The canyon that has never been empty

Most national monuments in the American Southwest preserve something that
ended. Canyon de Chelly preserves something that did not stop.

Diné families live in these canyons now — raising livestock, growing
crops, going about ordinary life inside a national monument. People have lived
here for nearly 5,000 years, which is longer than anyone has lived
continuously anywhere on the Colorado Plateau. The place is called Tsegi,
and the homes and images in it tell the stories of the people who made them.

That fact changes what a visit is. The canyon floor is not an exhibit; it is
where people live, which is why access to most of it is with a Navajo guide
rather than alone.

Who manages it

The park and the Navajo Nation work together to manage the cultural and
natural resources here. Co-management of this kind is unusual among National
Park Service units and follows directly from the fact that the land is still
home.

What there is to do

The weather, which is the practical part

The canyon sits at about 5,500 feet, and the seasons are sharper than the
desert stereotype suggests:

Two of the four seasons carry a flooding warning. In a canyon, that is the
detail to plan around.

Location: National Monument, Arizona. Source: U.S. National Park Service.