The headwaters of the San Juan River originate in the snow-capped peaks of the southern Rocky Mountains. Along its journey, the river is joined by numerous tributaries as it flows through the states of Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, eventually merging with the Colorado River deep within the sandstone walls of Glen Canyon.
The river has witnessed many events, from Paleo big game hunters pursuing megafauna, to early Mormon pioneers settling the area, to modern-day river runners, including Indigenous guides, who row boats through sacred lands and waters. Along the river’s shores, various songbirds, Canada geese and great blue heron nest among the cottonwoods and coyote willows. Bighorn Sheep also dwell within the steep canyons, appearing as sandstone ghosts, cascading from ledge to ledge down to the river.
For Indigenous peoples, the San Juan River is considered a spiritual entity, enabling life and the continuation of humanity. To the Ute people, whose ancestral lands lie to the north, it is known in their language as “The River Flowing from the Sunrise”, referencing its east to west current. For the Diné people, the San Juan is recognized as a sacred northern boundary of their homelands. And for the Hopi, it is known as the “Ute River”, a reference to a shared history between ancestors of these two groups.
For over 10 million years, the San Juan River has flowed across and through the Colorado Plateau, bridging mountains, deserts and ancient cultures through time.
This Earth Note was written by Lyle Balenquah and produced by KNAU and the Sustainable Communities Program at Northern Arizona University.
