Canyon de Chelly (Apache County, Arizona)

As anyone who reads any of my blog posts will know, I really enjoy finding Native American rock art and ancient dwellings. I've spent a great deal of time in the middle of nowhere in the desert southwest searching for and often finding petroglyphs, pictographs, geoglyphs and cliff dwellings. One area that I've never been able to visit though is Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Part of this is just due to not planning the trip, but the other aspect is the accessibility. The park is administered by the National Park Service, but owned by and contained within the Navajo Nation. Visitors are allowed to drive along the rims, but can only visit the canyon floors with a park ranger or Navajo guide. About a year ago, I learned that REI contracts with the Navajo to plan camping and hiking trips into the canyon. I was anxious to take part in this activity and registered for it some time ago. 

Day 1

When the dates finally arrived, I flew from Atlanta to Phoenix and spent he night at a nearby hotel before meeting my guides and group on Friday morning. After some introductions and a quick discussion of the day's itinerary, we loaded our gear and ourselves onto the van and set off for the northeastern corner of Arizona, where Canyon de Chelly is located. Our group consisted of our two guides and six participants. Along the way, we stopped at Petrified Trees National Park for lunch and some light hiking. It was a great stop and I made a separate write-up about it.

Late in the afternoon, we arrived at the Thunderbird Lodge just outside the park. This would be our accommodations for the evening. After getting checked in though, we took a ride out to the Spider Rock viewing point to take in a magnificent sunset over the canyon. Spider Rock is a tall sandstone spire rising some 750 feet from the canyon floor at the junction of Monument Canyon and Canyon de Chelly. Navajo legends tell of the Spider Grandmother who lived atop the tall formation. We relax here for a short time taking pictures and just taking in the magnificent views before us.

As we wait for the Sun to descend to the horizon, we hear wild turkeys in the lush green trees growing around the dry creek bed in the center of the canyon. We scramble around on the rocks ledges trying to find the perfect shot and finally settle on what we believe will be the best view. A very short time later, the bright light of the orange sun sinks to the horizon and gradually becomes a fantastic shade of pinkish-red, before finally dropping below the distant canyon ridge and leaving hues of pink and orange in the clouds for us to admire. We snap a myriad of photos before heading back to the lodge. 

Once we arrive back, we enjoy a quick dinner in the restaurant and then all attend a Navajo dance ceremony, celebrating their rich culture and heritage. It's here that I learned that the Navajo migrated to this region only about four-hundred years ago, and well after the ancient Pueblo or Anasazi has long abandoned the area.

Returning to my spacious room, I crawl in my bed and quickly fall asleep. We'll have plenty of activity tomorrow and the long drive and big meal has made me sleepy. I'm thrilled to be here though. I can feel how special this place is.

Day 2

I awake early and get a quick shower, before heading to meet my group for breakfast. After we've filled our bellies, we load back into the van and are driven to the White House Overlook Road, where we are let out to begin today's hike. Our overnight gear will be taken to our campsite in the canyon below by truck. We simply carry daypacks.

With our Navajo guide and his gorgeous dog, Shiloh, now accompanying us, we're all set to begin the descent into the canyon along the White House Trail. The first bit is a road walk, but soon, we hit the sandstone and make our way down. From what our guide tells us, this area was once the location for a western film called MacKenna's Gold. Since returning home, I've searched for the movie on the various streaming services we subscribe to, but it doesn't appear to be available on any of them. I'll find it though. 

The way down is relatively easy, but somewhat steep. Everyone in our group has experience hiking and backpacking, which makes this much easier. The Sandstone has been carved into rolling hills here along the descending cliff, much like "The Wave", but without the color variations. Here, the stone is almost entirely orange with just small streaks of softer colors.

After only about two miles, we reach the canyon floor and spend some time admiring the White House, which is an ancient Anasazi cliff dwelling and one of the largest in the park. I've seen a number of cliff dwellings at other sites in this part of the country, but they never fail to impress me. The ancient peoples who lived here a thousand or more years ago were magnificent architects and even better rock-climbers. It's my understanding that they build their domiciles in this elevated areas for protection from both predators and from enemies. Who would dare try to and climb to these precarious homes at the risk of falling to one's death. 

From here, we follow the Canyon Road, which is nothing more than a sandy wash that trucks owned by the Navajo travel the canyon on. The ground is level, but walking in deep sand makes for hard work, especially with the Arizona sun beating down on us. Along the way, we encounter a number of wild mustangs grazing. Beautiful animals, which were very valuable to the Navajo after they were brought here by the Spanish. The Anasazi had no such beasts of burden at their disposal since they were here many centuries before the Spanish.

