Cottonwood Campground
Details- Season
- Year-round
- Sites
- First-come tent and RV sites near the visitor center, with restrooms.
- Free, shaded by cottonwoods, and the most convenient base for a dawn start.
National Park Service · Arizona
Canyon de Chelly National Monument
A living Navajo canyon of red sandstone walls and ancestral cliff dwellings, where the only self-guided hike is the White House Trail and everything deeper requires an authorized Navajo guide.
Field briefing
Canyon de Chelly National Monument changes fast with season and elevation.
Before you go
Canyon de Chelly is unusual: it is a National Park Service unit on Navajo Nation trust land, and Navajo families still live and farm on the canyon floor.
Because of that, only one route, the White House Trail, can be hiked self-guided. Every other trip below the rim, on foot or by vehicle, must go with an authorized Navajo guide and a backcountry permit, currently $15 per person. There is no entrance fee, and the two rim drives and their overlooks are free and open to all. Plan around booking a guide if you want to see the famous interior cliff dwellings, and respect that this is a living community, not an empty ruin.
- Best window
- April to June and September to October for mild days and reliable tour operations
- Signature routes
- White House Trail, South Rim Drive and Spider Rock
- Pack focus
- Water, weather checks, layers
Canyon de Chelly in photos
The landmarks worth the trip. Tap any photo to enlarge.
Location
Arizona
Established
1931
Size
84k acres
Best time
April to June and September to October for mild days and reliable tour operations
Entrance
No entrance fee. Guided canyon tours and the backcountry permit are paid separately; the Navajo permit for guided travel is $15 per person.
Nearest airport
Gallup (GUP) about 1.5 hours; Flagstaff (FLG) about 3 hours; Albuquerque (ABQ) about 3.5 hours
When to go
Weather, crowds, and what the season changes about the trip.
Spring
High crowds
Mild days, cool nights, and occasional wind, with cottonwoods leafing out on the canyon floor.
Pack Layers, wind shell, and water for the exposed White House switchbacks.
Summer
High crowds
Hot on the rims and floor, with monsoon thunderstorms that can flood the canyon wash quickly.
Pack Sun protection, plenty of water, and a guide who reads the weather before any canyon-floor trip.
Fall
High crowds
Clear, warm days and crisp nights with golden cottonwoods, often the best light of the year.
Pack Layers, camera, and an early start for the rim overlooks.
Winter
Low crowds
Cold and quiet, with snow possible on the rims and reduced guide availability.
Pack Warm layers, traction for icy overlook paths, and a confirmed guide if you want to go below the rim.
Top things to do
White House Trail
The one self-guided hike, dropping 600 feet from the rim to the White House Ruin on the canyon floor. The only way to walk into the canyon without a guide.
South Rim Drive and Spider Rock
A 16 mile rim road past several overlooks, ending at the dramatic 800-foot Spider Rock spire. No guide needed for the overlooks.
Guided canyon-floor tour
A jeep, truck, or hiking tour with an authorized Navajo guide to reach Antelope House, Mummy Cave, and the deeper cliff dwellings.
How long to spend
Anchor the day around White House Trail
Put permit timing ahead of ambition, then build the route around what is actually approved. For one day in Canyon de Chelly National Monument, make White House Trail the non-negotiable, add South Rim Drive and Spider Rock only if the first stop runs clean, and keep Guided canyon-floor tour as the flexible finish.
- 1Start with White House Trail: The one self-guided hike, dropping 600 feet from the rim to the White House Ruin on the canyon floor. The only way to walk into the canyon without a guide.
- 2Add South Rim Drive and Spider Rock: A 16 mile rim road past several overlooks, ending at the dramatic 800-foot Spider Rock spire. No guide needed for the overlooks.
- 3Use Guided canyon-floor tour as the optional finish, not as a reason to rush the whole day.
Plan your trip
Turn Canyon de Chelly's conditions into water, pack, and sleep-system decisions.
Build around conditions
Let season, elevation, and weather set the plan.
Plan your trip
2 quick tools, already seeded for Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Tune the numbers around temperature swings, footing, layers, and how much margin the route needs.
What to pack
Start with the gear decisions this park changes: footing, weather, camping, and water.
Kit Authority
Canyon de Chelly National Monument packing list
0 of 16 packed. Check items as you pack, then take this list to the store, trailhead, or campsite.
