My wife, some friends, and I spent Monday the 25th exploring the site of the 1988-89 Paiute Farms (San Juan) Marina. With a little map and Google Earth research, it was relatively easy getting there even though none of the Navajo roads in the area are marked. The road was dry and in great shape. Four-wheel drive was unnecessary that day. It is, however, very remote and I would urge caution if going there. We did not see a single person or moving vehicle anywhere after leaving Oljato Road.
It is about 18 miles from the Oljato road turnoff to the top of the old launch ramp seen here. I had no idea what to expect based on Google Earth images. The most surprising thing upon arrival is how little evidence there is that there was a bustling marina there 30 years ago.
I had read that the NPS made the operators clean up the site. There are a few chunks of concrete left but almost everything has been hauled away. We were walking around discussing the costs involved in such a massive clean-up and the operating costs involved, considering the site was only there for about two years. Someone must've lost a lot of money. I used to own the book "Floating Hogans" but it has been lost. I plan on re-ordering it to read about the questionable decision-making behind the entire endeavor.
Looking up the ramp. One of the only pieces of evidence remaining is the brown NPS-style sign visible at the top behind my FJ. Neither my wife nor I remember what it says! There were a few pieces of rope and some normal Trash Tracker gold (not all 1980s), but very little else.
Looking west at Monitor Mesa. In the foreground is where I believe the walkway to the dock would have been, and behind it the launch ramp. The housing area is on a flat area off to the left out of view, and it too was swept clean.
Downriver. Heading back to wherever your 1988 camp was, at least you'd have a full tank of fuel and presumably an ice cream.
Upriver
The road continues to the left for about another 1.5 miles to the newly-formed Paiute Farms waterfall. You can hear it from the parking area and it is a short hike to the falls. Enough trash is around to tell that people visit the area to fish and frolic. If you Google a bit, you can find some interesting explanations about how silt build-up caused the river to abandon its original meander and ended up creating a new waterfall. The falls are higher than they appear in the image; I would estimate 11 feet.
This ended up being a cool trip and my companions were glad to be along. They (including my wife Mary) were curious as to why I wanted to venture to a 30 year-old closed down marina site and waterfall. I suppose my love of the San Juan arm of Lake Powell is the real reason why. Nevertheless, we all enjoyed the adventure, great scenery, and company.
On a side note, I found this museum-quality atlatl spearhead while hiking in Bears Ears. Unbelievable. Yes, it's still there for someone else to discover. Take only pictures and leave only footprints.
Happy Thanksgiving, Trash Tracker Eric
