As we continue our nine-week road trip, this morning we leave Monument Valley for Canyon de Chelly – pronounced “Canyon duShay”. Our first side trip sent us in the opposite direction, but lead us to the Forrest Gump “view” of Monument Valley at mile marker 13. For more photos, click the link.

Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
< Visit the first post of this series – Escape the Tundra 2019

The rest of our journey included a whole lot of nothing, with only a dust storm to keep us occupied. We could feel the wind against the car as it gusted and blew dust and sand across the road – much like snow is probably gusting and drifting at home. Obviously sandstorms can get a whole lot worse than this, so we were glad we didn’t experience anything more intense.

The first time I visited Canyon de Chelly, I think I had a religious experience. Standing at the edge of the canyon and looking out over the valley, I heard absolutely nothing. I was quite overcome by the silence and the beauty, the red rock and the warm sun. It brought tears to my eyes as I scanned the landscape below and the clouds above. What a magnificent place!

Since I was alone on my first visit, this was a logical next stop after the stunning beauty of Monument Valley, so Jim could see what I saw from the steep and gorgeous canyon walls.

“The Navajo name for this area is Tséyi’ (pronouned “say-yih”), translating to “within the rock” or “deep in the rock.” Canyon de Chelly has been inhabited for centuries and that evidence is very clear with the presence of ancient cliff dwellings, which date as early as 350 AD. However, there is human evidence tracing back approximately 5,000 years! Families do still live in the canyon, which is why access is limited and visitors require a guide to tour most areas of the national monument. The nearly 84,000 acres is Navajo Tribal Trust Land and is under jurisdiction of the Navajo Nation. It is the only national park or monument to operate in this way.” – READ MORE

My first visit was wonderful, relaxing, beautiful and almost religious. On this visit, the wind that was causing the ruckus on the highway on the way here, continued to wreak havoc on our first stop at the Canyon. Jim is not great when it comes to peering out over the edge of cliffs under normal circumstances, so add in a stiff wind with gusts that probably wouldn’t – but still MAY hurl us over the edge! – made him (and I) very uncomfortable. We decided to head back and check into our accommodations for the next two nights. Since we started on the north side of the canyon, we thought maybe we’d return on the south side to see if the winds were better. And they were.

The tributaries of Chinle Creek originate in the Chuska Mountains and have run through the Canyon for thousands of years – carving the rock and landscape, and creating red cliffs that rise up one thousand feet.

Spider Rock Overlook (below) is one of the most spectacular overlooks in all of Arizona, with two spires jutting from the canyon floor.

“Spider Rock, the 750 foot spire that rises from the canyon’s floor, is home to and named after Spider Woman. In the Navajo creation story, she is a holy person who brought creation and beauty to the Navajo people, most notably through weaving.” – READ MORE

On my last trip I seemed to be more in awe of the canyon walls. Maybe our winter visit made the canyon floor more interesting to me this time? Was it more green and lush? The river was certainly wider and I could more clearly see it meander along its route at most overlooks. We had planned to visit the canyon floor with a Navajo guide, but the weather was very fickle and we decided to wait for another visit to explore that.

Sacred Canyon Lodge (Thunderbird Lodge) is the only hotel inside the park. Although it was pretty rustic and doesn’t look like much from the outside, our room was updated and pretty nice, with a microwave and fridge and a very small table with two chairs. There were rows of rooms that were painted red and looked a little nicer from the outside, but we were happy with our little stone building for two evenings.

I was looking forward to another round of Navajo fry bread at the restaurant on site, but this time it was down for refurbishment. There are several restaurants in town that we visited instead, but Chinle is a very small and very poor little town, complete with stray dogs and panhandlers, so stay alert on your visit.

Near the Visitor’s Center is a traditional Navajo home – called a Hogan. There was a sign that stated an employee would gladly let us in, but there was an opening where we could sneak a peek inside.

“The hogan is a sacred home for the Diné (Navajo) people who practice traditional religion. Every family even if they live most of the time in a newer home – must have the traditional hogan for ceremonies, and to keep themselves in balance.” – READ MORE

I would highly recommend a stop in Canyon de Chelly, especially if you’ll already be in Monument Valley or Four Corners. The views are breathtaking and the history fascinating.

Next up: Escape the Tundra – Finale

Happy trails,
Barb