SUMMER IN ARIZONA'S CANYON DE CHELLY BRINGS SOLITUDE, MODERATE TEMPERATURES AND REASONABLE RATES

Frequent travelers know it as the "high season." Summer in some of the nation's most popular vacation spots often brings the biggest crowds and the highest rates for rooms, tours, food and souvenirs. That is not the case in one of Arizona's other canyons – Canyon de Chelly National Monument in northeastern Arizona. This quiet national monument often has rooms available throughout the summer – even at the last minute – and comfortable temperatures. And, unlike many of the country's man-made vacation destinations, authenticity is in abundance.

While many of the major national parks draw millions of visitors each year, Canyon de Chelly draws about 825,000 visitors annually. Although most of Canyon de Chelly's visitors travel during the summer months, the visitation numbers are still low compared to many national parks, so long lines and hot tempers are unusual.

Although temperatures throughout the Southwest often soar during the months of August and September, the temperature in Canyon de Chelly is generally moderate. The floor of Canyon de Chelly is more than a mile high at 5,500 feet and humidity levels are typically in single digits. The result is that the highs and the lows are tempered and do not feel extreme.

"People visit Canyon de Chelly for the scenery, history and the chance to learn about Navajo culture," said Rosanda Bahe, motel supervisor for Thunderbird Lodge, the only lodging facility inside Canyon de Chelly National Monument. "The mood here is tranquil, and it doesn't seem to take our guests long to adapt to the slower pace of the canyon."

Rates at the 74-room lodge are reasonable and comparable to rates for rooms outside the park. The National Park Service approves room rates at Thunderbird Lodge based upon a model of comparability to rates charged at lodging facilities outside the monument. Rates for an "Adobe" room with two queen beds are $107 per night for single occupancy and $4 for each additional person. Rates for a "de Chelly" room featuring two double beds are $102 for a single and $4 for each additional person. A suite with a king bed and queen sofa sleeper is available for $152 for a single or double occupancy, $157 for triple occupancy and $162 for quad occupancy.

The lodge sits on the site of a trading post built in 1896, and its cafeteria-style restaurant is located in the trading post's original building. The Thunderbird Lodge gift shop and rug room offer some of the region's finest examples of Native American jewelry, rugs, artwork and crafts.

Canyon de Chelly is considered sacred land and one of the historically and culturally significant places in the Navajo Nation. With the exception of one short hiking trail, the canyon can only be explored in the company of a Navajo guide.

Thunderbird Lodge makes visiting the canyon easy by offering authorized group half- and full-day tours in six-wheel drive touring vehicles operated by experienced and knowledgeable Navajo guides. Visitors see prime examples of Anasazi ruins, pictographs, petroglyphs and the sites of confrontations between the Navajo and the Spanish, Mexican and American governments.

Rates for full-day tours with lunch are $70.30 per person. Half-day tours are priced at $43 for adults and $33 for children 12 and under. For reservations, call 1-800-679-2473. For more information on Canyon de Chelly National Monument and Thunderbird Lodge, go to www.tbirdlodge.com

The lodge offers a two-night package called the "Magical History Tour." The package features two nights in the lodge, continental breakfast for two each morning, a 10 percent discount in the gift shop, a canyon tour for two people and a copy of a DVD called "Canyon de Chelly: American History, Heritage and Tradition." The two-night package with a half-day tour is priced at $345 and the package price for two nights with a full-day tour is $395. The rates are for two people based on double occupancy.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument is within a day's drive of many major Western cities. It is a four-hour drive from Albuquerque, N.M., five and ½-hours from Phoenix; seven hours from Salt Lake City and Las Vegas and approximately nine hours from Denver.

May 15, 2008   Posted in: United States West