The National Park Service has made it much easier to find the park than in days gone by. You used to have to guess which road to take whenever you came to a fork. They now have good signs all the way in. They also have a map online.

From Cuba, take US 550 (old NM 44) past Counselor and Lybrook. Just past mile marker 112 is the turnoff, which is across the street from the Red Mesa Express gas station and convenience store. A sign indicates the turnoff to the left. The route is well signed.

After about 4.7 miles, you will turn right from the paved road onto a dirt road, county road 7950. Beware that the dirt road sometimes gets exciting when it rains. Do not cross the washes if there is any water running.

16.4 miles from the turnoff from US 550, the road turns left, and again, there is a sign here. When the road becomes really washboard-y, you are getting close. At 19.4 miles from US 550, you enter the park. The visitor center will be on your right after a mile or so. You must pay an entrance fee and obtain a backcountry permit at the visitor center before hiking.

From the visitor center, turn right. After about 3.5 miles, take the left branch to stay on the loop road. 3.7 miles from the visitor center, you will see the trailhead, which is Casa Rinconada, GPS CRINCN.

As you near the mesa top, you go through a small slot canyon. Diana got this photo of Kenneth in it.

Once you are on a shelf, the trail is on sandstone.

1.79 mi from the trailhead, you come to a junction (GPS TKJCT). Continue 0.03 mi to Tsin Kletsin (GPS TSINKLETSN).

Once you get to the Tsin Kletsin, notice the quality masonry techniques that the Anasazi used when building.

From here, you can return the way you came, or, backtrack to the trail junction and head WNW on the trail. This route is what we took, and you get great scenery at the cost of a slightly longer return route.