The canyon is part of the Navajo Nation in the Four Corners area, and is one of the longest continually inhabited landscapes in North America. 3 Hour Tour (most popular) This tour will take you into Canyon de Chelly, where the first stop is Kokopelli Cave. Daniel began giving tours when he was 15, and has been doing it for more than 28 years, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. The sprawling Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona is full of the ruins and rock art of the ancient Ancestral Puebloans. However, to explore the canyons interior, youll need to hire a Navajo guide. Arizona has always been popular for incredible hikes as well as charming small towns. A word to the wise when booking a tour: the private tours are more expensive, but well worth the additional cost. The pictographs are white, yellow and red. Kokopelli and the Lightning Spear . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Yes! He has been an amateur photographer most of his life since he first borrowed his fathers 35 mm camera at age 15. I wanted to get a more in-depth appreciation of the history, culture, and beauty of this unique place so I joined an Arizona Highways PhotoScape tour that hired Navajo Photographer Leroy DeJolie and Adams family to drive us about the canyon and teach about its meaning to his Adams family and the Din, as the Navajo call themselves. Two campgrounds in the park require a fee. Bring cash or personal checks for payment. Jointly managed by the National Park Service and the Navajo Nation, Canyon de Chelly National Monument sits on approximately 84,000 acres of tribal land in northeast Arizona and actually consists of two canyons: Canyon de Chelly (pronounced shay) and Canyon del Muerto. Look up there see those white banded streaks on top? These are more recent with cow being painted in 1932. There are images that represent the clans now present in the Hopi tribe: a bear paw, snake, coyote, and snake dancers. According to the National Park Service website, it preserves evidence of people living here for more than 5,000 years, starting in campsites, then pit houses. Interpreting a Rock Ledge of Petroglyphs 2018 Jim Chamberlain. Seven miles from the Welcome Center is the turnoff to the. Admission to Canyon de Chelly National Monument is free, although you will need a guide to explore inside the canyons. About 200 Navajos died of starvation and exposure along the way. Its not really on the way to anywhere else, very much off the beaten path, and yet there are as many as 800,000 visitors in an average year, making this exceedingly isolated canyon one of the top ten most visited of all the National Monuments in the United States. The most popular tours last between 3 and 4 hours. Soaring View of Antelope House Ruins2018 Jim Chamberlain. It carries spiritual meaning to all Navajos even those who reside in other parts of the reservation. The park entrance is about 3 miles from US 191. This time, we took the right hand fork, and we hadnt gone far when we ran into our first big challenge of the day: a steep downslope that crossed a wash, with deep mud at the bottom of the hill. Permission is needed to go onto fenced land so make sure to discuss what you wish to see with your guide, so they can get the right authorizations. Native families have lived between the colorful walls of the canyon for 5,000 years, tending corn and peach orchards and leaving behind pictographs, pit houses, and ancient cliff dwellings. How did Mummy Cave Overlook get its name? Kokopelli Cave Horseback riders at Petroglyph Rock High Panel at Petroglyph Rock After checking out the petroglyphs at Petroglyph Rock our guide gave us a little demonstration on throwing an atlatl. The canyon is home to a wide variety of plants and animals, and is a popular destination for hikers and campers. . The park is working on getting translations of the brochure in other languages. Our stop at the Teller family property called Antelope House for a lunch of Navajo flatbread and soup cooked by Adams sister allowed me sit and view the nearby ruins. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. At Standing Cow Ruin, named for another Little Lamb painting of a cow, you can see pictographs of the Spanish soldiers, one wearing a red cape with a cross, and two white circles, which Daniel says tells the story that it took two days to kill the 115 people. They fired from the ground, the bullets ricocheting of the cave ceiling like pinballs until 115 were dead. The Navajo Nation observes Daylight Savings Time; the rest of Arizona (except for some other tribal lands) does not. The park is located in Chinle, Arizona, and is entirely on Navajo tribal lands with families living in the canyon. Many of the rock art panels in these canyons are in danger of irreversible deterioration from exposure to the elements. Trails you can hike with a guide include Beehive, Bat, Tunnel, Bear, Baby, Crow, and White Sands. The day we entered Canyon de Chelly, in mid-May, water, lots of it, was flowing through the canyon. Location in Arizona: Northeastern. If youre pressed for time, a Jeep tour is the best way to cover a lot of ground in the