Coal Mine Canyon, AZ - February 17, 2006 (Re-run)

 Coal Mine Canyon is a large, uniquely shaped and colored swath of erosion that is situated partly on Navajo Reservation and partly on Hopi land.  The Navajo require a permit to visit their part of it, while the Hopi require a Hopi guide to go into the canyon.  In 2006, the canyon was little known and neither tribe was inclined to publicize it.  I happened to learn of it and was not aware of rules or permits, I just went there and found no one to challenge me.  The place has a kind of eerie feel due to long abandoned shacks scattered about the mesa.

On this first visit, I came upon a trail into the canyon, but didn't take advantage because it was getting late in the day.  I've regretted that decision since the trail was later washed away by flash floods and I haven't seen another path into the canyon.  In some of the photos, you'll notice a small seam of coal around the rim, which is how the canyon got its name.  Native Americans have used that as a source of fuel for hundreds or even thousands of years.