Thunderbird Lodge

I really enjoyed our stay at this lodge. It was clean, well stocked and comfortable. A little dated but it didn't bother me based on the experience we had in the area. The resort had a wonderful gift shop, fantastic cafeteria and the people were incredibly nice and welcoming. I would stay here again.

The lodge is very convenient to the canyon and is very quaint. However, there was no hot water in the shower. Two different maintenance people came to check it, stayed about 3 minutes and we never saw them again. When we checked out, the front desk offered no consideration for this-3 day stay, no shower. Breakfast in the cafeteria was fine, but the service was slow. Next time- Holiday Inn.

Our King Suite room (#9) was spacious and comfy. The property is older but authentic. Enormous Cottonwood trees and shady lawns evoke travel experiences of past era. Be sure not to miss booking a canyon tour; an all-day tour if possible. The Dine guides are friendly and knowledgeable. You learn much more than an overlook can provide. There aren’t many lodging options in Chinle, and this is the one!

This is an excellent place to stay when visiting Canyon de Chelly. It was clean and the bed was comfortable, and the temperature control in the room was good. There is a restaurant at the lodge which has typical food choices, including the tasty fry bread. It is located just outside the entrance to Canyon de Chelly. The tour we took started at this lodge and the tour was a wild ride! It was conducted by a local native american guide and the tour was absolutely excellent.

Very comfortable. We stayed in room 9. If you can get that, do it. It’s a little single building with a large living area, separate bedroom. The cafeteria on the property is very basic. Bring food with you. Bring water as well since the water there can smell like sulphur. No alcohol allowed in the Navajo Nation. The sights are amazing!

This is, without question, the place to stay if you come to visit Canyon de Chelly! Everything about this place is perfect: the employees, the rooms, the restaurant are all just fantastic! We also did the 4 hour tour that is offered here and it was a life-changing experience to have such a knowledgeable and caring person as Elton show us the Canyon and explain all about it to us! This was truly an amazing experience at an extraordinary lodge!

We did not stay very long but enjoy it. Very nice environment and clean room. Friendly checking. There is also a simple cafeteria, not to expect to much but good if you are hungry. Would be nice to have more veggies options. Also no need to put all vanities as there are all in plastic! Too sad to see all this plastic in such spiritual place

The Thunderbird is a great option when visiting Canyon de Chelly. Affordable, comfortable -- and the staff is very helpful and friendly. Definitely take advantage of their Native-led canyon tours. We enjoyed the six-hour option. The guide was friendly and knowledgeable

We arrived early and asked about an early check in. For a small fee, the office staff asked housekeeping to prepare our room in an hour (12:30). When we stopped by the office as suggested, our room was ready. A clean and pleasant room, comfortable beds and very nice staff make this an excellent place to stay. We had reserved a tour of Canyon de Chelly through their associated tour group, which was also excellent.

It is definitely an older hotel but the room is large and has a refrigerator, microwave,, coffee maker, and other things you may need. Beds are firm pillows are firm as well which I truly appreciate. The tub/toilet area is very tight and the toilet is very low - hard on the knees. The ambience is great and really fits with the beauty of the area. Better than a chain hotel. The staff at the desk were great. And the young lady in the trading post was very friendly and helpful.

This was the perfect place to stay and do the tour with to see the canyon! The staff was very helpful and David the tour guide was very knowledgeable (25years) The cafe on site was not too bad food was made to order and the prices were not too bad. The place reminded me as a location my grandparents would take me growing up. They did offer and night time Native American show which was very educational.

