Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Native Americans have lived in this steep-walled red-rock canyon for nearly 5,000 years, and 800 years ago they built protected homes in caves at the bottom of the cliffs. The national monument is almost completely on Diné (Navajo) tribal lands so visitors must hire a Diné guide for all trails except the one leading down to the spectacular White House Ruins. (The canyon got its odd name because the Diné called the canyon Tséyi’, meaning “canyon,” and pronounced it “say-ee,” which morphed into “de Chelly,” pronounced “da-shay.”)
