Chaco Culture Conservancy
A New Mexico nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization created to assist and support Chaco Culture National Historical Park and Aztec Ruins National Monument
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Archaeological tour of Kin Bineola with Dr. Ruth Van Dyke
June 7 @ 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Join us on June 7th – 9 am MST for an Archaeological Tour of Kin Bineola
The Chaco Culture Conservancy is excited to announce our first guided tour of 2024, led by Dr. Ruth Van Dyke. Ruth is a professional archaeologist who specializes in the North American Southwest, particularly Chaco Canyon. Ruth is the author of The Chaco Experience and co-editor of the award-winning The Greater Chaco Landscape
On June 7th, Ruth will lead a guided hike into the Chaco backcountry, visiting sites that are normally closed to park visitors. The tour will visit Kin Bineola and surrounding areas and small sites. Ruth will offer archaeological insights and discussion of the Chacoan world in a small group setting. This once-in-a-lifetime experience will provide a small group of visitors with a guided tour of these off-trail sites.
Where you’ll go:
Kin Bineola is a Chacoan great house site built along the Kin Bineola Wash. It sits approximately 12 miles southwest of Pueblo Bonito. Although it is not inside of Chaco proper, this site is still part of Chaco Culture National Historical Park. It used to be open to visitors, but at present, the park has restricted access to Kin Bineola. Now is your chance to visit this special place once again!
The E-shaped great house dates to approximately A.D. 1110-1120 and boasts about 200 rooms, 10 kivas, 1 great kiva, and numerous associated mounds. The great house has never been excavated, but there is still a lot to know about this site! For instance, archaeologists have identified an ancient water control-system along the Kin Bineola Wash near the site.
What might ancient peoples have done here, and why did they choose this spot to build? Why might they have built Kin Bineola similarly to Pueblo Bonito, but in a different formation? What did life look like in this community, and why might the residents have migrated elsewhere? Explore all of these fascinating questions and more on this special-access tour!
What you’ll do:
This tour will escort attendees out to the Kin Bineola great house site, followed by a hike up a nearby mesa where you’ll enjoy beautiful views while having a lunch break. You’ll then travel back down and ascend Teardrop Mesa, where you’ll visit more small archaeological sites that dot the area. At various points in the tour, participants will have the option of returning to their cars or continuing to hike to additional locations.
What to know:
The hike will visit restricted areas that are no longer open to the public. Hike length will range from a minimum of 3 miles to a maximum of 8 miles in total.
Hiking difficulty will range from easy to moderate, with rock scrambling, sand dunes, crossing through a potentially muddy wash, and heavy brush. Potential hazards include heat, altitude, slipping on rocks, stepping on cacti, and encountering rattlesnakes (probably we won’t see any…but they are out there!).
Attendees need to wear hiking boots suitable for rugged, off-trail terrain (no sandals, tennis shoes or other flimsy footwear), and long pants and long sleeves. Long pants and long sleeves are required out of respect for the ancestral sites, as well as for sun protection. Hats and sunscreen are also highly recommended.
The tour will last for approximately a half-day, with lunch (bring your own) on top of a nearby mesa with sweeping views of the New Mexico high desert. If there is time and interest, following the Kin Bineola tour there will be an optional guided visit to several additional sites to the south.
Participants will be asked to meet at a nearby location (details to come later), outside of Chaco Culture National Historical Park. There will be opportunity to carpool to the trailhead; however, you may need to park on a dirt road located on Navajo Nation. A 4WD vehicle is not required.
This tour will meet at 9 am and leave for the trailhead at 9:15 am MST. If you do not arrive by 9:15 am, you forfeit your ticket price. The precise duration of the excursion will depend on the speed and energy of hikers, the amount of questions, and the time we spend discussing each site (we will not be in a rush). Plan on being back at your vehicles by early afternoon, unless you opt in to additional hiking after lunch.
In the event of inclement weather, or if there is water in the wash, the Chaco Culture Conservancy will provide full refunds, or will offer a raincheck for a rescheduled date later in the month.
Lunch is not provided. Attendees should bring their own lunch/snacks and at least two liters of water. Tour can end around 1 pm, but one may choose to tack on an extra 3 hour hike.