toadlena trading post

This place was wonderful.The history and quality of the Navajo weaving styles was fascinating... Especially learning that one type can take two years at the loom!Our guide, Delores, was very knowledgeable and welcoming, helping us to feel at ease with questions.The exhibits change regularly, so you can get very different views into the skill and technique.A must-see.

My visit to this trading post last week was a highlight of my sixth and most recent trip to New Mexico. Though well off the main highway (follow IN-19, which is a good road for cars; turn off the main highway at the Shell station, then follow the signs to the front door), it is worth the detour, if you have time on your itinerary. Like Hubbell Trading Post in Ganado, AZ, this trading post is an active general store and purveyor of Navajo rugs. The staff is extremely friendly and welcoming, whether you want to buy just an ice cream or a genuine Two Grey Hills style Navajo rug. The trading post is restored to its original appearance so entering it is like stepping through a time machine, unlike the nearby Two Grey Hills trading post which is aesthetically-challenged. On site is also a small, but well done museum that describes the history of Navajo weaving.

Visited Toadlena (pronounced Toe-ad-lee-na) trading post and loved it. If you love real Navajo rugs it's worth the drive. The trading post has been restored and has a fantastic museum that shows the beginning of Navajo weaving with beautiful examples of blankets and rugs from the Spanish invasion forward. The trading post specializes in Navajo rugs. If this will bore you don't bother. The rug rooms feature old and new Navajo rugs that you can paw through, walk on and fall in love with. Two Grey Hill rugs are featured but rugs from around the Navajo Nation can be found here. Mostly traditional patterns that showcase the weavers' skills-the rugs are woven by contemporary weavers in a traditional way. You can learn more about it if you go. There are picnic tables under a tree outside and you can buy drinks inside if you need to. It's a beautiful location in pinon pine juniper forest and if you're lucky you can talk to someone who has seen bigfoot.

This active trading post is the epicenter of the Two Gray Hills region, where the best and highest quality Navajo rugs are woven. However, it should be on the list of anyone with an interest in Navajo culture, daily life in the Navajo region, or just an interest in seeing history alive in the present day. To call this place an 'attraction' would be to neglect the fact that it plays a critical role in the day-to-day lives of the local community and is a center of social life (they still barter goods here).The simplest way to reach the Toadlena trading post would be to turn off at the Shell gas station, off Rt 491 (avoid the turnoff at the Newcomb exit). From the highway, it is a 12 mile drive on a paved road to Toadlena village - there are signs along the way, though the main sign for the turnoff is visible only if you are driving south from Shiprock. You will drive past the turnoff to the nearby Two Grey HIlls trading post, which we did not have enough time to visit, but would have liked to. We spent almost 2 hours there, visiting the Toadlena Weaving Museum which is on site, speaking with Mark Winters, the owner (an encyclopedia on all things related to Navajo weaving), and Thelma - the incredibly helpful and patient lady managing the place. The visit was an education on Navajo history and local life. The trading post has worked the same way for over 100 years. Check out the private collection of Kachinas, and ask to see the masterworks, which may not be on display. Navajo rugs are not cheap, and this place gives you an appreciation for why - Mark and his staff will show you unspun wool, teach you how weavers combine threads from different colored sheep to prepare threads with hues ranging from golden to blue, and let you compare work from young weavers as well as legendary masters like Daisy Taugelchee. The amount of work involved is staggering. Most importantly, we KNEW that we would be buying the highest quality rugs, straight at the source, and our money would directly support the weavers...and the rugs here can be bought at a far better price than a gallery in Santa Fe or elsewhere. We bought a beautiful piece by a local male weaver, and it came complete with a picture of the weaver with the rug, on the day he brought it in.If in the Four Corners region, this should be on your to-do list, and if you have an interest in learning about the Navajo, or a passion for Navajo weaving, Toadlena trading post is a must-visit.

This is an authentic trading post in the Navajo Nation that has the best collection of Navajo Two Grey Hills rugs in the world. It is about one hour north of Gallup and is definitely worth the drive. I have been there twice, purchasing a beautiful rug the last time. The staff is gracious and very informative sharing information about the post, the rugs, and the weavers. If you want to see what a real trading post was like back in the day, Toadlena is not to be missed. I love this place!