Thunderbird Lodge is literally right across the street from Canyon De Chelly and staying here was super convenient! Upon arriving, we were greeted by well-maintained grounds, and a quaint little lodge across from horse pastures that is Diné owned and operated. Check-in was a breeze and the person at the desk was super nice and told us all of the pertinent information. She also gave us a map of the property, which was super helpful. When we got to our room, I noticed a big cricket in the corner and later on we found a daddy long legs spider. The room was also pretty dusty and there were con webs above the bed and on other areas of the ceiling. The bathroom had some hair stuck to the wall so overall, I wasn't pleased with the cleanliness of our room. Since COVID-19 I have been traveling with lots of disinfectant wipes, disinfectant spray, and for this trip I also brought some HotSpot bug spray. The bugs were removed and through the remainder of our trip (3 nights total) no bugs entered the room unless we (I) accidentally left the door open. The only other "issue" is that the toilet in the room wasn't elongated so it wasn't guy friendly if you catch my drift ;-) Once you get past the bugs (there's literally a lot of farmland and grass close to and on the property) and the dust (we're in a desert) this place is an okay place to stay. The grounds are immaculate and the staff was great. I especially liked how our room had a ceiling fan (even though I kept hitting my hand on it), and the staff was great! We booked a tour of the Canyon through Thunderbird Lodge and the tour was spectacular. Definitely a must go if you visit Canyon De Chelly. I loved learning about the history and our tour guide, Elton, was super knowledgeable, humorous, and friendly. We did the four hour tour as the all day tour wasn't available.

Only stayed one night as I was traveling through the area, but the Thunderbird wonderful. Quaint and next to Canyon de Chelly. The motel has been remodeled and updated. Bathroom was tiny but not a big deal. Super comfy beds and a ceiling fan made for a nice night. Watched the sunset from the chairs outside each room. The cafeteria has decent food and the gift shop was packed with gifts for reasonable prices. Can't wait to return.

Must say a word about how lovely the staff was to me. I left my kindle in the room when I left and was heartbroken. I called and they confirmed they had it. I gave them my credit card info and they mailed it back to me for just the postal charge.

This a lodge type hotel with quite a few rooms right at the entrance to the Canyon de Chelly park. It's been here for many years I am told. The rooms were kept up to date -- somewhat rustic but clean and nice. Horrible AC though -- they had not turned them on and the rooms were unbelievably stuffy and never changed despite running AC all night. We were there for one night so it sufficed. I would suggest bring your own food as the restaurant there is not really very good (at least for breakfast) and expensive. I know the Navajo nation has been through a lot with COVID and is trying to cope the best it can. Check the hours for restaurant closures, etc. as there are limitations in place right now. Prior to coming into Chenle or you may find yourself without food. We fortunately found pizza in Ganado. Fortunately we had other good with us as

I had visited the Thunderbird Lodge many years ago and that had been a magical experience mainly because of personnel . This time around the place just seemed tired and with a need of a face lift. There were bugs in the room, no tissue in the Kleenex dispenser, the greeting staff was not enthusiastic and even cold, the lady in the adjourning gift shop trading post was late and there was so much less merchandise, and the famous Navajo tacos were devoid of salt and taste in general. I could not figure it out and we continued to be our polite, respectful selves. I would go elsewhere next time as this part of the country is a recurrent destination for us

This lodge is very accommodating on a number of levels. It may seem run of the mill but they are very friendly and accommodating being able to help get us a room for a last minute trip. The rooms are nice and clean. They have everything you need and the guest information books are really handy. It can get hot in the rooms but they have fans and air conditioners that are really not that loud. The staff were very friendly and flexible. So be aware that they still observe covid-19 protocols since the entire tribal land follows those protocols. We forgot ours but one of the locals purchased a package for us and was very kind. So do be respectful of their choice in following the protocols overall. They also have AAA discounts and again great service. If in the area for sight seeing or just passing through highly recommend this establishment!

Staying at the park was wonderful and gave us a chance to go back in the evening and enjoy he views after the snow had cleared at the higher elevations. Staff was very friendly and check in was easy. Room was perfect except the door frame was a little off so there was a cold breeze coming in all night. Room was clean and nicely laid out. We also enjoyed dinner at the Lodge and the gift shop.

Quiet and green grounds, comfortable beds with pillows that are definitely not comfortable. Nice place to stay when visiting Canyon de Chelly. Avoid the cafeteria if at all possible. There's a couple of decent places in town, or bring your own food in with you.

