View of Spider Rock and Face Rock, Canyon de Chelly National Monument

PARK OVERVIEW

Canyon de Chelly National Monument (pronounced Canyon de Shay) in Chinle, Arizona, preserves the canyon and the numerous archeological ruins within it that were once used as housing by the Ancestral Puebloan people who lived in the area for over 4,000 years. The park encompasses nearly 84,000 acres and is entirely within the Navajo Nation. More than forty Navajo families still reside within the park boundaries today.

The park was authorized in 1931 by President Herbert Hoover as part of the National Park System in partnership with the Navajo people. The two groups work together to manage park resources and enable both traditional and contemporary Navajo lifestyles. It is the only national park that is not federally owned. The Navajo Nation retains all rights to the land, including residential, agricultural, and grazing uses.

View of Canyon de Chelly from the White House Trail at Canyon de Chelly National Monument

Begin your visit to Canyon de Chelly National Monument by stopping at the Welcome Center to pick up a park brochure, browse through the exhibit area, and watch the park film. Afterwards, take a trip on the North Rim and South Rim drives and stop at the many scenic overlooks along the way. Make sure you don’t miss out on hiking down to the canyon floor on the White House Trail. This is the only way to enter the canyon without an authorized Navajo guide.

The Welcome Center at Canyon de Chelly National Monument

OPERATING HOURS

Canyon de Chelly National Monument is open year-round, 24 hours a day. The Welcome Center is typically open from 8 AM to 5 PM, except when closed for New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Keep in mind that times can always change, and severe weather can affect road conditions, so be sure to check the National Park Service’s official Operating Hours and Seasons web page for the latest schedule.

Note that while Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time and remains on Mountain Standard Time year-round, the Navajo Nation does observe it. Therefore, from March through November, the park will be one hour ahead of the rest of Arizona. This is extremely important to know when it comes to being on time for scheduled tours. Depending on where you are, the time on your phone may or may not update as you move in and out of the Navajo Nation, and it is difficult to know if it did. Once at your hotel or campground the night before the tour, ask somebody what time it is in the Nation and note whether your phone is on that time or an hour behind.

FEES

There are no fees to stop at the Welcome Center, to drive the tour roads through Canyon de Chelly National Monument, or to hike into the canyon on the White House Trail. There are fees for tours of the canyon that are conducted by various Navajo businesses.

SCHEDULING YOUR TIME

Visitor Center
Allow 30 to 45 minutes

North Rim Drive
Allow 2 hours

South Rim Drive
Allow 2 hours

White House Trail
Allow 2 to 2.5 hours

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