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Northern Arizona Navajo Reservation
Guided Mountain Bike Tours and Vacations
Trips into the Four Corners area come with access to our MOAB MOUNTAIN BIKE RENTAL FLEET and transport in our specially outfitted Toyota Sequoia. We try to offer one or two DINEH INVITATIONALS every year, primarily for repeat clients, but anyone may inquire. Invitationals are not listed here, but it is best to understand that they take advantage of pre-existing knowledge of clients' unique recreational and cultural interests.
Navajo Nation vacations are private and can be led by company owners Lee and Miki Bridgers, assisted by our Navajo friends and family. Trips onto Navajo Nation Tribal Lands focus on mountain biking and Dineh culture. If you are not interested in Dineh people and their way of life, this is NOT for you. The riding is better than Moab, but dangers are far more extensive and complex. Respect is our preventative first aid kit. Cultural event dates such as Navajo fairs or rodeos are prime and must be reserved far in advance. Specially arranged visits to Dineh artist homes happen. Along with spectacular secret routes on the Navajo Reservation slickrock, Dreamride offers mountain bike rides in Canyon De Chelly, Monument Valley, and full moon and sunrise rides in the Navajo Tribal Park. All backcountry trips include native Navajo escorts.
Mountain biking-only trips feature a variety of cycling routes on rock and/or through scenic canyon country. Bike trips are available in late spring, summer and early fall and can be booked by groups of two to four guests. Mountain biking-only trips are based from Bluff, Utah.
Navajo Nation event and mountain bike combinations can include rodeos, powwows, dance contests, tribal fairs, and seasonal ceremonies open to the general public. These should be booked from three to six months in advance. The Navajo Nation Fair in Window Rock should be booked at least a year in advance. Large events like Navajo Nation Fairs include a variety of concerts and traditional dance, as well as public native art shows. Photography of some events is not always allowed.
Cultural opportunities afforded by small groups are rare. We can request traditional meals prepared by Dineh hosts. You can visit artisans, herbalists, medicine men, and/or historians as part of planned exploration into the culture of the Dineh. Many of these educational expeditions can take place from the saddle of a mountain bike. We may invite hosts to accompany our small groups on horseback across the rock to provide interpretation and to inspire deeper respect. Navajo rugs and jewelry are available during the trip from local artists, friends and hosts. You may special order custom handcrafted Navajo rugs, jewelry, pottery, dance figurines or moccasins prior to your trip. Carrying cash on daily expeditions is wise. Trading posts generally take credit cards, but the people only accept cash.
Three day packages begin with a night of accommodations in Moab and an evaluation ride on a Moab trail appropriate to your skill level. We leave for Bluff, Utah in the afternoon of the first day, stopping in Blanding for a visit to the Edge of the Cedars museum and ruin. On the second day we ride a Navajo Nation trail appropriate to your skills and interests with the option to choose our most highly recommended; a sunset/full moon ride in Monument Valley (all equipment is provided). We depart Bluff on the morning of the third day for the drive back to Moab and a third ride. The final night of lodgings are in Moab. Prices listed include transport from our base in Moab, Utah to and from the Four Corners area. Breakfast and lunch for the riding day on Navajo lands are included. Shuttles to the best restaurants and cultural side trips are included. Park entrance fees are included. Energy snacks are included. Extended private chef services including traditional Navajo meal(s) are offered at addtional charge. Bike rentals are included. For a listing of the bikes and rent-to-buy deals, click on DREAMRIDE RENTAL FLEET, RATES AND POLICIES. Visit our bike sales web site at DREAMBIKE.COM if you want to include the purchase of a custom built bike.
Private group of three (completely private rides--includes guide/driver, needed meals, all transport, bikes and high end lodgings).