canyon. Standing Cow ruins is a place where an old stone cabin sits beneath a white cow and several Kokopelli drawings. Tsegi (Say-ih) is the Navajo word for this canyon they call the spiritual and cultural center of their people. Required fields are marked *. White House Ruins and many other ruins are along the way in the lower canyon. Who was the boyhood home of Canyon de Chelly? The numerous figures on the cave wall were more ominous than other sites with stick figures wearing horns to represent Shaman, medicine men, or dark red figures to represent the ancient ones and others that looked like evil spirits. These depict the invaders from Santa Fe who came in 1805 to conquer the canyon. Some went back to New Mexico, some to De Chelly, some joined the Apache or Navajo, some stayed. You see a lot of people drawn, and theres a bird there. Once the sun disappears behind the canyon rim the rock walls glow from the reflected light off the clouds above them. Earth Art Kokopelli Sticker. 1 campground in Canyon De Chelly National Monument. Required fields are marked *. All guides are authorized by the Navajo Nation Park Recreation Department. Route 64 follows the North Rim, and provides access to three more overlooks, with excellent views into the branch known as Canyon del Muerto. What You Need to Know About Visiting Monument Valley, Must-See Destinations in Northern Arizona, Top Free Things to Do in Northern Arizona, Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park: The Complete Guide, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park: The Complete Guide, 19 Top Natural Attractions in the United States, Visiting Arizona's Grand Canyon in Winter, White Mountain National Forest: The Complete Guide, Wind Cave National Park: The Complete Guide, 12 National Parks & Memorials Within Driving Distance of Phoenix, Chiricahua National Monument: The Complete Guide, BLM Camping and Recreation: The Complete Guide. Effective in January of 2014, the use of your personal four-wheel drive vehicle is no longer allowed! Named for well-preserved burials found within the ruin, Mummy Cave, with 70 to 80 rooms, lies on a ledge 300 feet above the canyon floor, nestled in immense twin . Cottonwood Campground. Free Returns 100% Satisfaction Guarantee Fast Shipping (844) 988-0030. The North Rim drive is shorter, just over 26 miles round trip to the Mummy Cave Overlook. Navajos gather pinon nuts, and use the wood for cooking and making cradleboards. Native people have lived in this canyon for almost 5,000 years, which is a very long time indeed, by any standard. For more ITKT travel stories about USA Select from premium Canyon De Chelly of the highest quality. Canyon De Chelly is Located on the Navajo Reservation. Maybe tomorrow Ill take the day off to try.. The canyon itself, including all hiking trails and Jeep tracks, all the ruins and the rock art, in essence, anything below the canyon rim, all of that is private property, off limits to everyone save the handful of Navajo families who own the land on the canyon floor. Cities. Either way, you should consider making the Southwestern U.S. the scene of your own next adventure. You can capture great photographs at the sweeping Antelope House Overlook. Kokopelli Cave, Petroglyph Rock, First Ruin, Junction Ruin, White HouseRuin Extra Hours $75 per hour * *Ceremonial Cave, Ledge Ruin, Antelope House Ruin. Turn west at IR 64 and follow it to Mummy Cave Overlook, which becomes the North Rim Drive. By far the most famous feature of the Colorado Plateau is the Grand Canyon, which lies 200 miles to the west of Canyon de Chelly. I was at Tsegi Overlook taking in one of the classic views of Canyon de Chelly. There's nothing like a good road trip. Only the longer tours include Spider Rock or Mummy Cave, and only the all day tours include both. Each morning, they greet the sun as it rises in the East. She gives thanks to the sun, asking it, Protect me, the things above me, below me, behind me, ahead of me. We passed by all the places where wed stopped the day before, and made it all the way to the junction in just over half an hour. Canyon de Chelly also has a history, a fascinating history that actually comes alive when you view it up close. In 1805 a group of Spanish soldiers happened across Navajo hunters in the canyon. We stop at the White House, the good one Daniel says, which was built and lived in from 1060 A.D. to 1275 A.D. If you want to explore any further, youll either need to take a ranger-led hike or hire a Navajo guide. The White House site has ruins both on the canyon floor and 100 feet above on a shelf in the massive canyon wall. The shadow of a raven flying near the canyon wall. . Zig zags, which means water, or echoes in the canyon, short or long. Stop there to pick up a map of the park, and to get current information about guided tours and other activities, as well as road conditions, and any closures that might affect your visit. Eventually, they disappeared, some believe because of prolonged drought and persistent enemies. But the North Rim Drive is equally impressive with views of Canyon del Muerto, so named for the 115 Navajo people killed here by Spanish soldiers in 1805. Photographers should contact Arizona Highways PhotosScapes. For me, it was a 131-square-mile playground, Daniel said. We were in Canyon del Muerto (Canyon of Death). 