Moen-avi, Arizona: Dinosaur Tracks

This was an amazing experience for my family! Easy to find, beautiful drive to get there, and the guides were so friendly and informed! If you have a couple of hours to spend, you would not be disappointed!

This was a cool little stop-off. However I was a little nervous about our "guide." He was a little pushy when it came to his "tip/donation" -- but probably harmless. However, just to be safe, I would not recommend going alone.

I went with my Northern Arizona University geology class. I just wanted to address the posts made about the guides. Although giving a "donation" is a very decent thing to do, it is not necessary. If you're interested in having a guide take you to specific places straying from the main attraction, you will need to pay them (whatever they ask). Otherwise, don't let anyone tell you that you have to pay a certain amount to see the tracks, as there is no admission fee. Again, you should tip them out of kindness, but don't let them demand money. If you're in the area, you should also pull off the road to find some petrified wood. Then go to Coalmine Canyon, which is both a beautiful and possibly scary hike.

Stop if you have a chance. Intriguing to see! We were headed toward Colorado on Hwy 160 when we came across a roadside sign that read "Dinosaur Tracks." We pulled onto a gravel road and were greeted by a Native American man. He asked if we wanted to see the dinosaur tracks and I asked how much it cost. He said a donation. We parked and my husband and I debated on how much of a donation to give. We agreed on ten dollars but only had a five and a couple of twenties. Our guide was very nice. He told us several times that we could take pictures. He showed us many dinosaur tracks in the limestone, petrified dino poop, a fossilized claw, fossilized plants, and an amonite. The guides would pour water into the tracks to make them stand out more. He pointed out where the Grand Canyon was and Mt. Humphrey, the tallest point in AZ. We asked him questions about his community, the reservation, the climate, etc and he was very willing to share whatever he knew. He said that he follows the archaeologists around whenever they come out and that's how he's learned everything he knows about these "fossils". When my son & I kinda wondered off exploring, my husband paid the guide twenty dollars. We felt that was fair for his 30 minutes of time. There was only one woman there selling jewelry, but since it was March, it was still early in the season.

The tour itself was not a professional tour, but the Navajo guide considered the tour itself his permanent job.

Although it may be a strange experience for someone who has not had many dealings with the Native Americans (who live most of their lives away from "the rest of America"), it is quite a good experience if you know their basic customs. Basically, be respectful and before touching anything, filming or taking a photo, politely ask if you can do it. Do not assume anything, ask. Many Native Americans, especially the older generations, are very touchy about photos and film. They consider the Reservation their home, and quite frankly, they don't feel any different than you would if you were giving them the tour of your house and back yard.

Ask first.

There are many more things than just dinosaur tracks in this particular area to see. My tour guide even took me to the areas that not many non-Navajo people have seen.

Where the basic tour would take anywhere between 20 to 30 minutes, my Navajo guide took me for a 2 and a half hour tour. He never asked for more than a donation, and I even volunteered to drive him home (5 miles a way, a hike he does every day, sometimes carrying 8 gallons of water during the summer time).