Southwest trip day 11: Canyon de Chelly, AZ

On my first grand tour of the Southwest, 19 years ago, I visited a place so magical that it has occupied an almost mythical place in my memories ever since. Today we went back, and I’m happy to report that the reality more than matched my recollections.

Tunnel Overlook, our first glimpse of Canyon de Chelly

This place is Canyon de Chelly National Monument in the far northeastern corner of Arizona. It is located in the Navajo Nation, a semi-autonomous territory which encompasses 27,000 square miles (larger than the state of West Virginia and approximately the size of Ireland). Most of the Navajo Nation is in northern Arizona but it spills across state lines into New Mexico and Utah.

26-mile Canyon de Chelly (pronounced “d’SHAY”) consists of the main canyon as well as several side canyons, including Canyon de Muerto and Monument Canyon. It has been inhabited for almost 5,000 years. The canyon floor is still dotted with small farms where Navajos grow alfalfa, corn and other crops. Lush cottonwood trees grow near the seasonal creeks, which were swollen with rain water today.

What makes Canyon de Chelly so special for me is its stunning scenic beauty combined with the fact that it only gets a fraction of the visitors the “big name” tourist destinations in Arizona attract. If you ask 10 Americans if they’ve ever heard of Canyon de Chelly, and 8 will probably say no. That’s just fine by me. As much as I enjoyed visiting the Grand Canyon, it certainly isn’t the place you’d go to find peace and solitude. Canyon de Chelly, on the other hand, will give you just that and more.

Be sure to click on the photos to see a larger version in a separate browser window. It’s well worth it, especially with the panoramas.

Tsegi Overlook

Tsegi Overlook

Tsegi Overlook

Ford across the creek from Tsegi Overlook

Junction Overlook

Junction Overlook

Plains prickly pear (Opuntia phaeacantha)

Narrow leaf yucca (Yucca angustissima) growing in seemingly no soil at the base of a juniper

White House Overlook

White House ruins

White House ruins

White House ruins

Swirly rock formations seen from White House Overlook

Cottonwoods growing in the canyon as seen from Spider Rock Overlook

Trail at Spider Rock Overlook

Spider Rock, an 800 ft. sandstone spire rising straight up from the canyon floor

Another view of Spider Rock

Broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae) growing amidst the sandstone rocks

As stunning as the scenery is anyway, it was even more special today because there were towering dark clouds above us and you could see curtains of rain in the distance. Toward evening, we witnessed an incredible display of lighting shooting across the sky, and as we were getting ready to leave it began to hail. The hail only lasted a minute or two, but the rain followed us a good part of the way back to Window Rock. The road that goes around the back of our motel was completely flooded as were other roads in the area.

TRAVEL NOTES:

Canyon de Chelly is owned by the Najavo people, some of whom still live on the canyon floor. You can drive along the rim but with the exception of the White House trail you cannot descend into the canyon without a Navajo guide.

There are two campgrounds in Canyon de Chelly. The closest motel accommodations are in the town of Chinle, right outside the park, or in Window Rock, the capital of the Navajo Nation about 90 minutes away.

MAP OF DAY 11:

 

Tomorrow we’ll head towards Four Corners, the only place in the country where four states meet (Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico). After that, Mesa Verde National Park in far southwestern Colorado.