Headed to Canyon de Chelly

I am now headed northeast and my next stop was Canyon de Chelly National Monument.  What a fantastic place!  Canyon de Chelly (pronounced d’Shay) is located within the Navajo Reservation.  I stayed at Cottonwood Campground, which is a free campground, just after you enter the park.  It is a nice campground but doesn’t have any hook-ups.  I found a nice site that gave me lots of light for my solar panels.

White House Trail

If you want to hike or go on tours you must obtain a permit or a guide.  I chose to take the White House Trail hike.  It is a self-guided tour and you are on your own.

The White House Trail decends 500 feet to the canyon floor.  This is a pic of the White House Ruins from the top of the canyon.

  I also did a close up so you can see it better.

This is a couple of pics of the trail.  Not bad going down but tough going back up.

Now I am at the bottom of the canyon.  The scenery is beautiful.

White House Ruins

Once you reach the bottom it is just a short hike over to the ruins.  It is named the White House Ruins because a long wall in the upper dwelling is covered with white plaster.  These cave dwellings were created centuries ago by the Anasazis which were predecessors of today’s Pueblo and Hopi Indians.  Today the Navajo call this area home and many live in the canyon.

Sliding House Ruins

After I managed to crawl out of the canyon (UGH!) I drove to the the Sliding House Overlook.  Here are a couple of picks of that area.

Spider Rock

The last area I visited was the Spider Rock.  It rises 800 feet from the canyon floor and is very spectacular.

I only spent two days at Canyon De Chelly but it is a place I would love to return and spend more time.  I didn’t get to view the North Rim so there is still plenty to see.