Staff Reports
WINSLOW, Ariz. — After nearly three years of development, Navajo writer, educator, and communications professional George R. Joe has created Tribal Trailz, a GPS-activated travel app designed to tell travelers what is around them as they drive across Northern Arizona and Native American lands.
The app, available through major app stores, provides travelers with audio stories, cultural information, destination highlights and regional background as they pass near places such as the Navajo Nation, Zuni, Page, Monument Valley, Hubbell Trading Post, Interstate 40, the Grand Canyon, Winslow and Gallup, Horseshoe Bend, and Antelope Canyon.
Joe said the idea came from his own experience as a traveler and from years of explaining Navajo issues, culture, and history to the public.
“I enjoy traveling,” he said. “I have been to several places overseas at my own expense, and I learned a lot about what travelers need in the process.”
Here in the U.S., he said, people are often bored when they are out driving on the long stretches of road, but they are also curious about what is around them.
“They may not have time to stop, or they may want to come back later,” Joe said. “They also may not have time to read everything that has already been written about a place. Sometimes it is easier when an insider tells you what you need to know.”
Joe is a lifelong resident of the Navajo reservation area north of Winslow, Ariz., and a graduate of Winslow High School. He holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in English, as well as a master’s degree in education. A writer by trade, he has worked in journalism, publishing, marketing, and communications for more than 25 years. He’s also been an educator and has severed on a school board, including the governing board of Northland Pioneer College in Holbrook.
His background includes communications work in Navajo health care, housing, government, education, environmental issues, and economic development.
“Yes, I know a lot of information because I have worked in many areas on Navajo,” Joe said. “Over the years, I have also been a source for national news organizations when they come out to cover Navajo issues.”
Joe has also written for Lonely Planet, including travel content about the Navajo Nation and the Southwest. He said he has another Lonely Planet assignment due next month.
In addition to travel writing, Joe served as a Navajo cultural advisor for Season 2 of AMC’s Dark Winds. In a 2023 guest column for the Los Angeles Times, Joe wrote that he accepted the role because he saw “an opportunity to make an impact from within” by helping create more accurate portrayals of Navajo culture.
Joe said his work on Dark Winds was similar to serving as a cultural compliance officer.
“My job was to ensure accuracy in all cultural matters, which included how actors pronounced words in Navajo, the setting of scenes, cultural items, clothing, behavior, and sometimes even the storyline,”he said. “It was great getting to know the actors and learning about movie production.”
Tribal Trailz grew out of Joe’s earlier work with NativeAmericanGuide.com , an independent Navajo-owned travel information site. The website also includes a downloadable travel guide for people visiting Navajo and nearby areas.
Joe said the app is now being advanced as a formal brand, and he has hired an Albuquerque firm to assist with trademark protection
“This has been two to three years in the making,” he said. “The goal is to help people travel with more respect, more awareness and a better understanding of the land, the people and the stories around them.”
