April 9, 2010
Canyon de Chelly is a place I've always wanted to see. Ansel Adams took many famous photos of the area in the 1930s and 1940s. These photos of cliff-side ruins are spectacular. Today, however, you drive a road on either side of the canyon with turn-out viewing spots that rise in elevation from 300 feet to a thousand. There is only one ruin that is accessible to the public and it requires a two-hour hike into the canyon where you can see it from the other side of a chain-link fence. Despite the fence, it was the highlight of our visit.
Canyon de Chelley is a National Monument and it is managed jointly by the U.S. Park Service and the Navajo Nation. Native guides run trips into the canyon but mostly the land is still worked for farming. At each viewing spot, native vendors sold jewelry, painted stones and other souvenirs. They didn't seem to be doing much business. We had to patiently explain that we couldn't fit anything else into our van but really the stuff was pretty bad. By the time we got to the end of a long-day of viewing, I really wished that just one of these kids was selling coffee instead of tchotchkes.
Photos
E.
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Hi Ellen & Steve, Canyon de Chelley was one of the great stops my sister Laura and I made 2 years ago in late August. We took a wild jeep ride into the canyon and thoroughly enjoyed the roaming horses and the squash gardens alongside the petroglyphs and cliff faces. We also drove part of the rim on our way to the 4 corners area via Indian Route 13 — pretty scary but beautiful — and on to Mesa Verde. I sincerely hope that Mesa Verde is on your list. THAT was a fabulous place to spend a few days and should not be missed. Also, if you have a chance, the Hubble Trading Post is a true gem. The prices are good and the Native American goods are spectacular as is the Post itself.
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