View of Mummy Cave from Mummy Cave Overlook on Canyon de Chelly National Monument’s North Rim Drive

NORTH RIM DRIVE

STOP 2: MUMMY 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. Take a right to get to Mummy Cave. Stay straight / left for Massacre 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.

A path on the east side of the parking lot leads down to the overlook. This is one of the few overlooks in the park that is not wheelchair accessible. There are stairs on the paved section, and the overlook itself is on rough and uneven rocks.

Path leading to Mummy Cave Overlook on the North Rim Drive at Canyon de Chelly National Monument

In 1882, an archeological expedition of the canyon was led by Colonel James Stevenson, an executive officer with the United States Geological Survey. Stevenson was exploring the area for the Smithsonian Institute when he found two mummies in the ruins of a housing complex inside one of the caves. He subsequently named the archeological site Mummy Cave and the canyon itself, Canyon de los Muertos—the canyon of the dead. The name has since be shortened to Canyon del Muerto. A large collection of materials he gathered in the Southwest is currently housed at the Smithsonian Museum.

Mummy Cave is the largest archeological site within Canyon de Chelly National Monument. From the overlook, it lies to the northeast and consists of two adjacent caves several hundred feet above the canyon floor. The housing complex inside the eastern cave includes fifty rooms and three kivas (round rooms, usually underground, used for ceremonies). The western cave contains twenty rooms. Some of the original plaster used on the inner and outer walls still remains. Archaeologists uncovered evidence of continuous habitation at the site from 300 to 1300 AD, at which time the people began leaving the area, most likely due to drought.

Eastern cave of the Mummy Cave complex, Canyon de Chelly National Monument

Western cave of the Mummy Cave complex, Canyon de Chelly National Monument

A structure with seven rooms and a three-story tower sits on a ledge between the two caves. Tree-ring dating techniques were applied to the wooden beams used in the building’s construction, revealing that it was built around 1284 AD. This was long after the structures inside the caves were built and not too many years before people starting leaving the area.

View of the middle tower ruins from Mummy Cave Overlook on the North Rim Drive at Canyon de Chelly National Monument

In addition to seeing the archeological site, the Mummy Cave Overlook offers great views into Canyon del Muerto.

View of Canyon del Muerto from the Mummy Cave Overlook on Canyon de Chelly National Monument’s North Rim Drive

On the canyon floor near Mummy Cave are two traditional Navajo dwellings, an octagonal-shaped hogan and a summer shelter. Hogans are typically made with timber walls and a roof covered with packed earth, though the one now standing is a modern version. A summer shelter is a temporary, open-sided structure used for shade and ventilation during hot weather. It is constructed from vertical wooden poles and features a flat roof. The walls and roof are covered with brush or branches.

Traditional Navajo dwellings on the canyon floor near Mummy Cave, Canyon de Chelly National Monument

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