View of Yucca Cave from the Massacre Cave Overlook stop on Canyon de Chelly National Monument’s North Rim Drive
NORTH RIM DRIVE
STOP 3: MASSACRE CAVE OVERLOOK
There are only three overlook stops on North Rim Drive at Canyon de Chelly National Monument (pronounced de Shay), and two of them are located at the same turnoff from the main road. Once making the turn, drive .6 miles until the road forks. Stay straight / left for Massacre Cave. A right leads to Mummy Cave. Keep in mind that at this point you are looking into Canyon del Muerto, not Canyon de Chelly. The canyon is shaped like a sideways Y with the mouth of the Y facing east. Canyon de Chelly is the southeastern fork of the Y and Canyon del Muerto the northeastern fork. North Rim Drive largely follows Canyon del Muerto.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Canyon de Chelly and the surrounding lands were still part of the Spanish Territory. In 1805, Antonio de Narbona, a lieutenant in the Spanish military, led an expedition into the canyon with the hopes of putting an end to Navajo raids on Spanish settlements that were expanding into the area. Upon spotting the troops, the Navajo women, children, and elderly, who were waiting for the men to return from a hunting expedition, climbed the canyon wall to hide in a cave 1000 feet above the ground. The angle of the canyon rim made the cave inaccessible from above, and reaching it from below required a steep, almost-perpendicular climb. However, they were spotted, and a massacre ensued (hence, the cave name) when the Spanish began shooting blindly into the cave. Narbona reported that they killed 115 Navajos and captured an additional 33. Historians theorize that the Spanish may even have been firing at the Navajo from the area now occupied by the overlook of Massacre Cave.
There are actually three overlooks and two caves at this stop, Massacre and Yucca. Two of the overlooks are accessible via wheelchair, while one is located at the end of a fairly rugged earthen trail. Unfortunately for those who have trouble walking, there is no decent view of Massacre Cave from anywhere, and the only good view of Yucca Cave is from the overlook accessed by the earthen trail. The two overlooks accessible via the paved paths are pretty much only good for views into Canyon de Muerto itself.
Path from the parking lot to the Massacre Cave Overlook on North Rim Drive, Canyon de Chelly National Monument
View of Canyon del Muerto from the Massacre Cave Overlook on North Rim Drive, Canyon de Chelly National Monument
If you take the path from the parking lot all the way to the end (150 yards), you will be at the overlook for Massacre Cave. There are good views into the canyon from here, but Massacre Cave itself is hard to identify. From what I’ve read, it is really just a small alcove in the canyon wall to the left of the overlook. In the photo below, your guess is as good as mine as to what exactly is Massacre Cave. There are no wayside exhibits at the overlook that identify it or provide information about the event that took place here. To make matters worse, if you attempt to do research online about Massacre Cave, almost all photos of it are actually Yucca Cave.
View of Massacre Cave from the Massacre Cave Overlook on Canyon de Chelly National Monument’s North Rim Drive
Just before reaching the Massacre Cave Overlook is another paved path that forks off to the right and leads to the middle of the three overlooks at the Massacre Cave stop. This is wheelchair accessible, but there is nothing but views into Canyon del Muerto from here, and none that are particularly good. You can’t see either of the caves. The overlook off to the right is where you need to be to see Yucca Cave. However, the path to get there is the aforementioned rugged earthen trail.
View into Canyon del Muerto from the middle observation area at the Massacre Canyon Overlook on North Rim Drive, Canyon de Chelly National Monument
The trail to the Yucca Cave observation deck is accessed through a gap in the railing that comes just before the middle overlook. The path traverses a lot of uneven rocks and is fairly steep. Blue-painted footprints along the trail show visitors which way to go.
Path leading to the observation deck for Yucca Cave at the Massacre Cave Overlook on North Rim Drive, Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Path leading to the observation deck for Yucca Cave at the Massacre Cave Overlook on North Rim Drive, Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Yucca Cave was occupied between the late 500s and the early 900s, spanning the Ancestral Puebloan Basketmaker III period (500-750 AD) and the Pueblo I (750-900 AD) period. The larger cave on the right contains the ruins of at least four rooms and one kiva (round structure, typically below ground, used for ceremonies). Another small structure that is thought to have been for food storage is tucked into a pocket to the left of Yucca Cave. The other large cave between the two is empty.
Ruins of a former dwelling inside Yucca Cave as seen from an observation deck at the Massacre Cave Overlook on North Rim Road, Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Possible food storage structure next to Yucca Cave at Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Previous Stop | North Rim Drive Home Page
With a few exceptions, use of any photograph on the National Park Planner website requires a paid Royalty Free Editorial Use License or Commercial Use License. See the Photo Usage page for details.
Last updated on March 16, 2026