I made reservations through a booking service, but didn't get their normal request for feedback following my stay, so I'll leave my review here. This is an older, traditional tourist lodge that is well maintained (sort of), clean, and tucked away near the entrance of Canyon de Chelly. When I checked in after a long day on the road I was informed they had a small issue with no water in a couple of their buildings, including the one with my room and the cafeteria. They said the water would be on by that evening. I asked if there was a room with water that I could move to - nope. I asked if there would be any compensation for having no water - nope. The lady behind the counter said I could cancel my reservation, but made no offer to secure accommodations somewhere else, which would have been the caring thing to do. It was obvious she didn't (care). As it turns out the water was off the whole time I was there and no one checked to see how I was doing. Any compensation? Nope. They also didn't even offer bottled drinking water or anything else to make up for having no water in the room. The desk personnel weren't apologetic at all and seemed to care less - like it was a common occurrence - maybe it is (?). Again, they told me the water would be on soon, but of course, it wasn't. The room was in one of their original buildings and was actually nice and quiet, except for when a maintenance man opened the door and came in unannounced to do something with the water. He apologized, but obviously he was not told there were people in the room. Anyway, a very disappointing experience and one that will keep me from ever staying at this place again.

What a great little place. The staff was amazing and our room was perfect. Clean and very comfortable. I would recommend staying here versus anywhere else local. Beautiful historic location.

Clean, quite, and inviting! Close to exploring the canyon areas. Customer service was great when checking in. No external noise during the night. Enjoyed our one night stay. The air conditioner was a bit loud but just became background noise which wasn't a big deal. Overall, I would definitely stay again.

Stayed here while visiting Canyon de Chelly. The room was clean and quiet (concrete walls, no 2nd floor rooms). The WiFi was free and fast. Plenty of parking right outside the room. Friendly but professional staff at the front desk and gift shop. 10/10 would recommend!

The hotel is kind of in the middle of nowhere, after a long drive through empty fields, beside an escarpment that leads down into Chinle. The properties outside the hotel are trailer park scruffy. But the lodge itself is on lovely grounds, recently updated and has fresh, quality linens. There is plenty if parking for cars, and long vehicles. The appliances are old, but they work, and the walls are very thick. The furniture is real wood and substantial. WiFi is free but horribly slow. The staff are friendly and helpful, and the gift shop has a lot if quality merchandise at reasonable prices.

Thunderbird Lodge is located within Canyon De Chelly just north of the entrance to the Visitor Center to the National Monument. Have stayed here several times. Rooms are modern and clean, service is excellent. There is also a cafeteria that is open from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. It is part of the original 1896 Trading post. Rooms have AC and fans, refrigerator, microwave, WiFi and flat screen. Great location, I prefer it to the Best Western or Holiday Inn. Those are about the only three choices in Chinle.

This was a great place to stay and they accept pets. This was a quiet location very nice. The room was very comfortable, good shower and comes with a kurig, iron and ironing board. If your staying there don't forget to check out the north or south rim. The cafeteria also had great food for breakfast lunch and dinner. I don't have pictures of the inn but here is the rim.

I scheduled a stop to see Canyon de Chelly, and opted to spend the night at this motel based on price/reviews. This is located within the park boundaries, past the welcome center for the National Monument. It appeared that some sort of trading post had been in the location for decades, but the facilities seemed well-maintained / updated. You check in at an office next to the current gift shop / cafeteria. We stopped by around 12:45 p.m. on a Thursday to see if our room might be ready early (so that we might drop off our luggage and not leave it in our car while we spent 3 hours in the canyon). Unfortunately, the room wasn't ready (no problem; I'd have been pleasantly surprised if it had been). After the tour, we easily checked in and drove around to our room. All the rooms face a semi-circular parking lot so that you can park just outside your door; there is no building / interior hallway. The room itself was clean and comfortable. The location is at the extreme end of Chinle, which is not a huge town anyway. It also sits at least 100 yards from the road into / through the park, so there was no discernible traffic noise. Everyone slept well in our room. There is a cafeteria on-site, as well as (limited) dining nearby. In my limited interaction with the staff, they were friendly and welcoming. All the staff I encountered appeared to be Navajos / Native Americans. I do not know whether the property is owned by locals or not, but it certainly employs them. There were a few other lodging options in town. Were I to return to Chinle, I would consider staying here again.

