Paul & Tara Visit the National Parks: April 2025

Visited: April 2024

Nearby town: Chinle, AZ

In the heart of the Navajo Nation, lies a vast expanse of impressive and unforgiving canyonlands. Three canyons: de Chelly, del Muerto, and Monument canyons, are preserved and protected in Canyon de Chelly (pronounced "SHAY") National Monument.

These canyons formed millions of years ago, as streams originating in the Chuska Mountains eroded the sandstone bedrock, eventually creating the imposing, stark cliffs that now dominate the landscape.

The canyon was initially inhabited by the Ancestral Puebloans, who the Navajo peoples referred to as Anasazi (a Navajo word meaning "ancient enemy"), from approximately 300 AD to 1300 AD. The remnants of some of these Puebloans cliff dwellings survive today, such as White House Ruin and Mummy Cave. After the Puebloans left this area, the Hopi tribe sporadically occupied the canyons for a few centuries. Starting in the 1700s, the Navajo moved here from other parts of present-day New Mexico and made these canyons and the surrounding area their home.

Spanish explorers first sighted the canyons in the 1600s. They named the canyon "Chelly" a borrowing of the Navajo word for the canyon, Tseyi (meaning "inside the rock").

At the outbreak of the US Civil War, the Navajo Nation was the largest remaining tribal nation in the country. With relations between the US and Native Americans at a nadir (largely due to the Sand Creek Massacre/Colorado War between the U.S. Army and the Cheyenne), U.S. Army Colonel Christopher Carson (aka "Kit" Carson) was tasked with forcibly removing the Navajo and relocating them to Fort Sumner in present-day eastern New Mexico (an area known as Bosque Redondo).

Kit Carson employed a scorched earth policy to capture the Navajo, destroying homes, food and supplies. In November 1863, the Navajo tribes, led by chiefs Manuelito, Barboncito, and Delgado retreated to the canyon for safety and developed a stronghold on the canyon floor to defend against the invasion. In January 1864, Carson launched an attack against the stronghold and managed to lay siege and surround the Navajo encampment. With winter coming and supplies running low, the Navajo decided to surrender. Starting in August 1864, over 10,000 Navajos were forced to march over 300 miles to relocate to Fort Sumner/Bosque Redondo (an event known as "The Long Walk of the Navajo").

The Navajo would live in exile in Bosque Redondo for over four years. In 1868, the Treaty of Bosque Redondo allowed the Navajo to return to their native lands and effectively established the Navajo as a sovereign nation. Today, the Navajo Nation covers portions of the present-day states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. At over 27,000 square miles, it is the largest Indian reservation in the United States, and exceeds the size of 10 U.S. states. It is one of the few Indian reservations whose lands overlap a tribe's traditional homelands.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument was established in 1931. However, none of the land is federally owned. Instead, the monument is entirely owned and operated by the Navajo Tribal Trust, and management of the unit is shared with the National Park Service. This is the only NPS unit owned and co-managed in this manner.

The nearest town to Canyon de Chelly is Chinle (pop: 4,573) which has several hotels. The rim of the canyons are accessed by both the South Rim Drive and North Rim Drive. There are several overlooks along both roads. We took the South Rim Drive first, driving out to its easternmost point, Spider Rock Overlook.

Spider Rock is the park's distinctive geologic feature. It is a sandstone spire that rises 750 ft from the canyon floor. This unique rock formation is at the junction of Canyon de Chelly and Monument Canyon. In Navajo mythology and folklore, the taller of the two spires is home to Na'ashje'ii Asdzaa ("Grandmother Spider"). It is an awe-inspiring vista.

at Spider Rock Overlook, looking towards the west.

We then stopped at other overlooks along both the South Rim and North Rim roads.

Face Rock

the sign's not kidding. Be careful around the cliff edge.

Antelope House Overlook along the North Rim.

Mummy Cave overlook along the North Rim.

This was an Ancestral Puebloan dwelling, inhabited until circa 1300 AD

Authentic Navajo taco for dinner!

There are two options to explore the canyon floor: 1) self-guided trail from the rim to the floor at White House Ruin (this is only open seasonally, during the summer months); or 2) a guided tour.

We took a 4-hr guided tour of the canyon floor. Our Navajo guide's name was Richard. It was just Tara and me on the tour. We took an SUV to drive through the riverbed on the canyon floor. A rough drive, but adventurous and fun. It was very neat to get such a personalized tour and to get up-close to the ruins. Richard kept us entertained with lots of tales and stories of the history of the area. I recommend taking a guided tour.