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.
White House Cliff Dwelling
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.