Come for the fun, go somewhere else to shower! Old style motel venue. Clean rooms, a/c works, firm beds, good sound insulation, interesting open-truck canyon tour, middling cafeteria, no restaurant, no bar, and not enough water pressure to take a shower :-( A sign in the shower leads one to believe it might work: "DUE TO LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL EQUIPMENT RESTRICTIONS Water Pressure Fluctuates From HOT to COLD. Please Be Careful In The Shower!"

Thunderbird Lodge is located at the entrance to Canyon De Chelly National Monument. The location makes it convenient for touring the canyon as many tour operators will pick you up at the lodge. The lodge offers all first floor rooms with parking next to most rooms. We reserved a King Bed room but when we arrived they could not get us 3 rooms close to each other so we changed to 3 rooms next to each other with 2 Queen Beds. The rooms are rustic but our room #78 was clean and the bed was comfortable. A mini refrigerator is a great amenity. FYI - The lodge is located on the Navajo Reservation and alcoholic beverages are not available.

Quiet, clean , friendly staff . Definitely the place to start your morning off. Great coffee! Eggs made to order! Large dining area. Look forward to another visit great service !

Room was clean and had all we needed. Very cheap rates. We would stay here again. Cafeteria however was not good. Ate at 5:30 in the afternoon... the hamburger ordered ok,but food off the "buffet" line was terrible. Like gas station, dry, old, terrible. Just bad.

Please come out here for a visit! We really enjoyed our stay! My family lived in Chinle for quite some time years ago (no I'm not Navajo, that's the first thing people always ask). Having returned for visits over the years I know how bad accommodations used to be. Luckily, that seems to have changed, at least at the Thunderbird Lodge. I was really impressed across the board. I highly recommend staying here, especially if you're on the fence about visiting Chinle or Canyon De Chelly for the first time. This place is great and you'll be taken care of the Dine way. If you want info on their Canyon jeep tours scroll way down for that review. Rooms: Comfortable, nicely updated, and very handicapped friendly. At first glance they may look a bit Route 66 dated but it's all good! Especially for us East Coast snobs! Comfy beds, a million tv channels (more than mega national hotel chains!), a blow dryer that lights up as a night light in the dark, and a really impressive AC unit that, despite looking like it's from 1972, works like a charm! There's also a mini fridge and a ceiling fan. Staff: Everyone I talked to was super nice and helpful. If you're checking in late at night/after hours call ahead of time to let them know in advance. Thankfully, they're also lenient with the checkout times. Part of our group went on a jeep tour of the canyon the morning we were checking out. Check out time is 11 (right smack in the middle of our tour) and they were more than happy to give us a late checkout so we didn't have to worry about scrambling around to check out before our tour. Much appreciated! WiFi/Cell Service: They have WiFi! I found if I needed to use it in my room certain areas worked better than others. Outside of my room both worked totally fine. Trading Post: Having lived on the reservation before we have quite a few rugs and sand paintings. How they've laid it out is spot on in keeping up with the times while explaining their various crafts to those who may be unfamiliar. The rug room was my personal favorite. Food: Don't worry about the whole "cafeteria" thing. The food is pretty darn good. I think it's more so called a cafeteria for historic purposes as it's been called that for...well...just about forever. I promise it's not like a middle school cafeteria. In fact, they renovated it in recent years so it has more of a restaurant vibe than it used to. I'd call it Navajo Fast Casual. I enjoyed everything I had - especially the green chili stew and of course the fry bread. Breakfast was good too but there was often a long line so many plan some extra time for that if you're grabbing food before a jeep tour or a hike. Only complaint: The last two days we were here there was some large bus tour staying at the lodge. Their bus driver took it upon himself to park his loud charter bus across 7 or so parking spaces right smack in front of our rooms. Thus, we couldn't park our car in front of our rooms, which was kind of necessary since my mom has difficulty walking. Not to mention good ol bus driver thought it was a brilliant idea to start up his loud bus (which quite frankly sounded like a helicopter) at 7:30 in the morning, two mornings in a row! Best part? He didn't even move the bus until at least 10am. It's not the Lodge's fault but still annoying. Overall: Highly recommend as a visitor and former resident of Chinle. The beauty of the surroundings, the warm hospitality and welcome of the Navajo people in sharing their culture and land is an incredible experience. It may be a bit out of the way and in the middle of nowhere but it's worth it! ---------- Edit - Canyon de Chelly Tours I didn't realize there isn't a separate yelp page for their jeep tours so I'm editing my initial review to include this part. Our group went on a tour when it was pouring rain. Like crazy downpour. I think most people would have said no thanks to the tour given how hard it was raining but half of us on the tour used to live in Chinle and saw the rain as a blessing. So we suited up in the provided ponchos (which I'm pretty sure were courtesy of the US Government and recycled from either WWII or Vietnam). Either way they were serious ponchos and did the trick. When it rains they do not put a tarp over the jeep which at first annoyed me and my hair but I eventually realized it was a blessing in disguise. You cannot see the true beauty of Canyon de Chelly with a roof over your head. Part of experiencing the bottom of the Canyon is being able to look up, something you can't experience while taking a tour in a covered SUV. We were soaking wet and looked absolutely ridiculous in our ponchos but when the rain stopped we also got to see the incredible waterfalls. Many thanks to our guide Orlando. He was great!

