Navajo National Monument

Absolutely amazing and to believe it is free to visit is crazy! 3 trails, two are fairly easy but the one to the relic forest is pretty steep coming back up but worth it for thay view. They have a little museum at the visitor center and tons of educational things to read along the trails. Very fun and my kids loved it.

What a beautiful place! The hike to see the cliff dwelling is really nice and the views are amazing! The campground is fantastic too and it's a really great place to spend some time.

The views and wildlife and plants here are incredible. Not only that, but free camping, awesome dark sky, friendly and informative rangers, geology, canyons, cliff dwellings… literally no reason to not visit if you’re passing by We are so blessed to exist in this beautiful world y’all

Beautiful quiet campground. Overlook with a good view of the ancestral Pueblo. Some sites are shaded by mature piñons and junipers. Both paved (N 564) and off-road (N 221) access roads. Accessibility: Air quality: Spectacular, since campfires are not allowed. Only issues we had were with other campers running generators or using fragranced products in the bathroom, which is not well ventilated. Canyon View was less crowded, so the air quality was even better there than Sunset View. Water quality: Filtered drinking water available in the visitor center during business hours. EV: We were able to stay a week and use this campground as our home base for exploring the nearby sights in our EV because of the proximity to the DC fast charger at Kayenta. Walking: Accessible walk to the overlook.

An amazing place to learn about the Navajo people and get an understanding of the cliff dwellings settlement. Visitor Center had great display of how life might have been here in the past. Also possible to see a dino footprint. Not too long paved walking trail to the overlooking of the Cliff dwelling itself. Along the way you could also learn about plants and their usage in the area. Very interesting.

This is a hidden gem of a park and campground. The campground has flush toilets and an outside washing sink with running water. There are 31 very nicely shaded camp sites, all paved roads, very clean modern facilities (but no showers), visitor center, and open all year around. Drinking water was readily available along with ample trash cans. Camping is first come, first served with no reservations. Amazingly, given the high quality of the park and facilities, camping is free. The campsites were generally level. Small picnic area, great for a relaxing meal. Easy walk from campground to visitor center and trails with canyon views. The park has several trails, one with views of a cliff dwelling. It was a 30 minute fairly easy hike, well worth the time and effort. The visitor center staff were very nice and informative. While dogs are not generally permitted on trails during the busy part of the day, they did allow hikers with leashed dogs after 5 PM when we were there in October. This is a wonderful compromise to allow everyone greater access to this beautiful park. One rarely finds a national or state park so accommodating. This park is a huge step up from boondocking and well-worth the 9 mile drive down a paved road from highway 160. Overall, we would rate this park and campground as 5 star as it far exceeded our expectations. Based on our experience, we would definitely go back and would stay longer the next time.

This was an easy hike with a paved walkway the whole hike. It's a pretty cool place to see! It was not crowded at all, and it cost nothing to see. They have a nice gift shop and a museum that's also free to see.

A short (≈1/2 mile) hike on a paved trail takes you to an overlook where you can see some ruins across the canyon. I strongly suggest bring binoculars, or a long-lenses camera to be able to see them well. The canyon is gorgeous as well. The NPS park rangers were kind and helpful in explaining where we should go. Face masks are required, as this is on native lands. The visitor center closes at 4:30 MST in the winter.

Very nice NPS site. Beautiful scenery. Good interpretative content. Friendly rangers. Well maintained, simple campground. Not a ton of hiking opportunities so probably a half dayish worth of activity. A place worth checking out.

The trail to view the dwelling was nice but the dwelling is a bit underwhelming. Because of how far the viewing platform is, you don't see much. There were some people that mentioned viewable petroglyphs from the platform but they've likely been worn out by rain and time. I recommend bringing binoculars or a telephoto lens to get a better view of the dwellings. At the time of visit, the other trails were snowed, so I didn't check them.

A hidden gem that rivals Mesa Verde. Unfortunately I was unable to take a tour down to the ruins but still enjoyed hiking the 3 trails.

WOW, I honestly can't get over this place. It is so well-maintained and deserves way more traffic. We stayed at Sunset View campground the night before. There is no need for registration or reservation, and it is F R E E. There are no open fires allowed -- probably due to the fact that it is so remote, and there is no authority watching over 24/7. There are flushable toilets, SOAP in the bathrooms, a larger sink outside for dishes, and recycling!! This place has it all, and it's pretty amazing that it's free of charge. Take advantage of it if you're in the area and need a place to stay. There were plenty of spots when we arrived in the evening probably since so few people know about it. We joined the 10:00 tour the next day. Unfortunately, the 8:15 one has been canceled due to lack of interest but perhaps we can change that!! We went with a group of about eight which was apparently on the "larger" end, with group numbers averaging at about four. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and able to blend oral history and science very well. The trail is beautiful and very well-maintained. You're able to go into the gigantic alcove which is far more impressive in person since pictures do not do it justice. It seems to be rare to be able to get so close to the cliff dwellings/villages, so it's really a treat to do so at Betatakin. The hike itself is a little hard but not terrible. I do wish the 8:15 tour was still available since it'd make the hike back up the canyon much more bearable. Just go your own pace, and bring water!! This place is a TREASURE and if you're in the area, try to go!! If you like history or hiking, then you won't be disappointed.

I enjoyed touring a simple viewing outside with great view down to Colorado river where several rafters on the bottom and great view of Vermillion cliff dwellings There are several authentic Navajo Indians selling their artworks and jewelries at reasonable and fair price for good quality of details. Worth your trip for an hour of visit !

