This canyon on Navajo tribal land is home to several Native American people who have lived here for nearly 5,000 years. Canyon de Chelly features some stunning rock formations along the North and South scenic rim drives. You will need a whole day to visit all the sites on this page.
- Scenic North Rim Drive with 3 overlooks – 2 hours
- Scenic South Rim Drive with 7 overlooks – 2 hours
- Canyon guided tour – 4 hours
At the Welcome Center you can pick up a park map which gives you all the information about the 2 scenic drives and its overlooks and it is all free to do. If possible drive the North Rim in the morning and South Rim in the afternoon for better pictures.
To do the tour of the Canyon itself, you need to contact a private company. The one we went with was for 4 hours and in an open jeep. Be aware that in November the Canyon is cold and windy. The tour company provided us with a thick blanket which was helpful. In my opinion, spending 4 hours on the canyon floor was too long. We couldn’t find any tour company that offered tours of the canyon for 3 hours or less.
South Rim Overlooks – The South Rim drive is a 36 mile round trip, from the Welcome Center to the Spider Rock Overlook and back again, making multiple stops in between. You’ll need a couple of hours to do it justice, depending on how much time you spend at each of the different overlooks.
Tunnel Overlook – The first viewpoint is of a short, boulder-filled side canyon, which gives a partial view down to the main gorge, here still quite shallow, about 250 feet deep. There are no ruins near this location.
Tsegi Overlook – Tsegi means ‘rock canyon’, is the 2nd overlook on South Rim drive. You can see the long section of Chinle Wash creek and areas of adjacent farmland. About 2 miles of the gorge is visible upstream, as the sandstone walls gradually rise, towering 400 feet above the streamway. You can see the Blade Rock projecting from the north rim cliffs right to the edge of the wash.
Junction Overlook – Ruins are seen for the first time at Junction Overlook. The huge rock sitting in the center is the Dog Rock.
Sliding House Overlook – This overlook is close to Sliding House Ruin. The overlook is situated on a projecting section of the canyon rim edged by sheer cliffs on three sides, and so allows different views from each edge. Canyon de Chelly hereabouts is particularly steep-walled and spectacular.
Face Rock Overlook – The rock is a prominent fin, projecting from the north rim a little way upstream; also in view are one set of ruins, nearly opposite. A very short trail leads to the overlook, right on the brink of 700 foot cliffs.
Spider Rocks Overlook – The easternmost viewpoint on the South Rim Drive, and the most stunning in my opinion is of Spider Rocks, the twin towers of sandstone. A quarter mile path leads to the overlook, which also has a good panorama back towards Face Rock and a V-shaped tributary ravine on the north side. The elevation at Spider Rocks Overlook is nearly 7,000 feet, 1,500 feet higher than the town.
North Rim Overlooks – The North Rim drive is shorter, just over 26 miles round trip to the Mummy Cave Overlook. This drive requires another 2 hours.
Antelope House Overlook – This is the first overlook you get to see on the North Rim Drive. A short path heads south, soon splitting – the east branch leads to an overlook up the canyon, where a massive, protruding wall of sandstone (Navajo Fortress, once used by the local tribespeople to shelter from invaders) divides Canyon del Muerto from Black Rock Canyon to the south. The west branch is to a viewpoint of Antelope House Ruin, below a vertical, 600 foot cliff.
Mummy Cave Overlook – This overlook, right on the cliff edge, is of a group of ruins on the far side of the canyon. The site was named following the discovery of two mummies nearby.
Massacre Cave Overlook – Reached by the same side road as Mummy Cave, this overlook has short paths to two viewpoints; one of the cave, which is another big alcove, and was the site of a massacre in 1805. Many Navajo tribespeople had taken shelter in the cave, whilst under attack from Spanish soldiers, the location being difficult to enter from below but within view of the canyon rim, and as a result, after a day of fighting, over 110 were killed. The other overlook is of a small ruin (Yucca Cave) tucked into a side canyon alcove, reached after descending a short set of steps.
Guided tour of the Canyon – This was a 4-hour guided tour in an open jeep. It was a bit cold and windy in November but we were provided with warm blankets. The tour will take your back to Anasazi times, who were first people to inhabit the canyon from 2500 B.C.E. to 1300 A.D. Around the 1200’s they migrated from the canyon; throughout the southwest they left behind dwellings, handmade tools and wares.
Along the trails, you will be seeing ancient pueblo ruins built by their ancestors and petroglyphs on canyon walls. We saw quite a few ruins close up including the famous White House Ruins. The canyon we call Tseyi (Canyon de Chelly) is referred to by our Navajo Elders as “a place within the rock.” Canyon de Chelly embraces the history of the human spirit, a place of refuge, a source of strength, protection and peace.
