Contact Us:
Navajo Tourism Department
P.O. Box 663
Window Rock, AZ 86515
United States of America
Phone: 928-810-8501
Fax: 928-810-8500
Monuments
Nowhere in Navajoland is the blend of past tradition and present culture more evident than at the National Monuments scattered around the Nation. These monuments are home to several periods of Indian culture, and provide a spectacular backdrop for hundreds of Ancestral Puebloan ruins. Step back in time and capture a glimpse of how the ancient ones lived more than 900 years ago. These monuments are very sacred sites to the Navajo people and should be treated with the utmost respect and reverence.
CANYON DE CHELLY NATIONAL MONUMENT
Nowhere in Navajoland is the blend of past tradition and present culture more evident than Canyon de Chelly National Monument. The Navajo people still have a mystical bond to this sandstone canyon that cuts an almost tropical path of trees and flowers through the desert.
Canyon de Chelly is home to several periods of indigenous culture dating from 350 A.D. to 1300 A.D., and the 26-mile canyon’s sheer cliffs range from 30 to more than 1,000 feet, providing a spectacular backdrop for hundreds of ancient Puebloan ruins, as well as modern Navajo homes and farms.
The visitor’s center offers details and maps to all of the canyon’s many world-famous sites, including Spider Rock, White House Ruins and Canyon del Muerto.
Book a tour to experience the sandy canyon floor by all-terrain vehicle, or from the rim on a self-guided tour by car. Canyon de Chelly is one of Navajoland’s most popular all-day adventures.
P.O. Box 558
Chinle, Arizona 86503
Tséyi Heritage Center & Cottonwood Campground (Navajo Tribal Parks)
(928) 674-2106FAX (928) 674-2001
P.O. Box 2520
Window Rock, AZ 86515
CHACO CANYON NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK
One of the centers of ancient Puebloan civilization, life, culture and trade, Chaco Culture National Historical Park is home to a cluster of more than a dozen Chacoan ruins that housed as little as 800 to as much as thousands of inhabitants — an exact count of people cannot be pinpointed. The network of roads and irrigation systems, elaborate structures, meticulously crafted pottery and basketry – revel a sophisticated society with wide-ranging trade. The ruins are accessible by self-guided trails, but for those interested in longer hikes, trails lead to the top of mesas for unsurpassed views of the entire Chaco Canyon network of ruins. A visitor center, featuring a bookstore, museum, and restrooms and Gallo campgrounds are at the east end of the canyon as you enter the park.
Accessibility is best from the north entrance, near the town of Nageezi, via County Road 7900, which is paved at first, then after a few miles turns into dirt road. There will be Chaco Canyon signs. From the south, visitors can also arrive via County Road 7900 (turn north at the town of Pueblo Pintado). In either direction, you will come to the junction of County Road 7950, which will take you west in Chaco Canyon. Be aware that these roads can be inaccessible in inclement weather and cellphone reception is spotty at best.
Managed by the National Park Service
P.O. Box 220
Nageezi, NM 87037
NAVAJO NATIONAL MONUMENT
Step back in time and capture a glimpse of Arizona’s two largest ruins – Betatakin and Kiet Seel. See how the ancestral Puebloan lived more than 900 years ago. Beautifully preserved ruins can be seen from Betatakin Overlook, which also has a modern visitor center and replicas of ancient hogans and sweat lodges on the grounds. For those of you that want to see the ruins up close, full-day hikes are also offered to both the Betatakin and Kiet Seel sites.
NOTICE: Cliff dwelling tours are closed between October and April.
Navajo National Monument
Managed by the National Park Service
HC-71, Box 3 Tonalea, AZ 86044
Hours are 8am – 5pm (Closed on all major holidays.)
