Canyon de Chelly National Monument Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Canyon de Chelly, 1904, by Edward S. Curtis
Canyon de Chelly National Monument Location in Arizona Show map of Arizona Canyon de Chelly National Monument Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Apache County, Arizona
Nearest city	Chinle
Area	83,840 acres (339.3 km²)
Created	April 1, 1931 (1931-April-01)
Visitors	439,306 (in 2018)
Governing body	Bureau of Indian Affairs
Website	Canyon de Chelly National Monument



U.S. National Register of Historic Places

NRHP reference No.	70000066
Added to NRHP	August 25, 1970


U.S. National Monument

Canyon de Chelly National Monument was created on April 1, 1931. It is part of the National Park Service. This special place is in northeastern Arizona, inside the Navajo Nation lands. It's also in the Four Corners region.

Canyon de Chelly shows one of the longest times people have lived in North America. It protects old ruins from tribes like the Ancestral Puebloans (also called Anasazi) and the Navajo. The monument is very large, covering about 83,840 acres (339.3 km²). It includes three main canyons: de Chelly, del Muerto, and Monument. Streams from the Chuska Mountains carved these canyons. The land here is not owned by the government. Canyon de Chelly is one of the most visited national monuments in the United States.

What's in a Name?
A Look Back in Time
Exploring the Canyon
Weather in the Canyon
Images for kids
See also

What's in a Name?

The name Chelly comes from a Spanish word. The Spanish got it from the Navajo word Tséyiʼ. This Navajo word means "rock canyon" or "inside the rock." The way we say "de Chelly" in English sounds a bit like French.

A Look Back in Time

Canyon de Chelly has a long history. It is believed that the Hopi Indians lived there from around 1300 to the early 1700s. Then, the Navajo people moved into the canyon from northern New Mexico. Since then, it has been a home for the Navajo people.

In 1805, forces led by Lt. Antonio Narbona entered the canyon. Later, in 1863, Col. Kit Carson sent troops through the canyon. They destroyed Navajo homes and farms. This made many Navajo people feel hopeless. They eventually surrendered and were moved to Bosque Redondo in New Mexico.

Exploring the Canyon

The Navajo Tribal Trust of the Navajo Nation owns all of Canyon de Chelly. It is the only National Park Service area that is owned and managed this way. About 40 Navajo families still live inside the park.

Visitors can only go down into the canyon floor with a park ranger or a special Navajo guide. The only path where you could go alone was the White House Ruin Trail, but it has been closed since March 2020.

Spider Rock

One very famous rock formation in the park is Spider Rock. It is a tall sandstone spire that rises 750 feet (229 meters) from the canyon floor. You can see Spider Rock from the South Rim Drive. The Navajo people believe that the taller of the two spires is the home of Spider Grandmother, a very important figure in their stories.

Most visitors drive along the North Rim Drive and South Rim Drive to see the canyon from above. You can see ancient ruins and cool rock shapes from viewpoints along these roads. Deep inside the park is Mummy Cave, which has buildings from different times in history.

Navajo companies offer tours into the canyon. You can explore by horseback, hiking, or in a four-wheel drive vehicle. You can contact these companies directly to arrange a tour. There is no fee to enter the park itself, but tours will have their own costs.

Places to stay for visitors are located near the canyon, on the road leading to Chinle, which is the closest town. The National Monument was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 25, 1970.

Weather in the Canyon

Canyon de Chelly has a cold semi-arid climate. This means it gets some rain, but it's generally dry and can have cold winters. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Canyon de Chelly was 105 °F (41 °C). This happened on July 2, 2002, July 14, 2003, and June 21, 2016. The coldest temperature recorded was -32 °F (-36 °C) on January 2, 1919.