December 19, 2022
The road (BIA-57) going north from The Rio Puerco/ Route 66 Casino exit on I-40 (Exit 140) has been completely rebuilt and is now paved all the way to the Tohajiilee school complex area. (I drove on road today and it was great.) Once you reach the school complex area, you’ll pick up the directions in the book and follow BIA-56 to the trailhead – so you’ll still have the same amount of driving on dirt roads, but it is nice to have another option if I-40 is shut down due to an accident. It seemed to me that the driving times on the two routes were about the same.
January 9, 2022
With the recent roadwork on I-40, many drivers have gotten off at the To’hajiilee exit (Exit 131) thinking that it would get them around the traffic jam (it won’t). As a result, there are several signs at the exit saying No Thru Traffic – Residents Only. I checked with some To’hajiilee residents and they told me that the new signs are there to discourage traffic from I-40.
The BLM land north of To’hajiilee is open to hiking. So don’t let the signs throw you off.