Canyon de Chelly National Monument
This canyon is home to Diné families who raise livestock, grow crops and live here. People have lived in these canyons for nearly 5,000 years, which is longer than anyone has lived continuously on the Colorado Plateau. In this place called Tsegi, their homes and images tell us their stories. Today, the park and Navajo Nation work together to manage the rich cultural and natural resources.
Alerts
- CautionWeather Advisory and Storm Warnings
The park may have delayed openings or closures in the event of severe weather. Travel may not be recommended during these times. Please check local weather forecasts. We appreciate your understanding.
- InformationRoute 7 from Sawmill, AZ is NOT recommended
Entering the park from the east at Sawmill, AZ on Route 7 is not recommended. Part of this route is UNPAVED and UNMAINTAINED. Please stay on paved roads, such as Indian Route 64 from Tsaile, AZ and Highway 191/Route 7 from Chinle, AZ.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Rim Drives, North and South Rim Overlooks | Daily · Sunrise to Sunset |
When to go
August draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Visitor Center ↗
Pick up a park map at the Visitor Center which features a park store, orientation video and activity schedule. Visitor Center and parking lot gates open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
No campgrounds, no webcams, no things to do or events in Park Service data. What is here comes from the official page. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the Park Service publishes the data.
Explore
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Guidebooks for Arizona's national parks and the Southwest
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Full checklist: 180 birds, 57 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Burrowing Owl · Cooper's Hawk · Flammulated Owl · Golden Eagle · Great Horned Owl · Hen Harrier · Merlin · Mountain Pygmy Owl · Osprey · Peregrine Falcon · Prairie Falcon · Red-tailed Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Swainson's Hawk · Turkey Vulture · spotted owl
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Coot · American Wigeon · Black-necked Grebe · Blue-winged Teal · Canada Goose · Cinnamon Teal · Clark's grebe · Common Teal · Great Blue Heron · Northern Pintail · Pied-billed Grebe · Ruddy Duck · Sandhill Crane · Snowy Egret · Virginia Rail · Western Grebe · Wood Stork · white-faced ibis
Shorebirds & seabirdsBaird's Sandpiper · California Gull · Common Snipe · Common Tern · Franklin's Gull · Greater Yellowlegs · Kentish Plover · Killdeer · Ring-billed Gull · Spotted Sandpiper · Western Sandpiper · Wilson's Phalarope
Gamebirds & dovesCommon Pigeon · Eurasian collared-dove · Mourning Dove · White-winged Dove · Wild Turkey
WoodpeckersAcorn Woodpecker · Downy Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Lewis' Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Red-naped Sapsucker · Williamson's Sapsucker · Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsBlack-chinned Hummingbird · Broad-tailed Hummingbird · Rufous Hummingbird · White-throated Swift
Also on the checklistAmerican Bushtit · American Cliff Swallow · American Crow · American Dipper · American Dusky Flycatcher · American Goldfinch · American Grey Flycatcher · American Robin · Ash-throated Flycatcher · Baltimore Oriole · Barn Swallow · Belted Kingfisher · Bendire's Thrasher · Bewick's Wren · Black Phoebe · Black-and-white Warbler · Black-headed Grosbeak · Black-throated Sparrow · Blue Grosbeak · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Brewer's Blackbird · Brewer's Sparrow · Brown Creeper · Brown-headed Cowbird · Bullock's oriole · Canada Jay · Canyon Wren · Cassin's Finch · Cassin's Kingbird · Cassin's vireo · Cedar Waxwing · Chipping Sparrow · Clark's Nutcracker · Common Nighthawk · Common Poorwill · Common Starling · Common Yellowthroat · Dark-eyed Junco · Eastern Kingbird · Eastern Towhee · Evening Grosbeak · Florida Scrub Jay · Fox Sparrow · Gadwall · Gray Catbird · Gray Vireo · Great Grey Shrike · Greater Roadrunner · Green-tailed Towhee · Hammond's Flycatcher · Hermit Thrush · Horned Lark · House Finch · House Sparrow · House Wren · Indigo Bunting · Juniper Titmouse · Lark Sparrow · Lazuli Bunting · Lesser Goldfinch · Lincoln's Sparrow · Loggerhead Shrike · Mallard · Marsh Wren · Mountain Bluebird · Mountain chickadee · Northern Goshawk · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Raven · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Northern Shoveler · Olive-sided Flycatcher · Olive-sided Flycatcher · Pine Siskin · Pinyon Jay · Purple Finch · Purple Martin · Pygmy Nuthatch · Red Crossbill · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-eyed Vireo · Red-winged Blackbird · Redhead · Rock Wren · Roughleg · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Sage Sparrow · Sage Thrasher · Sand Martin · Say's Phoebe · Scott's Oriole · Song Sparrow · Steller's Jay · Summer Tanager · Tecolote occidental · Townsend's Solitaire · Tree Swallow · Vesper Sparrow · Violet-green Swallow · Warbling Vireo · Western Bluebird · Western Kingbird · Western Meadowlark · Western Tanager · Western Wood Pewee · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · White-throated Sparrow · Willow Flycatcher · Yellow-billed Cuckoo · Yellow-breasted Chat · Yellow-headed Blackbird · cordilleran flycatcher · plumbeus vireo · spotted towhee
Small mammalsAbert's Squirrel · American Beaver · Audubon's Cottontail · Black-tailed Jack Rabbit · Botta's Pocket Gopher · Brush Deermouse · Canyon Deermouse · Colorado Chipmunk · Coronation Island vole · Deer Mouse · Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel · Gunnison's Prairie Dog · Least Chipmunk · Mexican Woodrat · Mountain Cottontail · Northern Grasshopper Mouse · Northern Pocket Gopher · Northern Rock Deermouse · Ord's Kangaroo Rat · Piñon Deermouse · Plains Pocket Mouse · Red Squirrel · Rock Squirrel · Silky Pocket Mouse · Spotted Ground Squirrel · Stephen's Woodrat · Vagrant Shrew · Western Harvest Mouse · White-tailed Antelope Squirrel · White-throated Woodrat · common porcupine
PredatorsAmerican Badger · American Black Bear · Bobcat · Common Gray Fox · Coyote · Long-tailed Weasel · Ringtail · Striped Skunk · Western Spotted Skunk · common raccoon
Hoofed mammalsMule Deer
BatsBig Brown Bat · Big Free-tailed Bat · Black Bat · Brazilian Free-tailed Bat · Eastern Small-footed Bat · Fringed Myotis · Hoary Bat · Little Brown Bat · Long-eared Myotis · Long-legged Myotis · Pallid Bat · Pinto Bat · Western Pipistrelle · mule-eared bat
Also on the checklistCatamount
Activities
Activity guides for this park Camping in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks
Weather & climate
Canyon de Chelly's elevation is about 5,500 feet. Spring is cool and windy; highs from 50 to 70; lows of 35 degrees. Expect dust storms and canyon flooding. Summer is hot and dry; highs from 85 to 100; lows of 51 degrees. Drink plenty of water outdoors. Fall is warm and often wet; highs from 60 to 80; lows of 40 degrees. Expect lightning, thunderstorms, and flash floods. Winter is cold and breezy; highs from 40 to 60; lows of 18 degrees. Expect 1-4 inches of snow and freezing nighttime temperatures.
Questions people ask
Does Canyon de Chelly charge an entrance fee?
No. Canyon de Chelly is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Canyon de Chelly?
Standard hours are Sunrise to Sunset, every day.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in Canyon de Chelly?
The Park Service lists no campgrounds inside Canyon de Chelly.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at Canyon de Chelly right now?
2 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: Route 7 from Sawmill, AZ is NOT recommended; Weather Advisory and Storm Warnings.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Canyon de Chelly?
340,586 recreation visits in 2025, number 141 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
When was Canyon de Chelly established?
1931. It covers about 131 square miles.
Source: Wikipedia
What is the weather like at Canyon de Chelly?
Canyon de Chelly's elevation is about 5,500 feet. Spring is cool and windy; highs from 50 to 70; lows of 35 degrees.
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
