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Photo of Spider Rock at Canyon de Chelly National Monument taken on a private custom tour with Tour The Southwest .com
Spider Rock at Canyon de Chelly National Monument
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Canyon de Chelly Custom Escorted Tours

Find Breathtaking Sanctuary in canyon de chelly national monument

Imagine yourself overlooking a deep straight-walled canyon, ancient Indian ruins tucked under grottos of sandstone, a valley floor with lush bright green grass and cottonwood trees, native American crops, and a sliver of water trickling over red sand.  This is Canyon de Chelly, a place of unparalleled beauty and contrasts of color, light and texture.

There are hundreds of Indian Ruins to see if one knows where to look.   Our experiences guides will point out many of these ruins, including a great view of the more famous White House Ruins.  At the base of the sheer red cliffs and in canyon wall alcoves are the ruins of Indian villages built between AD 350 and 1300. Canyon de Chelly National Monument offers visitors the chance to learn about Southwestern Indian history from the earliest basket makers to the Navajo Indians who live and farm here today.

View Petroglyphs and pictographs carved by early Indians and seventeenth century Spanish explorers.  You will be intrigued by the mystic stories related to Spider Rock and the surrounding areas.  An optional tour takes the visitor along the canyon floor with a Navajo guide pointing out natural, historic and spiritually significant items along the way. Canyon de Chelly is especially picturesque in the fall when the cottonwood trees turn a brilliant gold.

This tour can include a visit to the historic Hubbell Trading Post.  The National Park Service website says: "Feel the old wooden floor give slightly beneath your footsteps and hear it squeak as you enter the front door of the oldest continuously operating trading post on the Navajo Nation. Let your eyes adjust to the dim lighting of the "bullpen" and you might even catch the trader negotiating a deal with a Native American artist. Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site offers you a chance to become a part of this unique slice of history.

Near Canyon de Chelly, John Lorenzo Hubbell purchased a trading post in 1878, ten years after Navajos were allowed to return to their homeland from their terrible exile at Bosque Redondo, Ft. Sumner, NM. During the four years spent at Bosque Redondo, Navajos were introduced to many new items. Traders like Hubbell supplied those items once they returned home.

Hubbell family members operated this trading post until it was sold to the National Park Service in 1967. The trading post is still active, and operated by the non-profit organization, Western National Parks Association, that maintains the trading traditions the Hubbell family established.

Step back in time and experience this original 160 acre homestead, including the trading post, family home and visitor center with weaving demonstrations."