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Shiprock, Shiprock, NM

Photo: Bowie Snodgrass, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

SightseeingIconicOutdoor Adventure

Shiprock

View a volcanic rock pinnacle that rises about 1,583 feet from the desert floor of the Navajo Nation.

Off US-491 and Indian Service Route 13, southwest of the town of Shiprock · Shiprock, NM

About Shiprock

Shiprock is the eroded neck of an ancient volcano, rising about 1,583 feet above the high-desert plain on the Navajo Nation. The Navajo call it Tse Bit'a'i, rock with wings, and it is sacred, so climbing, hiking and camping are prohibited and the base is off limits without a permitted guide. You view and photograph it from the paved roads, US 491 or Indian Service Route 13, which passes through the long south dike. Drone flights need a permit.

  • #rock formation
  • #navajo nation
  • #scenic drive
  • #photography
  • #four corners

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What's around here?

The closest stops to Shiprock, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Four Corners Monument

    Under $25

    Stand in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah at once on the granite and bronze marker of this Navajo Tribal Park.

    24 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing

    Sun Temple

    No admission fee

    A large D-shaped stone structure on Mesa Top in Mesa Verde National Park, thought to have served ceremonial purposes.

    39 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Cliff Palace

    $25–$50

    Climb ladders with a ranger into a sandstone cliff dwelling built by Ancestral Puebloans around 1200.

    39 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Mesa Verde National Park

    Under $25

    A national park in southwestern Colorado protecting well-preserved cliff dwellings built by Ancestral Pueblo people.

    44 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Salmon Ruins Museum

    Under $25

    An 11th century Chacoan great house ruin near Bloomfield with a self guided trail, heritage park and museum.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    47 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Shopping
    Local Gem

    Books

    No admission fee

    A small independent bookstore in downtown Cortez selling new and used titles.

    48 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping