Pyramid Rock, Gallup NM
Summit #29--September 6, 2023
I departed Flagstaff somewhat reluctantly after the Elden Lookout hike, but time was short and I was on a mission to western Colorado and an attempt on at least one 14,000-foot peak. Lucky for me, the drive from Flagstaff took me through Gallup, New Mexico, where I'd read about an interesting and relatively short hike up Pyramid Rock.
Though Google maps had other ideas, I found the well signed trailhead just beyond a sizeable arena and events facility inside Red Rock Park east of town. The hike is straightforward and follows good trail all the way, with plenty of great scenery.
I've been exploring red rock country throughout Utah and Arizona since I was a kid, never tiring new places to gawk at. Pyramid Rock did not disappoint. A relatively easy trek takes you to a pretty dramatic 7,487-foot summit with only a 700-foot elevation gain in less than two miles. The views in all directions are quite impressive, including the spires of Church Rock to the east.
There were tiny ant hills all along the dusty trail. I noticed the rim of each little crater-shaped hill was essentially level, though the ground was sloped. I imagined that if I’m a wee little ant trying to push a micro-wad of dirt up a long, half-inch tall hill, I’m probably going to look for the lowest point on the rim, right? Structurally, that makes sense. Ergo, ants are either brilliant engineers or highly efficient. Or they’re just lazy.
The name Church Rock might ring familiar. In July 1979, the dam for a uranium tailings pond failed near the community of Church Rock about 80 miles north of Gallup. The event released nearly 100 million gallons of radioactive water into the Puerco River—more radioactivity than from the Three Mile Island disaster that occurred just a few months earlier—especially impacting the Navajo Nation. It remains the largest such release in U.S. history. Regrettably, the governor at the time refused to request disaster aid from the federal government. The effects are still being felt today.
Disasters aside, I enjoyed chatting with a couple of Gallupian hikers at the summit (both of them health workers) and learning more about the area. The Zuni people reside to the south. The guy pointed that way to Fort Wingate in the distance, known for its role in the Navajo tragedy of The Long Walk, as well as ongoing missile testing. He said they still launch rockets from Wingate to White Sands, NM, where they practice shooting them down. Fort Wingate also supplied the explosives used in the first Trinity test of a nuclear bomb as part of the Manhattan Project. Some rich history here.
I left wanting to read up more, but also scheming to time my next trip with a rodeo or an outdoor concert at the arena. Kris and I had caught the legendary band Chicago live just a few days before at the Puyallup Fair south of Seattle. It could be a fun way to spend a warm spring/fall night in the Land of Enchantment, provided we don't get nuked. Or maybe go in December for the big balloon fest.
Onward to the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado.