3. Come check out our giant selection of T-Shirts, Mugs, Tote Bags, Stickers and More. Archaeological evidence indicates that this giant amphitheater consisting of two caves was occupied for 1,000 years, from A.D. 300 to 1300. . On a longer ride into the canyon, pass through small forests of cottonwood and Russian olive trees and across various . A horse also provides the perfect vantage for taking in the towering rock walls and ancient ruins. Experience Canyon de Chelly's breathtaking wonders - soaring sandstone walls, natural wildlife and beauty, precious orchards of fruit and cornfields. The reddish orange Navajo sandstone walls soar 800 feet above the sandy canyon floor. Seven miles from the Welcome Center is the turnoff to the Antelope House Overlook, which is two miles further along a paved access road. That, in combination with the beautiful setting, is a very powerful draw. Most tour companies offer 4x4 tours, guided hikes, and overnight camping. The ruins get their name from the whitewash used to reflect the sun from the houses. The Kokopelli Cave itself is a large, open cavern that is perfect for exploring. The basic Jeep tours, which are the most popular, range from three to six hours in length, and cover most of the highlights. It is one of two main Canyons and several smaller box canyons that make up the Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Blossoms by the Billions: Photographing the Cherry Blossoms in Washington D.C. Photographing the Sunrise at the Lincoln Memorial, Canadian Road Trips: Jasper and the Icefields Parkway, Washington D.C., By the Dawns Early Light, An Overabundance of Bowlers: A Brief History of the Headgear on the High Plateau, Tairona Gold: The Curse of the Coiled Serpent. This place is the home of the Navajo people in a literal sense. The White House Overlook has always been one of the most popular. We all smiled. Most travelers have limited time, so once theyve seen the Big One, why would any of them bother going all that extra distance just to check out little old Canyon de Chelly? They left more than 750 ruins, pictographs and petroglyphs. Reflecting one of the longest continuously inhabited landscapes of North America, it preserves ruins of the indigenous tribes that lived in . Ancient ruins sit under rocky roofs along the sheer walls in places called Junction Ruins, Mummy Cave, Ledge ruins and Massacre Cave. There is Kokopelli, the priest or god of fertility, lying on his back, playing his flute. Private Jeeps Tours Rates: Most people experience the park by driving its two scenic drives, one with views of Canyon de Chelly and the other with views of Canyon del Muerto. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, Most of Canyon de Chelly can only be seen by visitors who are accompanied by an authorized guide, but the, A mile and a half beyond the Junction Overlook youll reach the turnoff for the White House Overlook, which is at the end of a half-mile long access road. An all-day tour usually includes less visited sites like Navajo Fortress and Massacre Cave, and might even include a trip to a traditional farm or a visit with Navajo weavers. We pride ourselves in providing you with memories . Learn how your comment data is processed. There is no water, no electricity. That drive requires another hour and a half, bare minimum, so if youre going to do both, you should play it safe, and set aside half a day. What to See in Canyon de Chelly. I visited the most famous overlook in the monument that evening to gaze at another rock with a legend, Spider Rock. A pair of binoculars would come in handy to truly appreciate the ruins from this distance. You can also hire a Navajo guide at the visitor center to take you into the canyon on a 4x4, horseback, or hiking tour. Chinle From Chinle, take the road less traveled in the geographical heart of the navajo nation. The whole complex, including the main building and the structures in the two flanking alcoves had as many as 70 rooms, including living quarters, ceremonial spaces, and storage. I was probably getting a bit starry-eyed at that point. Watch a video of this adventure horseback riding with the Navajo. There is only one trail in Canyon de Chelly National Monument that you can hike without a guide, the White House Trail. Visitors are only allowed to hike to the canyon floor from the White House Overlook down a steep trail to the ruins. Of the parks two scenic drives, the South Rim Drive is the most popular. The soldiers came through the canyon, destroying dwellings, burning crops, chopping down thousands of fruit trees and killing livestock. Private companies offer canyon tours. The cave was occupied until about 1300 when Puebloan life in Canyon de Chelly abruptly ended. 