This updated older hotel is well situated if you are visiting Canyon de Chelley national monument. They offer tours which leave from the hotel, which is really convenient. The tour guides are knowledgeable and fun loving. The 6 wheel tour vehicle is a blast to ride on. While I really enjoyed this hotel and its staff, we did come across 5 cockroaches in our room during the two day stay. Hopefully this was a unique experience.

Right at the Canyon de Chelly rim! Easy access for hiking and Tim tours. Clean and comfortable rooms. Friendly staff. Well stocked trading post. Cafeteria next door!

Perfect for the price. Native owned and managed, nice staff. Clean and spacious room with fridge, microwave, hair dryer, iron and iron table, descent size flat screen. Breakfast not included but the restaurant /cafeteria is good. It's right at the entrance of canyon Chelly's south rim. I would definitely go again.

I stayed at Thunderbird Lodge for a night the last week of September 2022. It was filthy. There were four spiders in our room (#10). Their webs had been there quite some time. One small spider in the bed. The water was a light brown color. The nightstands were sticky. The smoke detector did not work (yes, we were curious and tested it!) The clerks in the gift shop were friendly and helpful. The front desk staff left a lot to be desired. After noticing the discoloration in the water, we elected to eat our meals in town, which was only 5 minutes away, so I can't comment on the restaurant next to the lodge. Definitely worth a trip to see the scenery, but don't waste your money staying at Thunderbird Lodge.

Stayed there last night. Very nice and very clean rooms. We were surprised. There is only 3 motels in the area & the reviews were not great. I would highly recommend the Thunderbird lodge if you are in the area. Keith Eloy AZ.

The Thunderbird Lodge is a wonderful place to stay with excellent room accommodations, exceptionally clean, and we LOVE the beautiful grassy center area to enjoy on the benches outside our room. Wow the double meat hamburger on fry bread is huge delicious and a great deal! Being so close to Canyon De Chelly is a treat. We have stayed here twice and it will be a place to go in the future as well. BONUS POINTS go to Lisa at the front desk! She answered all our questions and made our stay even better. The only things that we would improve would be another community ice machine and a few softer pillows to go with the firm pillows.

