🏜️ Canyon de Chelly National Monument
One of the most striking—and often overlooked—places in Arizona. Unlike most national parks, this canyon is still home to Navajo families, which gives it a completely different feel from places like the Grand Canyon.
🌄 Why it’s special
- Sheer sandstone cliffs rising 1,000+ feet
- Ancient cliff dwellings built by the Ancestral Puebloans
- Continuously inhabited for thousands of years
- Managed jointly by the National Park Service and the Navajo Nation
📍 Must-see viewpoints (no guide needed)
🌅 South Rim Drive (best overall)
- Spider Rock Overlook
- The iconic view: a dramatic 800-ft sandstone spire rising from the canyon floor
- Best at sunrise or sunset
- White House Overlook Trail.
- View of famous cliff dwellings
- Great hike down into the valley
The trail leads to the White House ruins.
There is also a North Rim drive which we didn’t have time to do.