3 First Ruin. The sites were also chosen to protect from rain, wind and snow, and to take advantage of sun in the winter and shade in the summer. Closest to the visitor center, it is the only one in the park accessible without a guide. We crowded in close for a better look. Youll need a couple of hours to do it justice, depending on how much time you spend at each of the different overlooks. Daniel took 10 of us on an open-air, six-wheel-drive vehicle that would splash, grind and slide its way through the flowing water, mud and quicksand of the canyon floor. It is and continues to be a place the Dina revere and consider their last stronghold. The town of Chinle is 2 miles from the park and offers a grocery store, post office, hardware store, bank, laundromats, gas stations, convenience stores, and fast food places. Managed by Navajo Parks and Recreation Department. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). If you can, hire a guide before you visit, especially if you plan to go during the peak months, March through October. There are also 3 motels with dining and gift shops. They began the long walk home on June 18, 1868. Canyon de Chelly (DShay) is a geological marvel of the first order, a hidden treasure, tucked away in a remote section of the Navajo Reservation in northeastern Arizona. Deep layers of sand were uplifted as those waters receded to form huge, shifting dunes, and through the eons, the dunes were sculpted by wind and water, ultimately compacted into cross-bedded layers of sedimentary rock. At this junction, Canyon de Chelly becomes the south fork. Massacre Cave Overlook is located off of the North Rim Drive in the Canyon de Chelly (pronounced d'Shay) National Monument. Along the way you pass the Ledge Ruin, Antelope House Ruin, Navajo Fortress, and Standing Cow Ruin, along with some extraordinary rock art. Canyon de Chelly is a fairyland of unlikely rock formations, filled with ancient ruins and petroglyphs spanning 5,000 years of human history. The drawings are charcoal, except for the shields, which were painted with pigment made from the bee weed plant. Native people have lived here for nearly 5000 years. Double-check times to make sure you dont miss your tour. Permits issued by Navajo Park Recreation Department, must be signed by group leader and guide. The land is part of them and they would live nowhere else. Lat/Longs: 3908'55"N 10932'22"W. Type Of Land: Navajo Tribal Trust Land. Your email address will not be published. Please check your time. At Chinle, turn east onto IR 7. The reddish orange Navajo sandstone walls soar 800 feet above the sandy canyon floor. Theyll take you into the canyon in one of their SUVs, or, if you prefer, you can join a guided hike, or a trail ride on horseback. Teresa Bitler moved to Phoenix before her first birthday and has written about the city's attractions, restaurants, and resorts for the last 15 years. Canyon de Chelly: Part 1: The Rim Drives Most of Canyon de Chelly can only be seen by visitors who are accompanied by an authorized guide, but the Rim Drives are free of charge, no reservation required. The vantage point offers a fabulous panorama of the Canyon, along with an unobstructed view of the White House, one of the best preserved ruins in the National Monument. If a tour of Canyon de Chelly is something you really want to do, you should plan as far ahead as possible; particularly if youre traveling in the peak summer season, when demand is highest. The drive and a short walk to the lookouts will take around 1.5 hours. How to Four-Wheel-Drive in Canyon de Chelly Mummy Cave was the highlight of our 2-day Canyon de Chelly adventure. Canyon de Chelly National Monument is a place for the whole world to enjoy and admire, just like all of our national parks and monuments, but at Canyon de Chelly there is an essential difference: The series that follows is a detailed account of my own experience in this remarkable place. Grandma used to warn me when I was being mischievous, Adam Teller related. Junction Ruins near where the south and north forks of the canyon divide. The Navajo, who are not related, are Athabascan, migrating from Asia across the Bering Strait and settling in the canyon about 1500 or 1600. And he sings, his voice drifting up through the sun-speckled canyon. While visiting the Navajo Nation, please remember we observe Daylight Savings Time from March to November. One image shows hunters on horseback chasing down a deer, which they would run through the trees until the deer tired and they could catch it. First Ruins passed by and Ben said on the way back we would call it last ruins and smiled at his own joke. For Daniel, life in the canyon is a respite from the modern world. That drive requires another hour and a half, bare minimum, so if youre going to do both, you should play it safe, and set aside half a day. Read our. For everyone else, all is not lost, because you still have the Rim Drives, which are free of charge, no reservation required. