View of Canyon de Chelly from the Face Rock Overlook on South Rim Drive, Canyon de Chelly National Monument

SOUTH RIM DRIVE

STOP 6: FACE ROCK OVERLOOK

The sixth stop on the South Rim Drive at Canyon de Chelly National Monument (pronounced de Shay) is Face Rock Overlook. Both it and the Spider Rock Overlook, the last stop on the scenic drive, are located on Spider Rock Road. The turn comes just before the South Rim Drive pavement ends and the road turns to dirt. Face Rock Overlook is located 3.6 miles after the turn. There is a small pull-off along the road for parking, and a short, wheelchair accessible path leads to the overlook.

Path leading to the Face Rock Overlook on South Rim Drive at Canyon de Chelly National Monument

Panoramic view from the Face Rock Overlook on South Rim Drive, Canyon de Chelly National Monument (click to enlarge)

Face Rock gets its name from the face-like shadow it casts across the canyon wall in the evening as the sun is going down. It is also called Talking Rock by the Navajo, and it plays a central role in stories told to children to keep them from misbehaving. Talking Rock reports naughty children to Spider Woman, who lives atop Spider Rock. As punishment, Spider Woman will come and snatch the children away and take them back to her lair to eat them. It’s your typical scary tale to make sure kids behave.

Ironically, there is no good view of Face Rock from the overlook that bears its name. A larger rock formation to the right of the overlook blocks the view. The side of Face Rock and the top of its spire can be seen, but the face-like shadow is cast on the other side.

View towards Face Rock from the Face Rock Overlook on South Rim Drive, Canyon de Chelly National Monument

You could walk off the overlook to the right and follow the canon rim for a quarter mile to the top of the rock blocking the view, but for those who want to put in less effort, just drive a mile farther down the road to the Spider Rock Overlook. There is a great view of Face Rock and its shadow from there. The photo below with no shadow was taken at 3 PM in early October. The photo with the shadow was taken the same day but at 7 PM.

View of Face Rock from the Spider Rock Overlook on South Rim Drive, Canyon de Chelly National Monument

View from the Spider Rock Overlook of Face Rock casting its face-like shadow, Canyon de Chelly National Monument

There are three unnamed ruins of former Ancestral Puebloan housing complexes visible from the Face Rock Overlook. Spotting the ruins with the naked eye is hard, so there is a metal viewfinder with tubes on top that helps visitors locate them (one points towards ruins that really are only visible from the Spider Rock Overlook). The tubes have no magnification, but at least they point your eyes in the right direction.

Viewfinder at the Face Rock Overlook on South Rim Drive, Canyon de Chelly National Monument

Location of Ancestral Puebloan ruins seen from the Face Rock Overlook at Canyon de Chelly National Monument

Single structure pueblo seen from the Face Rock Overlook at Canyon de Chelly National Monument

Ruins of an Ancestral Puebloan housing complex seen from the Face Rock Overlook at Canyon de Chelly National Monument

Location of Ancestral Puebloan ruins seen from the Face Rock Overlook at Canyon de Chelly National Monument

Ruins of an Ancestral Puebloan housing complex seen from the Face Rock Overlook at Canyon de Chelly National Monument

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