Canyon de Chelly is a National Park entirely owned and maintained by the Navajo Nation, a unique management. The legends of Navajo origin, family patterns, and rituals are centered in the Canyon, where people have lived for nearly 5,000 years. Hogans, sheep, and tended cornfields are often visible as we approach this area. We are enveloped in this natural scene of earthy colors, sharp rock lines, shadows, cactus-studded red soil, and dazzling blue skies. We are immersed in another culture; we are invigorated and uplifted by all we see and feel.

Included meals are denoted: Breakfast: B, Lunch: L, Dinner: D

DAY 1              

We travel west, stopping to enjoy the Navajo Nation Museum before arriving in Window Rock. After lunch on our own, our guide joins us for a coach tour of Window Rock, before we continue to Canyon de Chelly Visitors Center.  We begin our drive around the south rim of the Canyon, stopping at Tsegi, Junction and Spider Rock overlooks as our guide explains the history of the canyon and the peoples who lived in it.

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DAY 2              B, L

After breakfast, we check out of our hotel and meet our drivers for a tour along the south rim of the canyon. Then we head into Monument Valley, famous location of the John Ford films that made John Wayne famous, like Stage Coach, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and My Darling Clementine.  This great valley boasts sandstone masterpieces that tower at heights of 400 to 1,000 feet, framed by scenic clouds casting shadows that graciously roam the desert floor. The angle of the sun accents these graceful formations, providing scenery that is simply spellbinding. The landscape overwhelms, not just by its beauty but also by its size. The fragile pinnacles of rock are surrounded by miles of mesas and buttes, shrubs and trees, and windblown sand, all comprising the magnificent colors of the valley. We rest one night at Goulding's Lodge.

DAY 3              B

We join our group on the coach and travel to Goosenecks State Park. On the edge of a deep canyon above the sinuous river meander known as a gooseneck, this small park affords impressive views of one of the most striking examples of an entrenched river meander on the North American continent. The San Juan River twists and turns through the meander, flowing a distance of over six miles while advancing one and a half miles west on its way to Lake Powell. Gaze at the results of 300 million years of geological activity, where the San Juan River winds and carves its way through the desert 1,000 feet below. We turn our thoughts toward home but first stop at the Four Corners Monument, enjoying the thrill of visiting 4 states at once.

ADVISORY: The Canyon de Chelly tour takes place on rough terrain. There is no danger, but travelers will have bouncy rides.

Itinerary subject to change