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Don't Pave the Chaco Road: Why Should You Care?
What would happen if the north road into Chaco Canyon was paved?
GB Cornucopia, a park ranger at Chaco for 20+ years, who considers Chaco his home, put it something like this when a visitor asked this question recently: First of all, I cannot give an official opinion as a park employee. But my personal opinion? I would leave, because the Chaco that I know and love would change.
Here are some of the reasons NOT to pave the road:
Chaco is a World Heritage Site and must be protected as such. “UNESCO seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity.”
The road keeps the looky-loos out, ensuring those who do visit are of like mind and appreciate and respect Chaco's wonder and beauty.
Paved road = increased visitation. This is upheld by studies. More visitors mean less access, due to limited park resources, and overwhelmed infrastructure.
Experience Chaco with minimal fencing or limitations. I have sat at a site, among the amazing masonry walls built by the Chacoans, for an hour or more, completely undisturbed, and in peace, feeling the spirit of those who lived there 1,000 years ago. Where else can you still do this?
Hiking in the backcountry is one of the big draws for me and for many others. Park employees say that if the road is paved, they would have to close off the backcountry trails to visitors. Hikes to Pueblo Alto, Penasco Blanco, Tsin Kletzin, and Wijiji can take anywhere from 1.5 hours to all day. And they provide plenty of sacred time alone with the ruins and the high-desert beauty.
Chaco is where I continue to learn about who I am, and connect with that deepest, truest part of myself. Entering the canyon always feels like coming home.
Hopefully this has given you some reasons why you should care, and why I am so passionate about preserving the Chaco I know and love. What are your reasons? Feel free to comment below.
ABOUT CHRISTINA SOLSTAD
