Canyon de Chelly Backpack

Original Trip Description: (August 10-16, 1997)
With the exception of Grand Canyon, no gorge in Arizona, and possibly the whole colorful Colorado Plateau, is more uniquely beautiful than Canyon de Chelly. Currently pronounced d'shay, successive phonetic Spanish and English translations of the Native American word Tsegi have left us all calling this remarkable place Canyon Canyon. With its sheer red cliffs, innumerable cliff dwellings, verdant stream bottoms, and haunting prehistoric artworks; it has served as a home for the basketmaker culture, the Anasazi, and most recently the Navajo.
We will begin our backpack in an upper arm of Canyon del Muerto, follow this lengthy canyon to its confluence with the main arm of Canyon de Chelly, and then complete our backpack by hiking upstream to our last campsite near Spider Rock. The trip's focus will be pre-Navajo ruin sites, rock art, and rim to canyon-bottom hand and toe routes. A Navajo guide will accompany us to allow access to this normally off-limits world and aid us in interpreting the many things we will see along the way.
The trip is rated moderate to strenuous (M/S).
Originates @ Canyon de Chelly, AZ.

Indian Ladder

Trail Bypass

Trip Report:

We've organized two group trips to Canyon de Chelly. The trip reports can be found in our quarterly newsletters:

* September 24, 2000 (truck and trailer supported)
* August 10, 1997 (unsupported backpack)

About Our Guides:
A Navajo Guide is required by the National Park Service and the Navajo Nation. Both years we hiked from the upper arm of Canyon del Muerto to the upper arms of Canyon de Chelly, using the Pine Creek Trail to enter and the Bat Trail to leave. Never having been into Canyon de Chelly for an extended period of time, and never having worked with a native guide, we had some concerns in 1997 about how well this would work out. Our fears were totally unfounded.
Both of our guides were extremely knowledgeable about the Navajo's canyon home; they located historical sites and critical water sources with ease. Both had an ability to find the easiest and quickest route from one location to the next. When asked, both were willing to explore remote trails they had not used previously. Their inter-personal and group relationships were excellent. Their family contacts on the rim significantly reduced our carry weight on the backpack trip and expedited the vehicle shuttle on the second trip. Both guides ensured the safety of our vehicles by having them parked near the trailhead on a family members' property.
Guide availability changes from year to year so we would recommend contacting the National Park Service at Canyon de Chelly. Wilson Hunter recommended both guides to us and I'm certain he will be able to help you find a qualified guide.

Tex Carroll

Jerrold John

National Park Service Contact:

Wilson Hunter was our Backcountry Reservations contact at Canyon de Chelly National Monument for both trips. He can be reached by mail at Backcountry Reservations, Canyon de Chelly Nat'l Mon., PO Box 588, Chinle, AZ 86503, by phone at (520) 674-5500, or by FAX at (520) 674-5507. The staff at Canyon de Chelly National Monument sees most of the Navajo guides daily and can help you contact your guide quickly if he or she doesn't have a phone.