS FOR TOUR SERVICES," which will be received together with the Contract. Please mail back or email this document with the signed contract.

Photos by any means cannot be taken on Native American reservations and of their people unless a special fee is paid or permission requested. It is also not allowed to take “selfies” with the wildlife that will be encountered on this trip.

Daily meals included: B=breakfast included; L=lunch included; D=dinner included.

Some minor itinerary changes may be made.

Travel and Life & Health insurances are recommended.