4/15/2026 - 4/20/2026 Chaco Pilgrimage
A multi-night adventure to three sacred ancestral Chacoan locations - Canyons of the Ancients, Chaco Canyon, and Chimney Rock.
Comet Panstarrs rising amidst satellites and a bright starlink
Canyons of the Ancients: 4.15-4.16
The first stop on the tour was Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. I was called down to the monument to help with some dark sky related work, and had a place to stay the night in Dolores. During the day, I was given a tour of the pueblo on top of the hill outside the visitor center, and I was allowed permission to photograph the excavated great house and kiva later that night. I was told there were active mountain lions in the area, so to watch out and be loud to ward them off. I woke up at 3 am and headed out from Dolores. I climbed the hill singing out loud the whole way. It was a wonderful night atop the hill overlooking the city lights below. The comet Panstarrs was rising to the east and while I was photographing it, a very bright string of starlink satellites passed by. See the animation above.
The hill made for a suitable backdrop for some portrait photos as I was taking the timelapse of the Milky Way. It was an awesome night to see the comet and Milky Way rising at the sacred site.
Chaco Canyon 4.16-4.19
My good friend and fellow astronomy interpreter - Leo Pareti - booked a few nights at Chaco Culture National Park, and even though a storm was forecast to deliver some exceptionally cold temperatures one night, we decided to go for it. I had been to Chaco once before, but only on a day trip, so three nights of camping was a great chance to immerse in the many facets of the place. It was a cultural experience with astronomy at the forefront, both in stargazing activities as well as the Chacoans themselves who aligned their buildings, cermonies, and livelihoods to astronomically significant experiences.
The night sky was phenomenal - clear and dark. We saw some wonderful sights in Leo’s 9.25 Celestron telescope. On the second night, the thin crescent Moon paired with Venus in the evening sky making a stunning sight, especially in the 2x binoculars. It got really cold, too. Down to 13 deg F! Luckily we survived and the next night was much warmer. I set out at 330 am to the Fajada Butte overlook for some photos. It was stunning to see Scorpius in full regalia, tail and all, floating just above the sacred butte. Incredible! You can read in the books about it all day long, but nothing can match being there at night and actually seeing how the celestial objects line up - Sun, Moon, Milky Way, Venus, Pleiades, all of it!
Chimney Rock 4.19-4.20
Although it was sad to finally leave Chaco, it was an absolute joy to return to Chimney Rock, a place I had spent time some years ago. I booked a night at Navajo State Park along the confluence of the San Juan and Piedra rivers. It was a beautiful location along the water, and I was hoping to see the Milky Way rising. The wind was fairly strong so it was intense down by the water. I took a set of photos for a panorama and moved back to camp in the shelter of the trees, I set up a timelapse of the Milky Way rising above the lake and mountains. There were some clouds but overall a pleasant evening.
The next day I visited Chimney Rock and found a stunning view of the rocks from the south along the Piedra. On the way home, I spotted some places to capture photos for next time I visit.
I rounded out the trip with a visit to the Durango Hot Springs and then headed back home.