Private group consisting of two couples (groups of four include two vehicles and two guide/drivers)
Permits and escorts for an extended trip deep into the backcountry of Monument Valley begin at $500 additional for any group size. Traditional Navajo meal (fresh slaughtered mutton) next a slickrock ride is an additional $300. This trip is fine for novices, but you must be fit. Anyone who lies on our company paperwork about health issues or misrepresents skills and fitness for this particular package will be refused service with no refund. We ain't kidding.
You must be fit to reserve a five day mountain bike package on the reservation. Five day packages include an evaluation ride in Moab prior to departure onto Navajo lands. Prices listed include Toyota Sequoia transport from our base in Moab, Utah to and from the Four Corners area. Shuttles to chosen restaurants and cultural side trips to Native American museums, artisans, homes, and archeaological sites are included. Park entrance fees are included. Snacks are included, but meals that can be provided by local restaurants are not. Private chef services and traditional Navajo meals are offered at addtional charge. Bike rental fees are included. For a listing of bikes click on DREAMRIDE RENTAL FLEET, RATES AND POLICIES. Visit our bike sales web site at DREAMBIKE.COM if you want to include the purchase of a custom built bike.
Private group of three (completely private rides, guides, transport and lodgings--one or two guides).
Private groups of four -- riding and mass events only (groups of four include two vehicles and two guide/drivers)
Want to see more? Click on ARIZONA SLICKROCK PICTURE FILE.
Want to know how to get to Moab? Click on TRAVEL LOGISTICS TO MOAB for information on flights, car rental, shuttles, etc.
Four Corners mountain biking ranges from mellow cruises on primitive dirt roads through amazing landscapes to technical, exposed and extremely remote slickrock areas without marked visible routes. Cell phones do not work. Hazards are abundant in most areas. We exercise extreme caution, strict environmental technique and generously spread good will to our hosts. No one sees our tracks and everyone wants us back. Those with a fear of heights need not apply for more difficult slickrock rides, but we do offer cultural trips via bicycle that present fit novice to intermediate riders with the opportunity to enjoy the rez from the saddle without the typical worries of wild dogs, tourists and dangerous traffic. If you are a good cyclist looking for a mellow(er) slickrock package and the opportunity to return daily to luxury, a MOAB MOUNTAIN BIKE VACATION may be the ticket, but, if you are looking for miles and miles of roller coaster rides in the midst of the most prolific, culturally advanced and artistic Native American culture, then read on.
Packaged accommodations are located in southern Utah and/or in the heart of the reservation. All Four Corners trips originate from Moab, so we can gradually introduce guests to 
the mystique and charm of the original people as we venture deeper and deeper into Indian territory. There are stopping points along the way that serve to educate our guest in Navajo culture such as the Edge of the Cedars Museum in Blanding, arguably the best collection of Native American artifacts in the world
Northern Territory 3 Day ~ 4 Night Package
This package accommodates a sunset/full moon ride in Monument Valley! Open to any skill level, but all participants must be fit!
WITH FOUR NIGHTS OF INN ACCOMMODATIONS:
Private Couple (completely private rides--includes guide/driver, needed meals, all transport, bikes and high end lodgings).
$3995
$4995
$6495
Eastern Territories 5 Day ~ 6 Night Package
This package accommodates several exotic slickrock rides! For experienced riders only!
WITH SIX NIGHTS OF INN ACCOMMODATIONS:
Private Couples (completely private rides, guides, transport and lodgings).
$6995
$7995
$9995
Utah & Arizona Combos
Due to proximity to Moab, we can customize any SUPER ELITE LEVEL package to combine Moab with the even more abundant slickrock of Navajo country, and special opportunities along the way. These combo packages must be booked at least 6 months in advance. To get a good idea of a sample combo package, take a look at the THREE DAY MOAB PACKAGE (don't forget the Elite upgrade charges), then tack on a custom three day Navajo lands package with rates listed here. The riding possibilities are endless including slickrock, mountain and desert rides along with the opporunity for night rides on the full moon in Monument Valley.
