Crossing parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, the Navajo Nation is home to major attractions known worldwide, including Monument Valley, Lake Powell and Antelope Canyon. From intimate, narrow slot canyon passageways to expansive scenic landscapes dotted with dramatic buttes, the Navajo Nation's natural attractions are otherworldly.
Cherished landscapes
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, one of the most recognized landscapes in the U.S., features sandstone masterpieces that seemingly explode out of the ground. Marvel at Mother Nature's handiwork, eroding massive rocks into interesting sculptures that reach heights of up to 1,000 feet.
Two hours and 124 miles west of Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon's upper and lower canyons have inspired photographers for years. The upper canyon's walls rise 120 feet above the streambed, while the lower canyon—known as Hasdestwazi or "spiral rock arches"—requires the use of ladders and some skill to reach. Other remarkable, though less frequented, red rock canyons in the area to note are Mystical Antelope Canyon, Ligai Si Anii and Antelope Canyon X, each with unique attributes and adventure levels to experience. Note: All slot canyons on the Navajo Nation require a tour guide to accompany you on your hike.
A 26-mile valley of greenery amongst the desert, Canyon de Chelly is the longest uninterrupted, human-inhabited area in the Colorado Plateau. Several periods of indigenous culture dating from 350 A.D. to 1300 A.D. have called the hundreds of ancient Puebloan ruins home, including Navajo families that raise livestock and tend farmlands to this day.
Trading posts
A meeting point for Navajo people to sell their wares, purchase supplies and even socialize, trading posts were an important lifeline following the Long Walk of 1864. A number of historic trading posts have been preserved and remain in business, many located in their original buildings. The Hubbell Trading Post—the oldest continuously operating trading post on the Navajo Nation and in the United States—was established in 1876 and is a National Historic Site. Browse authentic Navajo crafts, explore exhibits, attend rug-weaving demonstrations and take a self-guided tour of the original 160-acre homestead.
Museums & culture
Several museums educate visitors about the Navajo Nation’s land, history and ceremonial life, including the 7,000-square-foot Explore Navajo Interactive Museum in Tuba City. Nearby, the Navajo Code Talkers Museum showcases how the For ode Talkers transmitted information on tactics, troop movements, orders and other vital battlefield information via telegraphs and radios in their native dialect during World War II. The system was far faster than Morse code, and it has been said that, if not for the Code Talkers, the Marines would have never taken Iwo Jima.
For more information and trip ideas, check out the Navajo Guide
