Navajo National Monument

On our way out of Colorado we stayed at Navajo National Monument to do some hikes and check out the area. This monument is in the northwest portion of the Navajo Nation territory in northern Arizona and was established to preserve three well-preserved cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Puebloan people: Keet Seel (Broken Pottery) (Kitsʼiil), Betatakin (Ledge House) (Bitátʼahkin), and Inscription House (Tsʼah Biiʼ Kin). The monument is high on the Shonto plateau, overlooking the Tsegi Canyon system, west of Kayenta, Arizona. 

Cliff Dwellers relished here for five decades around 1250 to 1300 and then began to move away. As the ancient dwellings of the Southwest were rediscovered in the late 1800s, they suffered looting and damage. The Antiquities Act of 1906 allows US Presidents to proclaim national monuments protecting natural and cultural treasures and in 1909, Navajo National Monument was established to incorporate the dwellings.

The campgrounds in the monument are free and there was hardly anyone there on the weekdays we visited. There is nowhere to boondock on the Navajo Reservation so I imagine this place gets a lot of one night stopovers. All the hikes we did right from our spot. You can take guided hikes into two of the cliff dwellings on limited days. In fact, the Keet Seel tours just started in September. That one is a strenuous 17 mile hike that requires overnight camping down on the canyon floor and would be amazing. We did three shorter hikes to check out the area.

First we hiked the 1.3 mile Sandal Trail that takes you down to an overlook of the Betatakin village in a giant sandstone arch. Water carved the canyon over millions of years exposing rock layers of red Navajo Sandstone. Betatakin means “House Built on a Ledge” in Navajo, and indeed, it was. The Betatakin housed 100 to 125 people and archeologists have documented 135 rooms. You can take a guided tour to the ruins a couple times a week but not when we were there. This is high desert and the monument is at 7300′ so be prepared to huff and puff if you aren’t used to elevation.

Next, the short Aspen Trail was a .8 mile hike that dropped 300′ down into the canyon for a great overlook of a relic forest of aspen. The trail is steep stairs in a few places and on the hot day we hiked it, the shade in the canyon was welcomed after the wide open path of the Sandal Trail. This is rugged compared to the paved Sandal Trail so wear good hiking shoes.

Last of all, we hiked out and back on the Canyon View Trail. This trail leads to a view from the head of the Betatakin Canyon and links the two campgrounds. The canyon is home to the Mexican spotted owl and I would have LOVED to see one, but nope.

Overall, this place is definitely worth checking out at least one day to do the shorter hikes, or multiple days if you’re going on one of the guided hikes. For those, you have to call ahead to get the schedule.