BIKE RENTALS: Rates for rental bikes depend on the specific bike. All Dreambike rentals are custom built for the terrain we ride and there is a wide choice of types and styles for elite guests. Rental bikes are only for Dreamride's guided tours and are not available for unsupervised rides. For standard full suspension bikes in the fleet, the rate for the three day package is two days of rental, one day free. The rate for a standard rental bike in a five day package is three days rental, two days free. For a standard rental in a seven day package, you only pay for four days of rental. Click on DREAM RENTALS to see the rental fleet with descriptions, photos and pricing schedule for each bike. All bikes in the fleet are available for Elite packages. Navajo Reservations packages always include Elite level guide services, so all rentals are available to participants.
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Dreamride
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FAX number is 435-259-8196.
or write to:
P.O. Box 1137
Moab, UT 84532
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Full Moon Rides.
If you are looking for memories to last a lifetime, Dreamride can provide. Dusk, dawn or midnight rides in Monument Valley during the full moon are a special treat.
Navajo trading post.
Our MOAB SHOP contains fine examples of Navajo arts and crafts by friends on the rez. Most are for sale to vacation clients. Some are examples of goods that can be custom made specifically for you.
Navajo artists travel to us to present wares to clients in our shop home, and by special invitation we offer travel directly to artist home(s) in Dinetah.
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Classless cultures produce priceless art.
The woman who weaved most of the rugs we sell in our shop guards one of our favorite slickrock havens. A trip there is a challenging and fun bike ride over technical slickrock and a visit to the artist's modest studio. Doris Haskan's rugs (pictured here) are standouts anywhere they are presented. Doris also prepares traditional Navajo meals for our party--real traditional foods, not the Navajo taco thing other "adventure" companies throw in front of geriatric tour victims.
The name of the people.
These carved cottonwood root Dineh medicine dancers are an example of Navajo appropriation of Hopi techniques. "Navajo" is another tribe's name for the Dineh (as are most names we use for the many native nations). Navajo is a Zuni word that means "many farms." The legend circulated among the Dineh is that it is a Spanish word for thief. The confusion does have bearing on why the Navajo are so prolific, maintaining traditional lands after other native nations have vanished. The Dineh appropriate and adjust. Pictured below is the bear dancer, representing healing and protection of family.
Our most valuable hosts, translators and guides.
Lee Bridgers was adopted by the Dineh woman who made the craft of the "god's eye" available to white people in Los Angeles in the 1950's, turning the random hippie pad into a record of Navajo life. Lee's mom and her immediate family are among the finest silver and tourgouise workers in the Navajo Nation, and are among the pioneers that brought the Native American Church to the reservation.
Sincere thanks to our Dineh hosts.
It is not just about mountain biking.
Dreamride is dedicated to sharing, despite the fact that we are a business. We cannot enlighten the unenlightened or heal wounds of centuries of conflict, but there are people like us who accept and cherish the knowledge of elders. Our primary goalS in traveling into the Navajo Nation are to widen understanding, build bridges between cultures and families, and to encourage responsible commerce that includes the promotion of cycling as more than recreation.
CAUTION: CULTURAL TRIPS ARE TRICKY. THE NAVAJO RESERVATION CAN BE AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PLACE AND WE APPROACH IT IN A DIFFERENT WAY THAN OTHER DESTINATIONS OUT OF CONCERN FOR THE PEACE OF MIND OF DINEH PEOPLE AND FOR YOUR SAFETY. UNDERSTAND THAT CURIOUSITY IS NOT CONSIDERED "INTEREST." IF YOU ARE CLICKING OFF MONUMENT VALLEY AS ANOTHER DESTINATION TO PUT IN YOUR CATALOG OF PLACES YOU WENT TO, BUT WERE NEVER REALLY THERE, THE DINEH SEE YOU AND WE DON'T WANT TO TAKE YOU TO THEIR HOUSES.
