The Rainbow Plateau
RF, Becky Wong, Mike Abbott
Once proposed as a national park, the Navajo Nation's Rainbow Plateau is one of the most scenic areas in the American southwest. It is not an easy place to visit. There are no public facilities, no trails, no guidebooks, and no roads -- no paved road comes even close and even very experienced hikers would have difficulty exploring the Rainbow Plateau on their own. The topography is exceedingly complex, getting lost is easy and navigation is difficult even with a GPS, reliable water sources are scarce and hard to locate, temperature extremes are common, and access to the area requires permission from the Navajo Mountain Chapter House. Always with approval from the chapter house and also with assistance from local Navajo friends, I am fortunate to have been able to visit the Rainbow Plateau many times. I began in 1994 as a participant on a Sierra Club hike on the Rainbow Trail around Navajo Mountain. Over time, becoming bolder as I gained experience and confidence, I began to explore the more remote parts of the Plateau. For experienced, physically-fit backpackers, the best way --indeed perhaps the only way -- to explore the Rainbow Plateau is on backpack trips sponsored by the Sierra Club's National Outings Program. The Sierra Club has three Rainbow Plateau hikes: Mystery of the Rainbow, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, both usually in April, and Forbidden Heart of the Rainbow, usually in September. I am deeply grateful to Terry Gustafson who introduced me to the Rainbow Plateau and taught me so much about hiking in the desert as well as how to think, act and lead softly.
Click on the links below for a photo tour of each trip.
Mystery of the Rainbow
/mystery-of-the-rainbow.html
Forbidden Heart of the Rainbow
/forbidden-heart-of-the-rainbow.html
Somwhere Over the Rainbow
/somewhere-over-the-rainbow.html
I am deeply grateful to Terry Gustafson who introduced me to the Rainbow Plateau and taught me so much about hiking in the desert as well as how to think, act and lead softly.
Click on the links below for a photo tour of each trip.
Mystery of the Rainbow
/mystery-of-the-rainbow.html
Forbidden Heart of the Rainbow
/forbidden-heart-of-the-rainbow.html
Somwhere Over the Rainbow
/somewhere-over-the-rainbow.html
I am deeply grateful to Terry Gustafson who introduced me to the Rainbow Plateau and taught me so much about hiking in the desert as well as how to think, act and lead softly.