Navajo National Monument

Three spectacular prehistoric cliff dwellings, last occupied about 700 years ago, lie within scenic canyons. The ancestral Puebloan people who once lived here probably have descendants in present-day Hopi villages. Navajo families later settled in the area and named the canyons and ruins. Of the three sites, Betatakin is the most accessible; you can see it from a viewpoint near the visitors center or join a ranger-led hike into the dwelling.

Keet Seel, a 16-mile round-trip hike to the northeast, is the largest and best-preserved cliff dwelling in Arizona. Inscription House, to the west, is the smallest of the three ruins and is closed to the public.

You can reach the monument’s headquarters and visitors center by following U.S. Highway 160 northeast 52 miles from Tuba City—or southwest 22 miles from Kayenta—then turning north 9 miles on Highway 564 at Black Mesa Junction. Tsegi Overlook, on the right just after you enter the monument, provides a fine introduction to the canyon country here.

Visitors Center

The ancestral Puebloan people left many questions behind when they abandoned this area. You can learn what is known about these people and ponder the mysteries at the visitors center (HC 71, Box 3, Tonalea, AZ 86044-9704, 928/672-2700, www.nps.gov/nava, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. daily, possibly extended in summer; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day). Exhibits of prehistoric pottery and other artifacts attempt to piece together what life was like for the early peoples. An excellent 25-minute video on the Hisatsinom (“people of long ago,” the Hopi name for ancestral Puebloan people) and a 20-minute Betatakin tour video are shown on request. Rangers answer questions and sell books and maps. A bulletin board lists campfire programs and ranger-led walks. Navajo often demonstrate their arts and crafts in or near the visitors center. A gift shop offers Navajo work. You can peek into an old-style Navajo forked-stick hogan and see a sweathouse and wagon behind the visitors center. There’s a picnic area across the parking area. Mosquitoes can be pesky at times—campers and hikers should have some repellent handy.

The easy, paved Sandal Trail begins behind the visitors center and winds through a piñon-juniper woodland to Betatakin Point Overlook, which has a good view of the ruins across the canyon. The trail is one mile round-trip and drops 160 feet to the viewpoint. Signs along the way identify native plants and describe how Native Americans used them.

Aspen Trail branches off to the left 400 feet down Sandal Trail, then drops 300 feet with some steps into the head of Betatakin Canyon, .8 miles round-trip. The trail offers pretty scenery along the way and a view of the quaking aspen, Douglas fir, water birch, and red-osier dogwood trees on the canyon floor below; there’s no ruin view or access from this trail.

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Visiting Betatakin

Betatakin—Navajo for Ledge House—lies tucked in a natural alcove that measures 452 feet high, 370 feet across, and 135 feet deep. It contains 135 rooms and one kiva. Inhabitants built and abandoned the entire village within two generations, between a.d. 1260 and 1300.

You may hike here only with rangers, who lead daily four-hour tours in summer and occasionally off-season. Groups are limited to 25 people, first come, first served. Starting at the trailhead, one mile from the visitors center, the five-mile round-trip trail is primitive and drops 700 feet, then winds up a canyon to the cliff dwelling. Rangers warn of rock-fall danger in the alcove, so some visitors prefer to view the pueblo from outside. Thin air—the trailhead elevation is 7,300 feet—can make the hike very tiring. People with heart, respiratory, or mobility problems shouldn’t attempt it.

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Visiting Keet Seel

This isolated cliff dwelling is one of the best preserved in the Southwest. Keet Seel—Navajo for Broken Pottery—has 160 rooms and four kivas. The ruins look as though they were abandoned just a few years back, not seven long centuries ago. The site, 16 miles round-trip by trail, is open in summer. A permit is required, and there’s a limit of 20 people per day. Visitors should make reservations two months ahead, though last-minute spots may be available. To pick up your permit, you must attend a scheduled trail orientation the afternoon before (recommended so that you can get an early start the next day) or in the morning. Remember that you’re in Daylight Savings Time territory.

The trail descends 1,000 feet from Tsegi Point to the canyon bottom, travels downstream a short distance, then heads upstream into Keet Seel Canyon with a 400-foot elevation gain. You may have to do some wading. Carry water, as livestock pollute the streams. Visitors can enter the site only with a ranger, who is stationed nearby. There’s a primitive campground (free, one-night limit) near Keet Seel; spring water, which needs treating, may be available. Strong hikers can do the round-trip in a day, though spending a night here makes for an easier, more relaxing visit. Ask for the Keet Seel Hiking Information sheet.

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Campgrounds and Services

The free Sunset View Campground lies near the visitors center in a piñon-juniper woodland; you can stay year-round but water is on only from about mid-May to mid-October. Canyon View Campground, one mile away, offers views, tables, outhouses, and group reservation sites, but no water or pavement; it closes in winter. There’s nearly always room for campers; no reservations taken except for groups. Campfire programs may run in summer. Expect cold and likelihood of snow November–mid-March.

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KAYENTA

The “Gateway to Monument Valley” has a population of 7,549 in a bleak, windswept valley (elev. 5,660 feet). Its name is loosely derived from the Navajo word teehindeeh (bog hole), as there were once shallow lakes here. Kayenta makes a handy stop for travelers, with good motels, a basic RV park, several restaurants, and shopping.