Trek Details
Summer 2026 Itinerary
Join us for our special addition 100th Anniversary Archaeology Trek! Led by Dr. Robert Weiner, this group will visit both major and lesser-known archaeological sites and landscapes in the Four Corners. The trek will follow a narrative of 500 years of Indigenous history and social transformation in the Southwest, beginning with the monumental grandeur of Chaco Canyon, to cliff dwellings sites from a period of climatic instability in the 12th century, and the eventual large-scale migration of Pueblo people to the Rio Grande Valley. Participants will travel through time crossing New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado from west to east, camping in classic Gulch style in the beautiful expansive mesa’s and prairies of the Southwest.
A little bit more about Dr. Weiner:
Robert Weiner is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Society of Fellows and Lecturer in the Department of Religion at Dartmouth College. He has served as Resident Archaeologist at Cottonwood Gulch since 2019. Weiner’s research combines archaeology, religious studies, cultural anthropology, and cognitive science to study the history of Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico, with particular focus on Chacoan religion, monumental roads, and Diné oral histories. He has published over twenty articles and book chapters in leading journals including Antiquity, American Antiquity, and World Archaeology, and he is currently completing a monograph titled Chaco Ways: Roads and Religion in the Indigenous Southwest. Weiner conducts collaborative archaeological fieldwork on the Navajo Nation and elsewhere throughout the Four Corners region.
Itinerary
Day 1: Airport pick up - Drive to and camp at Chaco Canyon
Day 2: Explore Chaco Canyon, including major Great Houses of Pueblo Bonito and Chetro Ketl, and hike to see Chacoan roads near Pueblo Alto. Camp at Chaco.
Day 3: Drive to Bear’s Ears, UT and hike to a remote, stunningly preserved cliff dwelling site. Camp in Bear’s Ears
Day 4: Visit Hovenweep National Monument and drive to Chimney Rock National Monument. Camp at Chimney Rock
Day 5: Visit Chimney Rock Great House, a Chacoan outlier with alignments to the lunar standstill cycle. Drive to Ojo Caliente for sunset hike to Posi’owingeh, a large ancestral Pueblo village, with optional soak at the hot springs. Camp at Ojo Caliente
Day 6: Return to ABQ Sunport
Travel:
On the last day of Archaeology Trek, August 13th, 2026, we will wake up and drive to the Albuquerque Support. At this point, the trek will end, including meals and transportation. Participants wishing to stay for the 100th anniversary reunion will be responsible for providing their own meals between breakfast the morning of 8/13, and dinner during the 100th on 8/14. You may choose to either stay at Basecamp and make your own arrangements for those meals, or stay in Albuquerque the morning of 8/13 in a hotel and/or rent a car. There will be many volunteers and attendees going back and forth among Basecamp, Thoreau, and Albuquerque, and the Gulch will provide an online carpooling forum.
Cottonwood Gulch provides administrative support and experienced educators and guides, who plan programs, review medical information, drive vehicles, provide cooked meals and beverages (including alcohol), and camping gear including tents and optional sleeping cots, bags, pads, and chairs. Participants are asked to review the packing list, itinerary, and provide relevant medical history, dietary restrictions, travel plans, and other pertinent information prior to the trip. Questions can be directed to brad.jeffrey@cottonwoodgulch.org