Nice place. Some of the rooms are newly renovated and some are older. I got one of the older ones and while initially it seemed kind of small and dark, the charm of it has won me over. My room opens to a grassy courtyard which is quite pleasant. There are a couple of chairs outside in front of each room - on a shared patio for 6 or 7 rooms. It's lovely to sit out there at night and just take in the wonderful natural surroundings. You are right next to the start of the South Rim drive of the Canyon de Chelly so, really, you are very very close to the canyon itself. And I think that is just awesome and is why you should stay here instead of one of the chain hotels that are further away. My room is nice and quiet with kind of a loud air conditioner that works very well even on low. The free Wi-Fi works ok but is sometimes slow and drops connections. If I came back to stay I might request one of the newer rooms in the long back building (rooms 50-90), especially if I was staying more than one night. I think those rooms have more amenities like refrigerators and microwaves. However, the rooms in the back open onto the parking lot, so I think I really do have the best deal for tonight.

We spent one night here so we could visit Canyon de Chelly. If you call to reserve they do offer AAA discounts. The room was clean. The A/C didn't work at first, but after turning it off and on it kicked in. The beds were comfortable. After visiting the canyon we wished we would have had time for one of the jeep tours. It is located inside the entrance to the south rim drive-very convenient.

Nice accommodations. Not real fancy but good water pressure, comfy bed, fridge, microwave. Only complaint is no fan in the bathroom. Cafeteria style restaurant had good food & friendly staff. Our tour was through the Lodge in an open troop carrier car. I would recommend that tour. Great for taking pics & not so much getting in & out because everyone has a good view.

We stayed in room 9. Perfect room. Older furniture but that added to the charm. Separate sitting room. What I particularly liked: lots of trash cans so I wasn't trying to stuff a small one like in most hotels, bathroom was heated, lots of comfy seating and a dining table. Yes the bed was a bit hard and the towels cheaper but that didn't bother us. Oh and there was tons of lighting and overhead fans. Steps from the cafeteria. We loved it.

Couldn't be happier with our choice of staying here for a visit to Canyon de Chelly. Rooms were great, beds very comfortable, was nearly perfect. Only complaint, which has nothing to do with the actual room itself, is that the only restaurant is more of a cafeteria than a sit down, get served kind of place, so we ate elsewhere both dinner and breakfast. Other than that, no complaints whatsoever! I would highly advise staying here for a visit to The Canyon, as other places in town might get a little sketchy at night, and this place is it's own, separate entity, inside the Park. Very peaceful, quiet and relaxing as well.

We checked into room 72 after having been warned about this lodge being dated and stale. Boy were we surprised! The room was newly updated with new curtains, lights and bedspreads and carpet. It smelled new. There was a keurig coffee maker, a fridge and and a microwave. Even if the bathroom was not totally new, the shower curtain was convex, the water pressure was great and the amenities of soap, shampoo and conditioner were of good quality. Plenty of towels for all( we were 3). TV had cable. We did have trouble connecting to the free wireless internet, but finally got it. All in all a very positive experience given the previous reviews!!! We did not experience the cafeteria.

This review is for Sacred Canyon Lodge (formerly known as Thunderbird Lodge). America - you need to get over yourselves! There is absolutely nothing wrong with this hotel. Sure, this is an older hotel and some of the fittings and fixtures are a bit dated but it is clean, comfortable and the money you are paying is going to the Navajo community rather than some massive multinational. The signage is a mix of the old 'Thunderbird Lodge' and the new 'Sacred Canyon Lodge'. You will see the entry just down the hill from the NP visitor's centre. Low set accom with parking out the front of most rooms. Rooms are large with plenty of space for luggage. We had a KS bed as well as a small table and chair in the room. Bathroom is huge. Yes, the plumbing is old but we had no trouble having a decent hot shower. TV is also old but signal is fine and there is a selection of local and cable channels. Wifi is Ok but can be a bit slow if everyone is on. I have experienced much worse though. There are also chairs of the porch. There is no microwave or fridge but ice is available at an ice machine near room 70. There is a cafe open for Breakfast & Dinner (probably lunch but we were in the Canyon). It's cafeteria style and fairly basic. Options include burgers, chilli, posole and the inevitable Navajo Taco. This is not Michelin star but, it's not expensive so stop complaining and enjoy a meal for less than $10. There's a 'Trading Post' with authentic Navajo gifts (pricey of course) and a few snacks and drinks available at reception. Our room was quiet (room 22), the staff were pleasant and the general hotel is comfortable. People have complained about the all Navajo staff - please remember that there are cultural differences. Just because someone is quiet or withdrawn does not mean they are rude or don't care. Sure, I could have stayed at the multinational but instead, I stayed here and would be happy to return.

