Arizona Hiking Archives ·

Looking to visit the Anasazi White House ruins or do a Canyon de Chelly tour? Canyon de Chelly is one of those Arizona travel destinations that showcases ancient and current Native American heritage. The Navajo people live in and around Canyon de Chelly and the area is considered sacred, especially the White House Ruins.

About 70 families live in and around Canyon de Chelly. The land is owned by the Najavo Nation who leases the land to the occupants at a rate of $65 for a 65 year lease. Located entirely in the State of Arizona, Canyon de Chelly was named a National Monument on April 1, 1931. Once you arrive to the Canyon de Chelly National Monument park you’ll find a Visitor’s Center to help with any questions.

Canyon de Chelly Hiking

If you want to do some hiking on your trip to the canyon I would recommend the White House Ruins trail. It’s a 2.7 mile out and back trail that takes you down into the canyon and heads you out to the ancient White House ruins. The White House Ruins trail takes 2 hours and should be considered easy to moderate. Most of the trail is very flat and easy for beginners.

If you plan to go hiking I would recommend this book, it also has information on the Petrified Forest, Monument Valley and Antelope Canyon which are all stops I’d recommend adding to your trip.

How far is Monument Valley from Canyon de Chelly? 99 miles – 1 hour 51 minutes to the north

How far is the Petrified Forest from Canyon de Chelly? 99 miles – 1 hour 35 minutes to the south

How to Pronounce Canyon de Chelly

According to Wikipedia the name Canyon de Chelly comes from:

The name chelly (or Chelley) is a Spanish borrowing of the Navajo word Tséyiʼ, which means “canyon” (literally “inside the rock” < tsé“rock” + -yiʼ “inside of, within”). The Navajo pronunciation is IPA: [tséɣiʔ]. The Spanish pronunciation of de Chelly [deˈtʃeʎi] was adapted into English, apparently through modelling after a French-like spelling pronunciation, and is now pronounced /dəˈʃeɪ/ (də·shā′).

There are many scenic outlooks for photography around the rim of the canyon:

One of the more popular things at Canyon de Chelly is the White House Ruins. Nestled into the edge of the lower canyon with a southern exposure is a set of Indian ruins named the White House Ruins. This is the only trail you can go without a Navajo escort. The reason they call it the White House is because of the white colored plaster/paint that was used on the house. White House Ruins stands out above lower ruins in a sandstone cave in Canyon De Chelly National Monument. These ruins were built by the Anasazi people. Anasazi is Navajo for “the ancient ones.”

Here is a video of the Anasazi White House Ruins from the outlook above:

Canyon de Chelly Tours

Based on rules established by the Navajo Nation, all guides must be Navajo and most probably reside in the canyon area. We did a jeep tour that was offered by Beauty Way Jeep Tours. Leandro was our tour guide and grew up in the canyon and has been giving tours since the age of 14. We did a 3-hour jeep tour and learned a lot about the canyon and the Anasazi people.

Beauty Way was also the on-location tour guides for the cast and crew of the 2013 Lone Ranger movie starring Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp. Doing a tour is the only way to see most of the canyon due to the restrictions in place by the Navajo Nation.

Hotels in Chinle, AZ and near Canyon de Chelly

I’d recommend getting a room at the Holiday Inn located in Chinle. We’ve stayed there, and it was a nicer facility than we were expecting. The hotel has dining and an exercise room on-site. The hotel is clean and the staff were friendly and helpful. If we’re in the area again we’d definitely stay at the Holiday Inn in Chinle again.

Getting to Canyon de Chelly and Chinle, AZ from Phoenix

From Phoenix, drive north northeast and expect the drive to take just under 5 hours with no stops. Canyon de Chelly is definitely worth the trip. You can also plan side trips to Monument Valley and the Petrified Forest.