In the cliffs on either side of us, we see several other dwellings and grain storage bins built by the Anasazi. Our guide tells us the Navajo didn't make much use of the abandoned Anasazi structures when they arrived and so they have been left to the mercy of the elements here. For the to have survived for more than a millennia is amazing and a testament to their construction.

We've been traveling within Canyon de Chelly, but when we reach the junction with Canyon del Muerto (also part of the park), we stop for lunch before heading to our campsite further down the later canyon. Our guides built some wonderful Asian-style chicken wraps for us for lunch. We all pop a squat in the sand under some trees and refuel a bit. The mustangs have caught up to us and seem quite curious about our food. They don't cause any issues though and begin grazing nearby. 

After I finish my wrap, I wander a short distance a way to see another cliff dwelling our guide told us about. As I return, the others are heading over to visit it. Soon, with our hunger satiated, we continue our hike to tonight's campsite, which is still about four miles away.

The sand seems to get deeper and we do our best to find more solid ground to walk on, but it's not much use. I remember long ago thinking how much fun it would be to run along the beach, as we see in the movies. That is until I finally did it and realized how difficult running in sand actually is. This is no different. Every step is a workout.

Eventually, we reach our campsite, having hiked about 9.1 miles today. One of our two REI guides came down with the trucks and has spent the day erecting our tents. They are HUGE. This is by far the largest tent I've ever been in and I've got one all to myself. I joke that if anyone is looking for space, I would be willing to rent some out. That gets quite a laugh. I guess we'll be sort of 'glamping' on this trip. We all relax around fire pit and relax while our guides prepare dinner. We talk of the days of high adventure. 

Around six and with our dinner complete, we are summoned to the makeshift kitchen area to fill our plates with a delicious chicken pasta and fresh salad. As night settles and it gets a little cooler, we all settle around the campfire and enjoy some stargazing. With no major cities nearby and only the light of the fire to limit our night vision, we are able to see a vast array of stars. I catch a shooting star directly overhead. Our Navajo guide shares some of the interesting stories and legends of his people about this area. I really appreciate being able to learn about Navajo culture from a member of the tribe. 

With the colder night air settling in, we begin to break away and head to our respective tents. I had set up my sleep system earlier and now only need to strip some layers off and crawl into my sleeping bag. I left the rain fly off my tent and continue stargazing from my back and through the mesh ceiling of the giant tent for a while before finally dozing off to never-never land.

Day 3

I awaken a bit before the everyone else and about an hour before sunrise. It was cool overnight, but not cold. I was very comfortable sleeping. First order of business this morning is to head over to our designated restroom station. Upon my return, I find a camp chair at the fire and continue my stargazing. I catch a second shooting star just over the northern canyon wall. This one lasts a bit longer than the one I saw last night. 

Soon my companions rise and join me, just as the sun begins to illuminate the canyon. We relax around the campfire, which one of the guides restarted. It's not cold, but a nice campfire always warms not only the body, but the soul. Our guides are busy preparing a hearty breakfast of sausage, French toast, and cantaloupe. Soon they ring the dinner bell and we all go fill our plates. It's delicious and quite filling.

With some time to spare before we head out for the day, I decide to explore the canyon nook we are camping in. As I wander around the perimeter, I discover poisonous, but beautiful moon flowers, grape vines, and the poisonous nightshade berries, which seem to be very plentiful here. I also find some small shards that were likely pottery at one time. Perhaps, they washed down from the canyon walls above.

Returning to camp, I take advantage of the sandwich station our guides prepared and make a turkey, cheese, avocado, and hummus sandwich to take with me for lunch. We'll be hiking further into the canyon today and then returning to this base camp to sleep under the stars once more. 

We depart camp about 10:00 AM and travel northwest in a somewhat zig-zag pattern as dictated by the tall canyon walls around us. Very soon after departing, we reach another ruin known as Antelope House. This one however is essentially at the base of the canyon wall and would not have really required much climbing to reach. Also, there is a Navajo-run snack and jewelry stand here. We pause for a short time, while some of my fellow participants browse, but we're soon on the trail again. 

Our next major landmark is Fortress Rock, where more than a hundred Navajo hid from the American military for several weeks. The tall island in the middle of the canyon appears to be unclimbable, but our guide exclaims that the backside has a way up - precarious, but possible. 

