The Wildcat Trail is the only hiking trail inside the Tribal
Park that visitors can hike unescorted by authorized Navajo guides.
The Wildcat Trail begins just past the Navajo Tribal Park
visitor center by the edge of a large, flat parking area at the edge of an
escarpment.
The first part of the path winds a few
hundred feet down a gently sloping hillside towards West Mitten Butte, about
one mile away.
A mile or two
further, and to the left are the wider cliffs of Sentinel Mesa, while the
horizon in the far distance is largely featureless.
The Trail allows for inspection of this rock from all
angles, even if the surrounding landscape looks similar all along the one to
two hour journey.
Merrick Butte rises ever more prominently ahead as the path
curves around the West Mitten Butte, revealing its top to be a thin
narrow ridge rather than the wide, rounded peak that appears from the south,
the normal viewing angle.
On the far side, the trail runs for a while along a larger
dry wash, then soon turns back northwest,
now over even flatter ground that gives the first good view of a group of
little-visited rocks to the north, including Big Indian, Saddleback and Castle
Butte. These are several miles away, but rather closer is the tall span of
Sentinel Mesa that comes into view directly ahead.
The hikes continues along a stream bed as you begin your return trip,
The toughest part of the return hike is along the hilly portion of sand. You really work your legs to get up the 10-15 percent grade.
We hiked the 4-mile trail at 24 minutes per mile. We used Kathy's phone app to track our progress.
The hike is completed by a walk along a short climb back to the trail junction, from where the starting
point is a little way further up the hill.
