View of the White House ruins from the White House Overlook on South Rim Drive, Canyon de Chelly National Monument
SOUTH RIM DRIVE
STOP 4: WHITE HOUSE OVERLOOK
The fourth stop on the South Rim Drive at Canyon de Chelly National Monument (pronounced de Shay) is White House Overlook. There are great views of the canyon from here plus a view of the ruins of an Ancestral Puebloan housing complex, the White House. The overlook has a large looped parking lot and a fancy outhouse—what Jed Clampett would call a portable toilet in a permanent building.
View of Canyon de Chelly from the White House Overlook on South Rim Drive, Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Panoramic view of Canyon de Chelly from the White House Overlook on South Rim Drive, Canyon de Chelly National Monument
A concrete path on the northeastern side of the parking lot leads to three connected viewpoints a hundred yards ahead. The path splits two-thirds of the way down, with a wheelchair accessible viewpoint to the right. The other two viewpoints are on sandstone atop the canyon plateau and are not wheelchair accessible.
Paved paths leading to the White House Overlook on South Rim Drive, Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Non-wheelchair accessible viewpoint at the White House Overlook on South Rim Drive, Canyon de Chelly National Monument
The White House archeological site is visible from all three viewpoints. It is one of the larger Ancestral Puebloan housing complexes in the canyon with almost 80 rooms. The ruins are split between two levels, one on the canyon floor and another 50 feet above it in a small cave. Tree-ring dating of the roof logs from the buildings indicate that this site was inhabited between 1040 AD and 1275 AD, at which time the people began leaving the area, most likely due to drought.
View of the White House ruins from White House Overlook on the South Rim Drive, Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Visitors to the park can also view the ruins from the canyon floor by hiking the 1.25-mile White House Trail (2.5 miles, round trip) that begins at the overlook. Hiking the trail is the only way for non-Navajo people to access the bottom of Canyon de Chelly without an authorized Navajo guide or permit.
White Rim Trail at Canyon de Chelly National Monument
View of the White House archeological site from the floor of Canyon de Chelly, Canyon de Chelly National Monument
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Last updated on March 17, 2026
