Canyon de Chelly – Chinle, AZ

July 9, 2012 by

Canyon de Chelly (pronounced “dee shay”) was authorized in 1931 by President Herbert Hoover as a National Monument in large measure to preserve the important archeological resources that span more than 4,000 years of human occupation.

Canyon de Chelly Spider Rock, home of Spider Woman - Photo by Harold Carey Jr.
Canyon de Chelly Spider Rock, home of Spider Woman – Photo by Harold Carey Jr.

The agreement left most of the landscape as the property of the Navajo Nation. About 40-50 Navajo families that own land on the canyon floor, continue to farm that land, raise livestock there in summer, and guide tours. They now grow Corn, squash, tomatoes, cherries, pears and apricots in the Valley. Cattle and horses roam some of the fields.

For nearly 5,000 years the main and side canyons of Canyon de Chelly have been occupied, the longest continuous stretch of habitation on the Colorado Plateau, according to the Park Service.

Canyon de Chelly White House Ruins - Photo by Harold Carey Jr.
Canyon de Chelly White House Ruins – Photo by Harold Carey Jr.

No Entrance Fee
There is no fee for park entrance; however, the park does appreciate donations. Donations can be dropped in the donation box inside the visitor center.

The Visitor Center is open daily all year from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for Christmas Day.

Suggestions If You Just Have:
2 Hours – Visit all 7 overlooks on South Rim Drive OR visit all 3 overlooks on North Rim Drive.

1/2 Day – Visit all 10 overlooks on South and North Rim Drive OR Visit the South Rim Drive and hike the White House Trail OR join a half day guided tour.

1 Day – Visit all 10 overlooks on South and North Rim Drives plus hike the White House Trail OR visit all 10 overlooks plus join a half day guided tour OR join an all-day guided tour.

2 Days – Visit all 10 overlooks on the South and North Rim Drives, hike the White House Trail AND join an all-day guided tour.

Canyon de Chelly - Photo by Harold Carey Jr.
Canyon de Chelly – Photo by Harold Carey Jr.

 

Canyon de Chelly - Photo by Harold Carey Jr.
Canyon de Chelly – Photo by Harold Carey Jr.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Navajo Travel Tagged With: , , ,

Four Corners Monument

July 3, 2012 by

The Four Corners Monument is the only place in the United States where four states (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah) come together at one place.

Four Corners Monument -2 Here you can stand in four states at the same time.
Photo by Harold Carey Jr.

The monument is maintained as a tourist attraction by the Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation Department.

The Four Corners region didn’t always have such a clear-cut divide. Part of Mexico until 1848, the area has since been home to countless squabbles over state lines.

The original marker erected in 1912 was a simple cement pad, but has since been redone in granite and brass. The Visitor Center is open year round, and features a Demonstration Center with Navajo artisans. Navajo vendors sell handmade jewelry, crafts and traditional Navajo foods nearby.

The monument was reconstruction in 2010. It consists of a granite disk embedded with a smaller bronze disk around the point, surrounded by smaller, appropriately located state seals and flags representing both the states and tribal nations of the area. Circling the point, with two words in each state, the disk reads, “Four states here meet in freedom under God.”

Four Corners Monument 3

Picnic tables and self-contained restrooms are available. Services and accommodations are very limited to small cafes, grocery stores and self-service gasoline stations within a 30 mile radius.

We recommend that you have plenty of water, food, snacks, hand wipes and extra toiletries when visiting. The area is very remote, no running water, no electricity, no telephones.

Admission $3.00 (all ages)
Open 7 am – 8 pm (June – Sept)
Open 8 am – 5 pm (Oct – May)
Four Corners Park: 928-871-6647

Four Corners Monument 1

There is a small visitor center, which is open year round. It features a Demonstration Center with Native American artisans. Vendors sell handmade jewelry, crafts and traditional foods nearby. Self-contained toilets are available.

Filed Under: Navajo Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Monument Valley Tribal Park

July 2, 2012 by

Monument Valley (Navajo: Tsé Bii’ Ndzisgaii, meaning valley of the rocks) stretches across the state boundaries of northeast Arizona and southern Utah.

It is located on the border of southeastern Utah and northern Arizona, Monument Valley contains some of the most dramatic rock formations on the Colorado Plateau.

Hogans at Monument Valley Tribal Park

The valley’s earliest inhabitants include the Ice Age Paleo-Indian hunters (12,000-6,000 B.C.), Archaic hunter-gatherers (6,000 B.C.-A.D. 1), and Anasazi farmers (A.D. 1-1300).

In 1924 Harry Goulding established a post which is still in operation today, although under different management. During the 1950s Goulding encouraged the employment of Navajos in the uranium industry as well as in holding parts in the movie industry.

Monument Valley Tribal Park

Monument Valley Tribal Park

Monument Valley became known throughout the world when it was featured in such western film classics as John Ford’s Stagecoach, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and Cheyenne Autumn.

 

The Navajo Nation just remodeled visitor center at one of the country’s most noted tribal parks.
Monument Valley Tribal Park, the destination of more than 250,000 visitors per year.

Monument Valley to hosts a balloon festival in  February free and open to the public.

“All the staff at Monument Valley, they are all Navajo,” Hongeva said. “All the tour guides are Navajo and all the vendors who sell food or jewelry, they are Navajo, and they are all individuals who live there locally.”

Tour guides take visitors through the park’s 17 miles of scenic roads, past some of the most acclaimed formations of the American Southwest.

A $14 million lodging, called The View Hotel, was constructed on the nearly 30,000-acre park, where several Navajo families still maintain grazing rights.

Getting there:
From Flagstaff, head east on Highway 40 to Highway 89 (Page, Grand Canyon Exit). Travel north on Highway 89 to Highway 160. Travel east on Highway 160 to Highway 163 (Kayenta exit). Travel north into Utah to Goulding’s Lodge then take Indian Route 40 southeast to the entrance to Monument Valley. The closest airport is Farmington, New Mexico. It is about two and a half hours east of the park.

Filed Under: Navajo Travel Tagged With: , , ,
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