Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
111
The fourth and last stop on the North Rim is the
Massacre Cave Overlook,
which
got its name after an 1805 Spanish military expedition killed more than 115 Navajo at
this site. The Navajo at the time had been raiding Spanish settlements that were
encroaching on their territory. Accounts of the battle at Massacre Cave differ. One ver-
sion claims there were only women, children, and old men taking shelter in the cave, but
the official Spanish records claim 90 warriors and 25 women and children were killed.
Also visible from this overlook is Yucca Cave, which was occupied about 1,000 years
ago.
The South Rim Drive
The South Rim Drive climbs slowly but steadily, and at each stop you're a little bit higher
above the canyon floor. Near the mouth of the canyon is the
Tunnel Overlook,
where a
short narrow canyon feeds into Chinle Wash, a wash formed by the streams that cut
through the canyons of the national monument.
Tsegi
is a Navajo word meaning “rock
canyon,” and at the nearby
Tsegi Overlook,
that's just what you'll see when you gaze
down from the viewpoint.
The next stop is the
Junction Overlook,
so named because it overlooks the junction
of Canyon del Muerto and Canyon de Chelly. Here you can see the Junction Ruin,
which has 10 rooms and a kiva. Ancestral Puebloans occupied this ruin during the Great
Pueblo Period, which lasted from around 1100 until shortly before 1300. First Ruin,
which is perched precariously on a long narrow ledge, is also visible. There are 22 rooms
and two kivas in this ruin. Good luck picking out the two canyons in this maze of curv-
ing cliff walls.
The third stop is
White House Overlook,
from which you can see the 80-room
White House Ruins, which are among the largest ruins in the canyon. These buildings
were inhabited between 1040 and 1275. From this overlook, you have your only oppor-
tunity to descend into Canyon de Chelly without a guide or ranger. The
White House
Ruins Trail
descends 600 feet to the canyon floor and crosses Chinle Wash before
reaching the White House Ruins. The buildings of this ruin were constructed both on
the canyon floor and 50 feet up the cliff wall in a small cave. Although you cannot enter
the ruins, you can get close enough to get a good look. Do not wander off this trail, and
please respect the privacy of the Navajo living here. The 2.5-mile round-trip hike takes
about 2 hours. Be sure to carry water.
Notice the black streaks on the sandstone walls above the White House Ruins. These
streaks, known as desert varnish, are formed by seeping water, which reacts with iron in
the sandstone (iron is what gives the walls their reddish hue). To create the canyon's many
petroglyphs, Ancestral Puebloan artists would chip away at the desert varnish. Later, the
Navajo used paints to create pictographs of animals and historical events, such as the
Spanish military expedition that killed 115 Navajo at Massacre Cave. Many of these
petroglyphs and pictographs can be seen if you take a guided tour into the canyon.
The fifth stop is
Sliding House Overlook.
These ruins were built on a narrow shelf
and appear to be sliding down into the canyon. Inhabited from about 900 until 1200,
Sliding House contained between 30 and 50 rooms. This overlook is already more than
700 feet above the canyon floor, with sheer walls giving the narrow canyon a very fore-
boding appearance.
On the last access road to the canyon rim, you'll come to the
Face Rock Overlook,
which provides yet another dizzying glimpse of the ever-deepening canyon. Here you
gaze 1,000 feet down to the bottom. However, it is the next stop—
Spider Rock Over-
look
6
—that offers the monument's most spectacular view. This viewpoint overlooks
