Underrated Arizona Road Trip Spot - Canyon De Chelly National Monument

Canyon De Chelly is a total hidden gem in Northern Arizona and I'm so excited to share the details for you to plan your own adventure! If you’re looking for an affordable, meaningful, and scenic Arizona summer road trip with your family - this is it.

We stayed at Thunderbird Lodge, which is the only hotel on the reservation. It’s simple, comfortable, and the perfect base for exploring the canyon. They have a cafeteria on site for food. The real highlight though? The guided tours they offer. We booked directly through the lodge, and our Navajo guide completely transformed the experience. Hearing the stories and history while overlooking the canyon made the views so much more powerful.

While there are tours that go down into the canyon, they did warn us it would be a very bumpy ride, and it's only for ages 6+ so we chose to stick with the rim tour and it was still absolutely magical.

Your tour will take you in a jeep around different lookout spots. You will view the actual spot where "The Long Walk" began. You will also see the highlight of the canyon - Spider Rock, which was the home of Spider Woman, a Navajo legend who taught the art of weaving.

Don’t forget to stop at the Visitor’s Center to grab your National Parks Passport stamp!

Chinle is a small town, so we kept it easy and ate all our meals at the Thunderbird Lodge cafeteria. Super convenient, especially with kids.

On the way home, we made a little detour to Winslow. We stood on that corner, grabbed some local eats, and coffee. It was the perfect way to break up the drive.

If you’re planning a Northern Arizona road trip, definitely add Canyon de Chelly to your route. It’s stunning, educational, and incredibly underrated. Check out our Family Travel Essentials on Amazon

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