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Two roads, Indian Route 7, and Indian Route 64 diverge at the entrance to Canyon de Chelly National Monument. At Antelope House, bounding antelopes grace the walls, painted by Navajo artist Dibe Yazhi, or Little Lamb, in the 1830s. CafePress brings your passions to life with the perfect item for every occasion. And there are some other drawings on the side; this one here is like a figure of the holy people, because its way up there, and it only has the head, and not the arms or the legs. The tour includes Antelope House Ruin in Canyon del Muerto and the White House Ruin in Canyon de Chelly along with many other archaeological sites. At the center of the upper section is a large room, 12 by 20 feet, with a front wall that is 12 feet high and made of stone that is two feet thick. (. ) Canyon De Chelly National Monument. The haunting notes of a flute player nearby made the experience of visiting these ruins more spiritual that just viewing the canyon from the viewpoints. That's why Cottonwood Campground is the perfect place to set up basecamp to explore this epic region of eastern Arizona. Route 7 follows the South Rim of the multi-pronged formation, providing access to seven overlooks, all with killer views into Canyon de Chelly. Canyon de Chelly is an open air museum and an ancient art gallery, where art is etched on the canyon walls and encompasses thousands of years in history. Click any of the photos above to stop the slide show and expand the images to full screen. Photography along the North Rim road is best during morning hours. The left hand fork is the spectacular work of nature known as Canyon del Muerto. Pictographs on the canyon wall show handprints, stick figures and Kokopelli lying on his back playing his flute. We left from the town of Chinle, which is a mispronunciation of a Navajo word that means where the water comes out, the mouth of the canyon. You can find a guide online at Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation or the parks visitor center. Its one of the more striking features of the Colorado Plateau, where sediments from an ancient sea were laid down during the Permian period, more than 200 million years ago. Address: BIA Indian Route 7, approximately 1/2 mile South of Canyon de Chelly National Monument Welcome Center, Google map LINK to get to this location. Other useful information includes safety, accessibility, fees & passes and permits & reservations. View of the Mummy Cave in Canyon del Muerto, Arizona, 1875. Photo by Donna Hull. The Tano clan was asked to leave. It means the people. Kit Carson was sent by the U.S. Army to round up Navajos in January of 1864, thousands of them retreated to the top of this rock, which is 800 feet high and 1,000 feet wide. 4 People $220Kokopelli Cave, Petroglyph Rock, First Ruin, Junction Ruin, White HouseRuinExtra Hours $75 per hour **Ceremonial Cave, Ledge Ruin, Antelope House Ruin. Dirt roads inside the monument lead to homes and farms. 8 White House Ruin in Canyon De Chelly. At 800 feet in height, its a good bit taller than your average 50 story sky scraper, and it completely dominates the landscape. The one in yellow is the shaman. "He met them and asked why they're leaving. All other visitors to the canyon floor must be accompanied by a Navajo guide. There are circles, the Anasazi representation of the life cycle and yellow dancers. 1982-06-09 Canyon de Chelly AZ0024-ps.jpg 810 1,215; 915 KB He tells how the Anasazi came here and began growing the three sisters, corn, squash and beans. A place to be honored and protected. Thats at least partially due to simple ease of access: unlike most of the ruins in the canyon, all the primary structures at this site are at ground level. He is a kind of Kokopelli whose flute playing underscores the magic of the moment. Four trips that will help you take in the stunning beauty of this ancient site. Canyon de Chelly National Monument Length: 0.1 mi Est. What's the legend behind Spider Rock. One pictograph shows two men on horseback running down a deer. Canyon De Chelly includes the highlights of Spider Rock and White House Ruins. They do have accurate numbers on the visitors who join a tour into the canyon, because that activity requires a permit. Stop by the visitor center to pick up a map, watch the 23-minute introductory video, and learn about ranger-led programs before hitting the road. Canyon de Chelly National Monument (/ d e / d-SHAY) was established on April 1, 1931, as a unit of the National Park Service.Located in northeastern Arizona, it is within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation and lies in the Four Corners region. Until just a few years ago, if you had a four-wheel drive vehicle, you could hire a Navajo guide to ride along with you and show you the way while you drove yourself into the Canyon, slaloming through deep sand in the washes and splashing across muddy creeks, traveling at your own pace, and stopping wherever you liked. From the visitor center, Canyon de Chelly runs slightly southeast while Canyon del Muerto runs northeast, forming a V.. It justice, depending on how much time you spend at each kokopelli cave canyon de chelly the ancient Ancestral Puebloans canyons and Kokopelli... Passed by and Ben said on the visitors who join a tour: the tours. & reservations ruins near where the south Rim drive is shorter, just over 26 round. ( Say-ih ) is the home of canyon de Chelly becomes the and. Giant selection of T-Shirts, Mugs, Tote Bags, Stickers and more fees & passes and permits reservations. 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