Canyon de Chelly
National Monument

Things to Do

Monument Tours

Autos should use paved roads only. To drive on the canyon bottom, a 4-wheel drive vehicle, a Park Service permit and an authorized Navajo guide are required. The fee is $15.00 an hour for 1 vehicle, $5 an hour for each additional vehicle with a 5-vehicle limit per guide.

Auto Tours

• South Rim Drive (36-mile round trip -- 2 hours): National Park Road 7 offers seven overlooks into Canyon de Chelly itself: Tsegi, Junction, White House, Sliding House, Wild Cherry, Face Rock and Spider. The spectacular Spider Rock is an 800-foot sandstone spire rising from the canyon floor at the junction of Canyon de Chelly and Monument Canyon.
• North Rim Drive (34-mile round trip -- 2 hours): National Park Road 64 provides four overlooks into Canyon del Muerto: Ledge Ruin, Antelope House, Mummy Cave and Massacre Cave.

Jeep Tours

• Four-wheel drive tours are provided for a fee by Navajo guides who can be hired at Thunderbird Lodge and the Visitor Center. Free permits are required and reservations are recommended.

Equestrian Tours

• Guided tours on horseback are provided by two NPS-authorized stables. Tours are by the hour with extended rides and overnight trips available. Free permits required.
  
  

Trails and Hiking

Hiking within the canyon requires a Park Service permit and an authorized Navajo guide, except along the 2.5-mile White House Ruins Trail. One guide may take up to 15 people for $15.00 per hour.

• White House Nature Trail (2.5-mile, 2-hour round trip). A scenic trail to White House from the overlook on South Rim Road descends 600 feet to the canyon floor, providing the only way visitors may enter the canyon without a ranger guide.