General information about the National Monument
The National Monument protects the area around the three canyons, Canyon de Chelly, Canyon de Muerto and Monument Canyon. Among other things, there are several 1000-year-old dwellings that testify to the early settlement of the area.
Current: The White House Overlook and Trail will remain closed (August 2023). Information on when the trail will reopen can be found on the park's official website.
Number of visitors
Best time to visit: Spring and fall.
Our visits:
So far 1 visit: October 2011
Entrance fees and opening hours
- Free of charge
- Covered by the Anual Pass*
- Open 24h all year round.
*The Anual Pass is so to speak the "flat rate" for all Parks managed by the National Park Service. The pass costs a one-time fee of $80 and can be purchased at the entrance to each National Park, National Monument, etc. The pass is valid for 13 months.
Canyon de Chelly NM
Description: The National Monument is located on the territory of the Navajo Nation. There are numerous overlooks that offer beautiful views into the canyon. The only way to get into the canyon, without a guided tour, is via the White House Trail.
Trail length: 3.85mi roundtrip
Altitude difference: 492ft
Time needed: 2-3 hours
Difficulty level: easy - The trail is well developed and is therefore easy to walk. Only the elevation gain on the way back up briefly raises the pulse.
Our rating: A beautiful park with great and impressive viewpoints into several forks of the Canyon de Chelly. It is definitely worth a side trip. We also hiked the White House Trail down into the canyon during our visit in October 2011. We can recommend this trail to everyone, because even though you have to climb quite a bit, we found it to be not very difficult. You get from below again quite different perspectives offered and can better grasp the sheer size.