Pack planning
Decide what Canyon de Chelly National Monument asks of your kit before you start checking boxes.
Use this as a constraint check while you are still shaping the trip. The active checklist becomes useful once your route, dates, and sleep plan are set.
- First constraintHydration and exposureWater, Electrolyte mix, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, 4 more
- Route realityFooting and tractionHiking boots, Hiking socks, Trekking poles
- Load choicePack and carry systemDaypack
- Season checkLayers for conditionsMoisture-wicking base layers, Rain jacket, Insulated jacket, 1 more
Checklist mode
16 items, grouped for the trip you are actually taking.
- Dates and season are set.
- Primary route, campground, or lodge is chosen.
- Water, footwear, and overnight needs are sized.
Gear for Canyon de Chelly
The buying guides that match what Canyon de Chelly asks of your kit, with our current top picks across budget and use case.
Where to stay
Chinle, the gateway town at the canyon mouth, has the nearest lodging, including a chain hotel and a historic NPS-area lodge, plus a few restaurants and a grocery store. The free Cottonwood Campground sits just inside the monument near the visitor center. Gallup, about 1.5 hours south on I-40, offers a wider range of hotels and services if Chinle is full.
Camping reservations
Camping reservations
The monument campground is free, but the canyon floor is off-limits without a Navajo guide.
Cottonwood Campground, just inside the monument near the visitor center, is first-come, free, and the easy base for an early start. The real planning is not the campsite, it is arranging an authorized Navajo guide for any travel below the rim beyond the White House Trail.
Reviewed June 11, 2026
Booking window
Cottonwood Campground is first-come, first-served. Guided canyon tours should be arranged in advance, especially in shoulder season when fewer guides run.
- Only the White House Trail may be hiked without a guide; all other canyon-floor travel requires an authorized Navajo guide.
- A Navajo Nation backcountry permit, currently $15 per person, is required for guided travel and is arranged through your guide or Navajo Parks and Recreation.
- Cottonwood Campground is free and first-come; group sites can be reserved.
- This is Navajo trust land with families living in the canyon, so stay on the rim or with your guide and do not enter homesites.
Where to book or verify
Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation
Permits and the list of authorized canyon guides; call 928-674-2106.
Canyon de Chelly visitor info
NPS planning page covering the rim drives, the White House Trail, and tour basics.
Search Recreation.gov
Check for federal campground, backcountry, tour, and permit inventory tied to this park.
Campgrounds to know
Getting there and practical info
Plan the handoff from arrival to shuttle.
Parking, pedestrian entrances, and shuttle timing decide how calmly the first morning starts.
Getting there
Get to Canyon de Chelly National Monument, then remove the first-morning friction.
- Nearest airport
- Gallup (GUP) about 1.5 hours; Flagstaff (FLG) about 3 hours; Albuquerque (ABQ) about 3.5 hours
- Access rhythm
- Plan the last mile
- Region
- Arizona
Arrival note
Canyon de Chelly sits at the edge of Chinle, Arizona, in the northeast corner of the state on the Navajo Nation, reached via US 191 and Indian Route 7.
Shuttle access
The visitor center is just inside the monument, with the South Rim and North Rim drives branching from there.
Car strategy
Roads are paved and easy, but services are limited, so fuel up in Chinle or Gallup.
Pair this with lodging: sleep where the park transfer is simple, especially if your route needs an early start.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a guide to visit Canyon de Chelly?
Only for the canyon floor. The two rim drives, their overlooks, and the self-guided White House Trail are open to everyone with no guide. Every other route into the canyon, on foot or by vehicle, requires an authorized Navajo guide and a backcountry permit because the canyon is living Navajo land.
Is there an entrance fee at Canyon de Chelly?
No, there is no NPS entrance fee. You pay only if you hire a Navajo guide for a canyon tour and for the Navajo Nation backcountry permit, currently $15 per person.
What is the White House Trail?
It is the one trail at Canyon de Chelly you can hike without a guide. It drops about 600 feet over 2.5 miles round trip from the South Rim to the White House Ruin on the canyon floor, then climbs back out.
What is the best way to see Spider Rock?
Drive the South Rim Drive to the Spider Rock Overlook at its end, about 16 miles from the visitor center. The 800-foot sandstone spire is visible from the rim with no guide required.