This was amazing . It's a really well kept secret . We went because of the yelp reviews. We were the first ones today and the trail to the overlook where you can see the prehistoric dwellings was covered with snow and we had a blast walking there. The dwellings themselves give you all the feels -The visitor center lady and man were so kind and gave us a free T shirt and 2 posters You MUST go.

An unexpected corner of America. As you hike, climb, and shimmy, down the cliffside, you almost forget that you are on your way to see ruins. These millennia old rocks drag you into a time warp, bringing you closer to a time you were only vaguely aware existed as you journey further and further away from your parked car on the upper surface. It gets hotter as you get deeper into the gorge. Navigating across ancient formations, sun beating you into submission, and at just about the same time you realize that you've reached the bottom of this deep chasm across Arizona's face, you round a bend and there she is. A mini city carved into sheer stone. Covered in shade from the unrelenting desert sun, the empty city is an other-worldly sight. A privilege for anyone to behold. Our guide, a park ranger and part Navajo, was awe-inspiring. Along the entire journey, she would point out various plants and explain their medicinal uses or recount myths associated with them. She would also point out ancient footholds pressed into the vertical cliffs. Ancient footprints of a people who learned to tame the desert. She was a wealth of knowledge with no shortage of fascinating facts and stories. One of the best days of my life. Ever.

Outstanding! A real gem hidden just a few miles from the main highway. Well worth taking a little detour to check this place out. My daughter and I hiked down the paved walkway to the observation point where we saw ancient native American cliff dwellings across the canyon. Visitor center staff were very nice and helpful. Nice selection of books and other items for sale too. I had never heard of this place before and I wasn't sure what to expect, but we were both very happily surprised.

Oh man. This part of the country is as everyone is saying, a best kept secret. I took the walk all by myself and the view of the Anasazi dwellings took my breath away. I was giddy as I looked through the binoculars provided--as others have mentioned, seeing this pre-European history of the continent is highly important and there is so much of it here. Incredible.

I was not going to write a review of Navajo National Monument because it is best kept a secret as a National Treasure. Yet, seeing that others have already disclosed the intense magic of the place, and it is still protected by its remoteness and the need to hire a local guide to take you DOWN into the narrow canyon where the ruins are hidden, I realized that only the most hardscrabble searchers will make the effort to descend into American prehistory, and are in good enough shape to go in, and more arduously, climb out. There is actually more than one NNM, but all were created to protect an Anasazi Ruin that might otherwise be disturbed and even looted by artifact hunters, the same way so many Egyptian tombs were by grave robbers through the ages. Too, the Navajo actually had nothing to do with these cliff dwellings, having arrived in the area only 400 years ago, while the alcove villages are often 1,000 years old. Anasazi is the Navajo word for, " ancient ones," a term expressing the reality that these people were gone before the Navajo arrived in the Four Corners region, leaving behind the ruins we see today. If you plan to be on the Rez and want to explore Monument Valley, be sure to give yourself several days, as the distances between things are immense, and the difficulty finding some places requires preparation, time, and a good guide. Be sure to also visit Chinle and Canyon de Chelly a little farther east and south. Immersing yourself in our ancient history will be a once in a lifetime experience. It is plainly the oldest evidence of civilization in North America that did not come over on a ship from Europe or China. And beware the Kokopelli. Their mystical flute will seduce you into staying forever.

Beautiful. Amazing views, very clean trails and facilities. The entire place is run wonderfully run, the views are breathtaking. The land is very well cared for and you get some amazing canyon views with a much better experience than other places.

Off season camping is free and the site was very well kept up! I really like that the blue tassel corn people decided to live there for a spell. Unfortunately, being off season, you can't hike to the base of the village or get the ranger led tour. The piñon pine nuts were ready to harvest so there was a flurry of activity outside the park with people collecting pin nuts. Watch out for the wild burros on the road.

I needed a place to camp for the night and wondered upon this gem! The Navajo National Monument is a little piece of paradise. They do not charge for camping, yet the camping area was almost completely vacant. The camping areas are very clean. I did not see any running water or showers, but they did have "primitive toilets". Each camping area had a grill and picnic table. Waking up at sunrise was a beautiful experience. I will definitely be back!

What a find. Campground was free (!) and beautiful. The National Monument itself is definitely worth a visit, then spend the night & enjoy the forest quiet. No hookups but that's what I prefer - except sometimes you get generators certainly not the park's fault someone wants to watch tv. One generator ran, but they shut off early. I would definitely return here.

An excellent place to visit to see some ancient Native American ruins. Kind of like a mini Mesa Verde. Easy to see this park as a pit stop on the way to Monument Valley and the rest of the Four Corners region. I need to get back here for further exploration.

Hidden away and not crowded at all. The hike to see the ruins isn't long at all and is mostly on a paved path. You can't get close to the ruins and while they do have the looking glass that you can use, if you have binoculars I would suggest bringing them. We're glad we detoured and stopped

One of the best guided tours I've ever gotten. If you really want to enjoy the true history of the ruins and the beauty; go on the guided tour on the Aspen Trail. Our guide (Jimmy) was amazing. There was no fee for the guided tour of Aspen Trail and no fee to get into the park. One of the best experiences I've had on a national park.

I only took the short walk to the Navajo ruins overlook, but it was very impressive. Though it's pretty short walk, there were hogans (with signs explaining) and a sign by each new plant explaining how the Navajo used each one.

Beautiful campground! There are bathrooms, and the campgrounds are a nice size and are far away from other camps. I camped at the canyon view. It's also free!