This region was historically occupied by Ancestral Puebloan people (better known as Anasazi) and is now part of the Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Chacoan people were superb engineers, builders, and sky watchers, but there’s no known written language, and the way of life in these settlements remains an archaeological mystery. Now, I was regretting that decision as I bounced along the dirt road feeling like I was the backseat of a jeep in rural India. Sometimes, the most amazing places are the hardest to reach. Visitor Center . Well, if you are too — you now have been warned. Check the weather, and call the visitors center (505-786-7014) for route recommendations before your trip.
Easy to book tours in New Mexico. The ancient inhabitants of Chaco Canyon adopted and developed a sophisticated method of irrigation collecting and managing runoff water from the cliffs into dams, canals, and terraces. I had heard that the lower tour was better so we decided to do the lower tour. Chaco traded for turquoise and shells which came from hundreds of miles away, imported macaws and drank cacao from Central America. (Betty is my Kia Spectra and faithful travel companion.) All backcountry trails require a backcountry permit, which can be found at the entrance of each trailhead. The Chacoan culture began to flourish in the canyon in the mid-800s with continual habitation and building lasting for another 300 years. Hotels near Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Nageezi on Tripadvisor: Find 4,313 traveler reviews, 867 candid photos, and prices for 27 hotels near Chaco Culture National Historical Park in Nageezi, NM. As an International Dark Sky Park, the star gazing from Chaco Canyon is world-class making for an exceptional location for camping. Fees/Camping: $16 per vehicle for 7-day pass; camping is $15 per site and must be reserved in advance.
Visit the ancestral homeland of the Navajo & Pueblo people and see rock art dated from 500 A.D.-1750 A.D at Crow Canyon Dinétah. NPS Photo. Trust me, after hiking in the hot sun for over 3 hours and driving all day through California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona it is worth staying in a comfortable hotel. The further you hike the happier you will be. To my surprise, I ran into another Navajo friend I hadn’t seen in years. They lack big kivas and enclosed plazas are rare. Chaco Canyon is a famous archaeological area in the American Southwest.
Our tour at Antelope Canyon was about an hour. Next time around we will be visiting, Canyon de Chelly Chaco Canyon and the Anasazi Indian Ruins in Colorado, Aztec and Flagstaff area. These items were buried with high status people. National organizations like the Smithsonian Institution, the American Museum of Natural History and the National Geographic Society have all sponsored excavations in the Chaco region. Stop 16 has a T-shaped door, Stop 18 a corner door high up. Bring food and water – Even for a day trip, bring food and water – no services are available in the park. I heard there is a shuttle, but we didn’t have time to research, so we paid the $10 to park. Easy terrain, but no shade. The wooden beams used in the houses came from the Zuni Mountains (50 miles south) and Chuska Mountains (50 miles west). All trails are self-guided, with park brochures and some information located outside the visitor center entrance. It might not look like much, as it is unrestored, stone walls crumbling. Be prepared. Fees/Camping: $16 per vehicle for 7-day pass; camping is $15 per site and must be reserved in advance.
The Four-Corners Monument is pretty small, but it does have local Navajo vendors selling artwork and memorabilia. The roof is supported by four masonry columns, walls are painted red and white (colors re-created from plaster fragments found in the excavation), firebox in the center. Construction started in 850 AD, and continued for the next 200+ years.
Our tour guide happened to be a Navajo woman who I found out is related to me through our Navajo clan system. The remote location of Chaco Canyon adds to the beauty and adventure of visiting this National Park.
In the wall are niches, perhaps used for offerings or sacred objects. This trip, I decided to visit a few Navajo Nation landmark places that I, as a tribal member have never visit — at all. Visit https://www.nps.gov/chcu/index.htm for updates. All I will say is please BE CAREFUL the sandstone can crumble at anytime. Pueblo Bonito is the largest and one of the oldest great houses – it was “the center of the Chaco world.”. Is it a good idea to drill for oil and gas next to Machu Picchu? Both roads can be a mess after rain. The Glen Canyon Dam has a dark history with the Navajo people. Short doorways are the perfect size for kids to go through, adults will have to bend over. I was clearly in the right place! A primary reason to visit Aztec is the restored great kiva, 70 ft in diameter, 16 ft tall. Check it out if you have time, we didn’t, but we will next time around. This Site All NPS I was one day into a three-week cross-country road trip. Search. Corn was a staple for the Chacoans, along with squash and beans, cotton for cloth, cultivated by farmers in villages, some miles away. My fingers tightened on the steering wheel as the gravel faded into a washboard dirt road. Even if you see bits of pottery on the ground, don’t pick them up – these are protected artifacts. Chaco Canyon is a deep and dry canyon that runs in the San Juan Basin of northwestern New Mexico. This is part of a straight road that connected Chetro Ketl with another great house on the cliff, Pueblo Alto. going to Chaco Culture NHP. Some of the most famous sites of Chaco Canyon are Pueblo Bonito, Peñasco Blanco, Pueblo del Arroyo, Pueblo Alto, Una Vida, and Chetro Kelt. Visitor Center – Stop in the Visitor Center to pick up maps and explanatory booklets about Chaco sites. The buildings in the canyon are believed to be “public architecture” that were used periodically be the people for times of ceremony and commerce when temporary populations arrived in the canyon. The weather is best in the spring and fall (Sept. – Oct.). If a Mustang could drive this road, then so could Betty! Plan your upcoming visit to Chaco Canyon. If rain, snow or thunderstorms are in the forecast simply call the visitor center or visit their website for road conditions and park closures. The construction of the main great house sites like Pueblo Bonito, Peñasco Blanco, and Chetro Ketl occurred between AD 850 and 1150 (Pueblo periods II and III).
Around 850 AD, the Anasazi began constructing huge stone building complexes in Chaco Canyon. In time, the people moved away from the area and culture to reinvent themselves. On the way, we stopped in Shiprock, New Mexico where I grew up and went to high school. Camping overnight is available. (I’m starting to feel like - I’m home) All the tour guides at Antelope Canyon are filled with so much information about the canyon; the culture, the history, details to the canyon, etc… trust me, you’ll enjoy the tour. Archaeologists have discovered straight roads running through the desert, extending from Chaco Canyon hundreds of miles into Colorado and Utah. If you’re coming from Colorado, you can go through Durango, down to Farmington, and on to Chaco Canyon. It’s quite hot in summer, and even with short walks to the ruins, you don’t want to get dehydrated. Visitors not accustomed to traveling on dirt roads need not worry, note the posted speed limits and keep in mind that the destination is well worth the 13 miles of dirt road. Today, Hopi, Navajo, and other Pueblo Native Americans trace their spiritual and cultural history to Chaco. In the next Travel Tuesday Interview, I talk with entrepreneur Michael Lythcott about the pros and cons of working remotely from the far corners of the world! The woman there (forgot her name) is very sweet. Before going out to ruins, stop into the Museum at the Visitor Center, to see exhibits with artifacts excavated from the ruins – black and white mugs, canteen, bowls, vases with geometric designs, bone tools, stone knives, an original ladder, plus a model of the ruins. The main entrance into the park is from US Highway 550. Without wheeled carts or domesticated animals, the Chacoans transported massive amounts of rock and dirt to raise the central plaza 12 ft higher than the natural landscape.
Oh yeah, forgot to mention there are two types of tours; lower and upper.