CASA MALPAIS ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK
SPRINGERVILLE, ARIZONA
Casa Malpais Pueblo

Casa Malpais, A National Historic Landmark Site, is located on U.S. Hwy 60 in Springerville, Arizona (population 2000).
The diminutive but strong mountain people who lived here are called the "Mogollon." This Pueblo IV site exhibits similarities in pottery and architecture to the Anasazi of the Four Corners region. We know that Casa Malpais was occupied for about 200 years, and it was mysteriously abandoned about 1400 A.D.
Casa Malpais, or "House of the Badlands", is surrounded by unusual beauty on a rim of volcanic rock overlooking the Little Colorado River's Round Valley. A breathtaking view of the White Mountains lies to the south. Unique and unusual features characterize the site. The Great Kiva, painstakingly constructed of volcanic rock, is the centerpiece. A steep basalt staircase set into a crevice of the high red cliff wall leads to the top of the mesa. At an elevation of over 7,000 feet, you'll experience a dramatic overview of the entire pueblo. Natural fissures are located throughout the site. Evidence shows that these fissures were used for religious ceremonies as these people of the mountains struggled with the complexities of life and death in their harsh environment.
 

Canyon de Chelly National Monument

Canyon de Chelly National Monument offers visitors the opportunity to learn about Southwestern Indian history from the earliest Anaszai basketmakers to the Navajo Indians who live and farm here today. Its primary attractions are ruins of Indian villages built between 350 and 1300 AD at the base of sheer red cliffs and in canyon wall caves.

Setting
Canyon de Chelly National Monument is located on a high plateau in northeastern Arizona near the center of the Navajo Reservation of the Four Corners. It encompasses 130 square miles and three splendid, red-walled canyons --- Canyon del Muerto, Monument Canyon and Canyon de Chelly, from which it derives its name.
The Four Corners area is centrally located on the Colorado Plateau at an average elevation of 6,000 feet, lying between the Great Basin and the Rocky Mountains. Canyon de Chelly is a gorge cut through the Defiance Plateau, an uplift of a gently sloping monoplane separating Black Mesa Basin to the west from San Juan Basin to the east. The eastern section of the Defiance Uplift ends in the Chuska Range comprised of (from north to south) the Lukchukai, Trunicha and Chuska Mountains.

Getting There By Auto
From Interstate 40 just inside the eastern boundary of Arizona, take U.S. Route 191 north 75 miles to Chinle, AZ, then drive another 3 miles to the Monument Visitor Center.

Monument Tours
Autos should use paved roads only. To drive on the canyon bottom, a 4-wheel drive vehicle, a Park Service permit and an authorized Navajo guide are required. The fee is $15.00 an hour for 1 vehicle, $5 an hour for each additional vehicle with a 5-vehicle limit per guide.

Auto Tours
        · South Rim Drive (36-mile round trip -- 2 hours): National Park Road 7 offers seven overlooks into Canyon de Chelly itself: Tsegi, Junction, White House, Sliding House, Wild Cherry, Face Rock and Spider. The spectacular Spider Rock is an 800-foot sandstone spire rising from the canyon floor at the junction of Canyon de Chelly and Monument Canyon.

        · North Rim Drive (34-mile round trip -- 2 hours): National Park Road 64 provides four overlooks into Canyon del Muerto: Ledge Ruin, Antelope House, Mummy Cave and Massacre Cave.

Jeep Tours
           · Four-wheel drive tours are provided for a fee by Navajo guides who can be hired at Thunderbird Lodge and the Visitor Center. Free permits are required and reservations are recommended.

Trails and Hiking
Hiking within the canyon requires a Park Service permit and an authorized Navajo guide, except along the 2.5-mile White House Ruins Trail. One guide may take up to 15 people for $15.00 per hour.
             · White House Nature Trail (2.5-mile, 2-hour round trip). A scenic trail to White House from the overlook on South Rim Road descends 600 feet to the canyon floor, providing the only way visitors may enter the canyon without a ranger guide.
 

