Chaco FAQ
CHACO JOURNEY FAQ
Chaco Culture National Historical Park preserves a major center of ancestral Puebloan culture dating between 850 and 1250 AD. Chaco is a very special place. Remote and isolated, it offers few amenities.
Come prepared. You will find the rewards unlimited. The benefits of being “off the grid” for a few days are too numerous to list here.
DETAILS YOU WANT TO KNOW:
Camping
You will be camping in a tent that you bring in our Group Village campsite. The group campsite will include all our sleeping tents, the kitchen tent, a “Temple” Group tent, a shower tent, a “potty” tent and campfire ring.
The site has a parking area close-by so it is easy to bring your gear from your vehicle. We will all help each other set up our camps – so the entire community is involved.
A reliable air-mattress will make the sleeping experience wonderful. Battery operated pumps with fresh batteries are the best – though it is possible to charge the chargers in the car or in the bathrooms.
Smudging
Once camp is set up – we will create a Native American “smudging” ceremony to release the old energies from the entire site and call forth the energies aligned with our frequencies and intentions.
SERVICES AT CHACO
Once you are there services are very limited. The visitor center has a nice bookstore and small museum with a theater room to see films about Chaco. It is open from 8:00 to 5:00 pm. No other services are offered there and few necessities to purchase. There is potable water and a bathroom with hot/cold water located outside the visitor center.
Drinking water
We will have drinking water at the campsite. There is also filtered drinking water outside the campground bathrooms and the visitor center – they are available 24 hours a day to fill our containers.
Cell Service / Internet
Cell service in Chaco Canyon ranges from extremely limited to virtually non-existent. Most carriers will NOT work there or will do so very weakly / intermittently.
Do NOT expect to have cell service. You likely will not. Plan accordingly.
On some of the trails the you might pick up signal – but it is unpredictable.
There is no internet connection. Don’t plan on it.
Emergencies
There is a pay phone (really – at least one still exists!) and there are direct land line numbers to the park staff located on their website if there is an emergency and you need to be reached. You can leave that number for your relatives.
https://www.nps.gov/chcu/learn/management/our-staff-and-offices.htm
Bathrooms
There are bathrooms in the campground with flush toilets, electricity and cold running water.
There is a bathroom at the visitor center with flush toilets, electricity and hot/cold water.
There are no shower facilities offered by the park service. We will have solar showers within our camp.
Showers
We will provide a solar shower tent and solar heated water for the late afternoon bathing. In the morning – we will heat individual buckets of water to use for personal cleaning. Bring a washcloth and towel.
Food
All meals will be vegetarian. All meals will be provided and snacks for the day and hiking. If you have any special snacks and food that you need just for yourself – please bring that.
Money / Valuables
There is no need for a great deal of money or valuables. The visitor center takes credit cards for souvenirs and books. The only place to securely to lock things up will be in your vehicle – so please plan accordingly.
Driving
Driving Directions and pilgrimage to Chaco info here:
PRICING:
The Chaco Journey will be limited to 12 participants.
The price for this transformational journey is $888.
Deposit to hold your space will be $200 due on April 15, 2024
Includes: Campsite, all meals, snacks, kitchen supplies, firewood, pre-trip preparation, guide services / education, solar showers, medicine journey, smudging ceremony, cacao ceremony, (observatory – if open)
Not included: camping gear, personal items, gas, special snacks or food items, lodging in Gallop (more info here)
PRACTICAL INFO ON CHACO
Good info here:
The Chaco Culture National Park website is also full of great information about the conditions at Chaco and the nature / history.
Please remember – on these and many other websites – you will get general visitor information about the sites. These are intended for the “casual” visitor and those deeply rooted in 3D truths. What you will be experiencing is far beyond that – and perhaps something completely different…tuning into the “truth” of the place.