When you think about big canyons, your first thought might be the Grand Canyon. However, many other beautiful canyons are worth the time to visit. Canyon de Chelly National Monument may not be as big as the Grand Canyon, but it is lovely and has a rich history.
(We have been taking advantage of my son’s Every Kid Outdoors Pass and visiting as many National Park sites as possible. For this post, I will use the term National Park to mean any park site, including historic sites, monuments, etc.)
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Our Suggested Itinerary
Start your tour of Canyon de Chelly at the visitor’s center. They are a great source of information about the history of the canyon and the native people who called it home. You can also pick up your Junior Ranger packets and get those passports stamped.
Then, head off along the road to view the canyon from any (or all) of the nine available overlooks. A tenth overlook is also available seasonally for a fee, but it was not open when we were there in the off-season.
If you are limited on time and have to pick and choose which overlooks to visit, I recommend making sure Spider Rock is on the list. It is one of the more notable rock formations and was really neat to see.
We had limited time at the canyon (only about half a day and then overnight in the campground), so we did not get a chance to take a tour. However, if you had more time, I think that would have been a great way to see more of the canyon and learn more about the history of the people who lived there.
Once you have seen the canyon and completed your junior ranger books, stop by the visitor’s center to get your badges and check out the restaurant at the motel just behind the adjacent campground. They had some delicious fry bread.
History at Canyon de Chelly National Monument
This beautiful canyon was home to Native Americans for 5,000 years. As you stop at overlooks, you can see where they carved homes in the canyon walls. At the visitor’s center, there are exhibits that show various styles of homes used over time by the people of the area, as well as some other exhibits that share more about the people’s culture. The National Park Service runs the park in conjunction with the Navajo Nation.
If you get a chance to visit, let me know how you like it. Don’t forget to take your park passport and get it stamped! We have found that the passport is a great way for the children to get a souvenir at each park with no additional expense after the initial purchase.
Where:
Information Center: Chinle, AZ
Hours of Operation:
Information Center is open 8 am to 5 pm seven days a week (closed major holidays)
Costs: Free
Homeschool Discount: n/a
Website: https://www.nps.gov/cach/index.htm
Food: There is no food available on site, but there is a restaurant in walking distance of the visitor’s center and campground. (We did not eat a full meal at the restaurant but the fry bread was delicious.)
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