Arizona's Indian Country
Ancient ruins amid spectacular scenery

HOPI RESERVATION

A trip through tall pine forests and high desert in northeast Arizona takes you to the Hopi Reservation, about 250 miles from Phoenix. On a map you'll see the Hopi are surrounded by the vast Navajo reservation. The proximity has led to some long, bitter grazing feuds. Located on high mesas, the reservation is always windy and can be cold in winter.

Entering from the west, you pass Third Mesa with Old Oraibi, one of most ancient of the Hopi villages, and Second Mesa before reaching your destination, Polacca on First Mesa. Watch closely to discern faint outlines of ancient villages nestled onto the mesas. At Polacca, a steep, winding road leads to the top. Take it. There's ample parking space on top, and Hopi guides available to show you through their village for a nominal fee.

The guides also take you into artist's homes to see them carving kachina dolls and making pottery and jewelry. You can buy direct from the artists.

Overnight accommodations are limited. The most convenient are at the Hopi Cultural Center and in Kayenta. Even if you don't stay at the Cultural Center, visit the museum and eat at the restaurant, which serves American and Hopi food. The blue corn pancakes are the best. Many moderately priced motels are available about an hour south in Winslow and Holbrook. Reservations are suggested.

Upon arriving on the reservation, ask whether dances are scheduled and if you may you attend. These are generally held on weekends and last late into the night. Everyone bundles up in heavy coats and blankets and sits on rooftops to observe. The sight of the masked dancers emerging onto an ancient plaza is one you won't forget.

To contact the Hopi tribe, write to: Hopi Tribal Council, P.O. Box 123, Kykotsmovi, Ariz. 86039.
Phone: 520-734-2441.

Directions: Take I-17 north to U.S. 89. Continue north toward Tuba City. Turn west on Arizona 264. From Flagstaff, the trip will take you about 2 1/2 hours. To return to Flagstaff quickly, follow Indian Route 2 south, at Kykotsmovi, known as the road to Leupp (pronounced Loop). At Leupp, go west on Indian Route 15 to U.S. 89. This route eliminates an hour's worth of driving. Pay attention and keep your eye on the San Francisco Peaks and you won't get lost.
 

NAVAJO RESERVATION

Hubbell Trading Post, Window Rock
The Navajo Reservation, 260 miles northeast of Phoenix, extends into Apache, Coconino and Navajo counties. Home to the largest tribe in Arizona, it offers many scenic attractions, including Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly, Little Colorado River Gorge, Rainbow Bridge and Betatakin Indian Ruin at Navajo National Monument.

This area also boasts the Four Corners Monument, the only place in the United States where four states - Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado - meet.

From Hopi drive east to Ganado to Hubbell Trading Post, a historic landmark in use today. The grounds are wonderful and worth exploring. Don't miss the rug room filled with museum-quality textiles. The Navajo or Dineh (the people) are noted for textiles - blanket and tapestry weaving, silver crafts and some basketry.

Continue driving east about 45 minutes through high desert to Window Rock, the capital of the Navajo Nation. The town takes its name from a huge sandstone formation with an enormous hole or window through which the town is framed. This rock has an ancient history and it is integral to the Navajo Water Way Ceremony. Ruins date this community to 1300 A.D. In Window Rock travelers will find a modern motel and restaurant owned and operated by the Navajo tribe.

Tour the visitors center at Window Rock to get a sense of Navajo history. The Navajo Nation Museum traces Indian occupation from 50 A.D. to the present day and displays artifacts, such as pottery, metates and silvercraft.

As a side trip, drive seven miles north to Fort Defiance, which was explorer Kit Carson's headquarters.

To contact the Navajo Nation write to: Cultural Resources Department, Visitor Services, P.O. Box 308, Window Rock, Ariz. 86515. Phone: 520-871-4941 or 520-871-6673 for the Navajo Nation Museum.

Stay overnight at Window Rock and return to Phoenix, or continue to Canyon de Chelly.

Canyon de Chelly to Monument Valley
From Window Rock drive to Chinle and the entrance to Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Comfortable overnight accommodations are available at Thunderbird Lodge, a historic property featuring the most complete facilities in the park. Here are guest rooms, a cafeteria serving American and Navajo food and a large, well-stocked gift shop and gallery.

