The San Juan River winds through a series of incredibly tight bends 1,000 ft below the overlook. So closely spaced are the bends that the river takes 6 miles to cover an air distance of only 1-1/2 miles. Geologists know the site as a classic example of entrenched meanders, caused by gradual uplift of a formerly level plain. Navajos describe is as the coils of a huge serpent.