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Ok, we are moving to Tuba City in January and need help with finding trails in the area. I typically race ultra distances and my daily runs are anywhere from 5-15 miles during the week and usually a long 15-25 mile weekend run. If anyone has any experience around Tuba City and is willing to chat with me more, that would be great!

@lenlow
There's not a lot of information available for the Tuba City area due to it being on the reservation. There is a $5/day permit fee for hiking on any Navajo Land, and there are large portions of the reservation that are completely off-limits. I would check with the Tourist office in Cameron. They have quite a few maps and sell the permits. However, I don't know how knowledgable the staff is with regards to local trails.

Hopefully once you settle in you will meet some locals who can give you some better pointers.

In the meantime, I would consider the hour drive from Tuba City to the eastern rim of the Grand Canyon. Tanner is a fun trail for descending into the canyon, but I wouldn't consider it for trail running. A bit farther west you can hit the AZT, where sections 35, 36, and 37 of the Arizona Trail might be more suitable. The trip out to Cape Solitude might be nice, though much of it is a rocky old road. And the initial hill is quite steep.

Thank you, this is helpful I will be doing a lot of sand running, but looking for some technical climbing/descending without having to drive to Flagstaff. I managed to hit Humphreys Peak Trail and climbed and descended that sucker when I went to interview in Tuba. A lot of that is ideal, but alas, not in the desert.

There's some pretty awesome desert east of Cameron along the A'deii Echii cliffs. Check out a few of my Painted Desert trips/photos for some relatively nearby stuff. Plus there's Coalmine Canyon, the trails at Navajo National Monument not too far away, Hopi backcountry trails (with a guide).

A lot of serious people run near Tuba City and nearby. Most of them are good high school cross country team members. I have joined them numerous times. They run extensively on dirt roads. Contact the high school.

@sidhayes
Makes sense. At a recent track meet in Flagstaff, FOTG said the kids from Tuba City absolutely ran circles around the kids from the valley.

@lenlow
@sidhayes
@chumley

Most of them are good high school cross country team members

the kids from Tuba City absolutely ran circles around the kids from the valley.

All very true, they do some serious running up in Tuba City, there cross team was probably 40 plus deep girls and boys
and their fans travel, great parental support, which is always a plus..

I am a coach on the returning state runner ups, a team from the valley..and at the Peaks Invite we chose to run our team in the class just below Tuba City to avoid the inevitable let down..lol..the only teams that really hang with them are some of the Flag area schools...something in that water up there..

lenlow you should have no problem finding some running mates up there, that is for sure..