How to Contact & Find Canyon de Chelly

GPS Coordinates:

Lat: 36.15528
Lon: -109.50833
Elev: Unknown

Contact

Canyon De Chelly National Monument website
Recreation Area Map

Canyon de Chelly National Monument
P.O. Box 588
3 miles E of HWY 191 on Rt 7
Chinle, AZ 86503

(928)674-5500
(928)674-5507 FAX

Email the park

We recently hiked the Woodchute Trail for the 2nd time in our brief Arizona Hiking careers. After getting married in Hawaii in October of 2008 we decided on the plane ride back that we should experience more in the Arizona Outdoors than we had in the previous years that we both have lived in Arizona. We purchased two books and after a decent search we settled on the Woodchute Trail near Jerome. I can tell you that the 2nd go around was much easier than the first. I assume that’s because we were out of shape and we also knew what to expect from the trail. The first time we went in November and this go-around was at the end of April. Timing for the 2nd time we hiked because we found some snow and also some squishy goings toward the summit of the hike.

Here is a great description of the hike:

The Woodchute Trail cuts across the Woodchute Wilderness, taking you to the top of Woodchute Mountain, a mesa overlooking Jerome and the Verde Valley. Along the way, you’ll be treated with far reaching views of most of Central Arizona. Park at the new trailhead constructed near Potato Patch Campground. (You can drive back to the original trailhead, about 1/2 mile up FR-106. This section of road is very rough in spots, it is recommended for high-clearance vehicles only.) Begin walking along FR-106, passing through a gate into a small camping area. Beyond the camping area, you will come to Powerline Tank Wildlife Area, an enclosed meadow and watering tank. An interpretive sign is placed next to the tank explaining the purpose of the area.
The road here forks in several places, keep to the right and shortly you will come to the original trailhead. From here, the trail enters the Woodchute Wilderness, and begins to climb gently through the forest around a steep-sided hill. As it passes around to the north side of the hill, highway 89-A will come into view, and for a while, the sounds of the forest will be occasionally drowned out by the roar of traffic. Eventually you’ll pass out of range of the road noise, meanwhile, the views along this section are worth putting up with the highway for awhile.

The first of several saddles will be reached offering great views of the Verde Valley and the San Francisco Peaks to the north. To the south are views of Prescott Valley and Granite Mountain. A short steeper climb will bring you to a higher saddle just east of a small peak, which the trail bypasses to the south. There is a side trail to the right that will take you to the top of the peak. It is well worth the short climb to see the views from there. Beyond the peak, the trail drops to another saddle then begins to travel downhill to the back of a canyon sandwiched by Woodchute Mountain and a smaller mesa. At the back of the canyon the trail crosses a dry creek bed inhabitated by swarms of butterflies. From here a short distance will bring you to Woodchute Tank. This tank was built by a bulldozer, which was also used to build the first part of the trail itself. A side trail passes through a fence and follows along the tank, the main trail stays to the right.
Beyond the tank, the trail begins to climb through the meadows along the side of Woodchute Mountain, giving nice views of a small valley cradled by the surrounding mesas. A large alligator juniper signals the top of the mesa. After topping out on the mesa, the trail continues through alternating forest and meadows and after about 1/2 mile, reaches a fork in the trail. The right fork leads to the mesa’s edge and great views of Cottonwood, Jerome, Sycamore Canyon, the Sedona area and beyond.

Thanks to Hike Arizona for the review.

Driving Directions to Woodchute Trail:

Directions to trail: Take highway 89-A south from Cottonwood, or north from Prescott, to the turnoff for Potato Patch Campground at Mingus Pass (where the highway tops out). Turn west, after .3 miles turn left onto FR-106. Park at the south trailhead here, or open the gate and drive 1/2 mile (high-clearance only) back to the original trailhead.

Access and trailhead location: The best access to this trail is from Hwy. 89A. Go to the Potato Patch Campground just east of the summit on 89A. Then take FR 106 west for 0.3 miles to the power line. The trailhead is just under the power line. FR 106 is suitable for high clearance vehicles in fair weather. This road is not maintained. This trailhead is scheduled to be moved closer to the Potato Patch Campground. Alternate access from the Chino area is by way of FR 354 to just south of Perkinsville. Take FR 318 south from there, then west on FR 318A for 1.3 miles to the north trailhead. Access from Jerome is also by way of FR 318 around the north side of Woodchute Mountain.

Travel time: 1 hour from Chino Valley. Road condition: Paved, then dirt on FR 106

Arizona Hiking

White House Ruins, Canyon de Chelly – Chinle, AZ