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 Navajo National Monument preserves three of the most-intact cliff dwellings of the ancestral puebloan people (Hisatsinom). The Navajo people who live here today call these ancient ones "Anasazi." The monument is high on the Shonto Plateau, overlooking the Tsegi Canyon system in the Navajo Nation in Northern Arizona.
The monument features a visitor center, two short self-guided mesa top trails, two small campgrounds, and picnic area. In the summer, rangers guide visitors on tours of the Keet Seel and Betatakin cliff dwellings. Tours are usually available during the winter, spring, and fall months as well.
The visitor center features museum exhibits about ancestral puebloan people (Hisatsinom), modern Navajo culture, and a 20-minute movie about the Betatakin cliff dwelling. Traditional demonstators show their crafts (rug and basket weaving, silversmithing, painting) during the summer months.
Behind the visitor center, two short trails take visitors to an overlook of the Betatakin (called Talastima by Hopi) cliff dwelling, and an overlook of a relict forest left over from the Ice Age. Signs along the trails identify native plants and how the Hopi and Navajos traditionally use them. A Navajo traditional hogan, sweat lodge, and 19th century wagon are
also located behind the visitor center.
Getting There:
Paved AZ Hwy 564 turns north off US-160 at Black Mesa, and leads to the visitor center.
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