As we make our way further into the canyon, we encounter more cliff dwellings, grain silos, and wild mustangs. We also begin to see more petroglyphs and pictographs. These illustrations are a combination of Anasazi and Navajo. The two can be distinguished between by the location and content for the most part. The Navajo art is generally lower to the ground and in some cases represents men on horseback. This timeframe makes a particular panel obviously Navajo, as the Anasazi wouldn't have known of horses.

Some of the works are quite elaborate, including one in an area known as White Cow, where a woman referred to a the Loom Lady still weaves rugs to this day. We are asked to not take pictures of the Navajo or their homes without permission, and being respectful, our entire group carefully photographs the rock art without including Loom Lady's home.

A burro has been following us for a while, but soon diverts across the creek bed and continues on ahead of us. Near Many Cherry Canyon, we see another structure atop the cliff wall, but our guide exclaims that this one is actually Navajo and not Anasazi. Resting at the fork of two smaller canyons, it was used as a lookout when the Navajo and American military were in conflict. Another group of mustangs passes under the dwelling as they walk past us.

Our guides weren't sure how far we would make it today, but with everyone of us being a strong hiker, we reach Blue Bull, which is one of the most amazing petroglyph panels I have ever seen. Before exploring it though, we stop and enjoy the sandwiches we made for lunch. Luckily, we find some cottonwoods with the roots exposed and use these as seats while we feed ourselves. 

With lunch out of the way, we leave our day packs and wander a short distance to the rock art panel. This panel is most likely Navajo in origin due to the types of images, but there are so many. On the right, a large bull stained in blue on the the red sandstone gives the area its name. Horses, human figures, spirals, hand prints and all kinds of other images cover this wall. It's amazing and represents the reason I love finding these types of things.

After spending some time exploring the area, we had back to where we dropped our packs and begin heading back to camp the way we came. The return trip is relatively uneventful and after a couple of hours, are back around the campfire. Our distance for the day is 11.9 miles, which is a pretty decent hike. Luckily, the sand was not nearly as deep in this part of the canyon. I'm not sure I would have made it that distance in the deep sand we had yesterday.

For dinner tonight, our guides have prepared a fajita-like spread with chicken and flank steak. Though, I didn't actually make a taco out of mine, I did really enjoy the meal provided. It was just the body needed after a hot day of hiking. With night settling in, we once again, return to our tents and call it a night. With a slight chance of rain, I had put the rain fly on this morning before we left. I also wanted to try sleeping a different way to relieve some of the back pain I've been experiencing. I used two of the camp chairs in my tent and essentially reclined into one while in my sleeping back, while putting my feet up on the other. I can't normally sleep like this in a tent, but with the spaciousness of these tent mansions, I figured I might as well give it a try.

Day 4

I slept in just a bit later this morning, but I'm still the first one up. I think the comfort of sleeping in chairs as I did last night allowed me to better relax and get better sleep. As I make my way out of my tent, others are stirring as well and soon we get another campfire going to ward off the cool morning air. It was good sleeping weather again last night, but a fire to warm up by is always nice. 

With this being our last day in the canyon, we eat a quick breakfast of muffins and fruit and begin breaking down our tents and gear to be hauled by truck back up to the top. The massive tent disassembles much easier than I had expected and within just a few minutes, I'm all packed up and ready to go. I offer to assist others, but they all seem to have it well in hand and I just relax for a bit and enjoy the last embers of the campfire. 

Soon our gear is loaded onto the trucks and we begin our shorter, but more adventurous hike out of the canyon. Returning part of the way we had hiked on Saturday afternoon, we reach the Bear Trail, as our guide calls it. From here, we begin ascending the canyon wall. Most of it is pretty easy, but there are some really steep sections where we need to use both hand and tole holds that have been carved into the sandstone. It's a bit of a work out and I'm reminded of how badly I need to drop a few pounds. 

After about 3.6 miles and 800 feet of ascent, we reach the top and find our loaded van awaiting us. This is where we leave our Navajo guide and we all thank him for sharing his expertise and culture with us. I believe everyone offers him a gratuity, which he richly deserved. With our gear already in the trailer, we climb aboard and head back towards civilization. We return to the Thunderbird Lodge, where we stayed on Friday night for a restroom break and use the nearby picnic area to enjoy some Caesar chicken wraps for lunch. Now we just have a four or so hour drive to get back to Phoenix, though we'll make one more stop along the way.