Plan to spend explore the visitors center to get a historic overview of this canyon with its 400 ruins. You'll learn that the Navajo were archaeological latecomers, having only arrived at this canyon shortly before the 18th century. Before their arrival, Pueblo Indians roamed this valley. Surely they were awed by the sheer pink walls rising toward the sky, etched with abstract brush strokes of deep burnished browns and black.

Take the rim drive to experience the vastness of this canyon. During the summer months, some Navajo families live in the floor of the canyon in hogans, traditional round log buildings. Here they graze their sheep and often sell their wares.

Canyon de Chelly is a great place to explore. The walk to White House Ruin takes about an hour on a wide, well-marked trail. It's fairly easy, but the uphill climb is more strenuous, so you should always carry water. Jeep tours of Canyon de Chelly are also exciting. Half-day trips are led by Navajo guides who are informative and adventuresome, taking you places you cannot go by yourself.

Directions: From Window Rock drive east on Arizona 264 to Ganado and north on U.S. 191 to Chinle and the entrance to Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Stay overnight at Canyon de Chelly or Chinle and return to Phoenix, or continue to Monument Valley.

Monument Valley
From Canyon de Chelly, head north to Kayenta to Monument Valley, one of the most famous rockscapes in the Southwest. Good accommodations are available at Chinle, Kayenta and Monument Valley.

Monument Valley is not a national park, but a Navajo tribal park consisting of 29,816 acres owned and managed by the Navajo Tribal Council. You can drive a 17- mile scenic loop in Monument Valley, but it is not recommended because the sand is thick and deep and it's easy to get stuck. Many Navajo guides offer their services; they park by the visitors center. Goulding's tours in open-air vehicles are excellent.

John Wayne made this valley famous when he starred in "Stagecoach," the first of dozens and dozens of movies to be made in this scenic area. At Goulding's Lodge visit the intriguing museum devoted to the modern history of Goulding's, western movies and Monument Valley.

Directions: Go north on U.S. 191 to U.S. 60 (about 60 miles). Turn west on U.S. 60 to Kayenta (41 miles). At the crossroads, bear right to the Monument Valley visitors center (about 20 miles).

Navajo National Monument
From Monument Valley, weather permitting, spend an hour or more touring Navajo National Monument, the site of some superb Indian ruins. As you drive, you'll see several Navajo hogans inhabited by families. A paved road leads to the Monument, which is a collection of preserved ruins. There are three ruins: Keet Seel requires reservations. It's a horseback ride or overnight hike into this cliff-top ruin. Inscription House is closed. But you can take a guided walk to Betatakin, where you'll peer down into the ruin. And there's a fine visitors center with good explanations of the Anasazi civilization who inhabited this area.

Directions: Twelve miles southwest of Kayenta on U.S. 160, pick up Arizona 564. It's a short drive north to Navajo National Monument. Phone: 520-672-2366.

Continue back to Phoenix by stopping at Cameron Trading Post, just across the Little Colorado River. Cameron is an active mercantile center that combines a general store frequented by the Navajo with a souvenir gift shop, fine arts gallery and a spacious restaurant. The restaurant offers expansive views of the Little Colorado River and good American and Navajo food. The textile display is unusually excellent. This drive will take you from high desert to pine forests as you approach Flagstaff. Descending from the Mogollon Rim near Camp Verde, you re-enter the Sonoran desert. The saguaros are your clue you're back.

Directions: From Navajo National Monument continue on U.S. 60 to Kayenta. Pick up U.S. 160 to Tuba City. Ten miles past Tuba City, connect with U.S. 89 south to Cameron. Continue to Flagstaff and return south to Phoenix on I-17.

Details: To contact the Hopi tribe, write to: Hopi Tribal Council, P.O. Box 123, Kykotsmovi, Ariz. 86039. (520) 734-2441.

To contact the Navajo Nation write to: Cultural Resources Department, Visitor Services, P.O. Box 308, Window Rock, AZ 86515. (520) 871-4941.