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NAVAJO NATIONAL MONUMENT
Betatakin, Keet Seel
Location: about 10 miles north of Black Mesa, off Highway 160
Phone: (520) 672-2367
Distance: 287 miles from Phoenix
Opening hours: open all year
Fees: no entrance fees
Direction: from Phoenix use I-17 north to Flagstaff, then I-40 east to Exit towards
AZ-89/Page/Grand Canyon, go north on AZ-89, turn right on US-160 east, stay on
US-160 for about 65 miles to the sign to Navajo National Monument (= turn left),
follow the road for about 10 miles to the visitors center.
Betatakin - Navajo National Monument. Betatakin (photo above/left), now
preserved in Navajo National Monument, was a 135-room pueblo under the
cliff's sweeping alcove of the Tsegi Canyon.
At the visitors center is a campground (no reservations) with drinking water
and picnic tables.
The history. The Hopi Indians (now about 50 miles to the south) - some
clans consider Betatakin a sacred ancestral home - call the place 'North
Village' (Hopi: Kawestima), and the people who lived there, 'the long ago
people' (Hopi: Hisatsinom). Archeologists call them the Anasazi.
These people lived here only for about 50 years (A.D. 1250 to 1300). Why did
they stay such a short time? Nobody knows for sure. A reason might have been a
long drought.
The visit. Just before you get to the visitor center you can stop at
the Tsegi Overlook and enjoy a first great few over the Tsegi Canyon (photo at the
right). Tsegi or Tséyi’ is Navajo for rock canyon.
Then stop at the visitor center which is located "a step away" from the
canyon. Here you can get any information you might need to discover the
Navajo National Monument, the historic sites and the trails.
Behind the center you can find a traditional hogan and a sweat house.
The trails. There are several trails and hikes.
- a hike on the rim: is a short walk (no guide, 20 minutes one way) from the visitors
center to an outlook on the south rim from where you get a great view over
the canyon and at Betatakin (allow 1 hour).
- a hike to Betatakin: a strenuous guided tour in the morning into the 1600-feet deep
canyon to the prehistoric village Betatakin (allow 1 day). Call ahead for
availability.
- a hike to Keet Seel: a very strenuous 8.5 miles hike leads to one of the largest
and best preserved Anasazi ruins (150 rooms) in the country. Keet Seel
is a Navajo expression for broken pottery. The natural
water in the canyon is not drinkable. You have to carry enough for two days
in your backpack for the overnight-stay (allow 2 days). You have to make
reservations for this hike (only 20 hikers a day!) and have to attend a
trail orientation (morning and/or afternoon) before the hike.
Check out the link to a good description of the hike at hikearizona.com at
the bottom of this page.
Source: infos at the Navajo National Monument visitors center and a guide.
All photos: © by gbintheworld.com
Behind the visitor center you can see a 'hogan' (female version)
and a 'sweat house':
Links to websites and infos about the
Navajo National Monument, Betatakin and Keet Seel (links open in a new window):
Navajo National Park official website of the National Park Service
E
Navajo National Park park geology of the National Park Service, with link to area map
E
Keet Seel Hike hike description at hikearizona.com
E
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