March 2018 - This is a modern but rustic hotel in a beautiful location at the mouth of Canyon de Chelly. The rooms are clean with a large TV (Direct TV), a microwave, refrigerator and coffee maker. The office is adjacent to the gift shop which is adjacent to the restaurant. The restaurant is very good and inexpensive. It's the place where the locals eat. Nice place!

This review is about staying here during the off season. My father use to stay here in the 1970s and loved it then. And I loved it now. When you think of a "lodge" this is defiantly a "lodge". There is nothing fancy. They have wifi but it does not work very often. Food service ends at 8pm! But you didn't chose to stay here for luxuries. You wanted a lodge experience and you will get that. The people who run it are super nice. And the food is homemade-ish but still very good. The shop is nice nothing great. If you want a modern hotel go to the Holiday Inn down the road. You want to have an experience; stay here. Oh and it's under new ownership. So they are changing the name. Now all buildings are called "Sacred Canyon ___" and the lodge will be known as "Sacred Canyon Lodge". But all the signs (durning my stay) said "Thunderbird Lodge".

what a great little surprise! in a nutshell: i would absolutely recommend this place if you're planning on staying in chinle or doing the canyon tour. it's nice, clean, and convenient to the canyon. more detail: i was traveling with my mother through the southwest. seeing canyon de chelly was the top of her priority list so we booked the whole day canyon tour through the thunderbird lodge. given the appearance of the rest of the area, i was skeptical of this place. when we got to the lodge (easy to find, good signage), it was surprisingly nice. the rooms were small and clean and it was easy to walk to the restaurant, the tour pick-up spot, the gift shop, and the amphitheater at the neighboring campground. the room: motel-style with our door on the parking lot, 2 queens, a nice little table, chairs on the front porch, clean. technology: wifi (poor connection), little to no verizon cell service, little at&t cell service the tour: the tour was on the back of an open roof truck. we sat in 2-seat padded benches with backs. the views were amazing and our guide was skilled at driving through the river crossings. the 1/2 day tour was about 3 hours, which was long enough. it is kind of a rough ride, but we stopped several times for photos and breaks. the restaurant: we had breakfast there twice, and had other meals elsewhere. powdered eggs. blech. not very many healthy choices. but there was cereal and yogurt. the gift shop: pretty sizeable with lots of local jewelry, rugs, art, books, etc.

Stayed here in the off-season. Very clean and quiet rooms, nice and basic. Would recommend if you're in need of a place to stay in/near Canyon de Chelly. Not a complaint, merely an observation: we were the youngest folks in the Lodge by at least 30 years, seems to be a "snowbird"/retirement destination. Maybe it's different in-season. Try the Cafeteria's huevos rancheros if you're into comfort food; they got rave reviews from the ladyfriend.

This place has gone down in food service. It's ok if you want a quick bite to eat. Chili is just plain pinto beans... No flavor :(

.... T-Bird has been a local "to-go" spot for years in Chinle, AZ. But..... (it seems) the food has gotten only "so-so" at best.... I mean for the price of cafteria food its horrendous what the price of tea is there not to mention the food. Customer service? What Customer Service... other than a gal humming nonsense..... I call for a RE-VAMP...... This place needs to be what it use to be...

What a lovely wonderful affordable clean hotel! The rooms are spacious and the beds fantastic. They even have a bathtub, a fridge, and a Keurig in the room! There is plenty or working room with a round table and a desk as well as several comfortable chairs. Everything looks new or remodeled too. I wish we were staying here all week!

We made reservations here back in January knowing we would be visiting Canyon de Chelly in May. Our experience was positive - comfortable beds, nice shower, microwave and fridge, a seating area outside the room and pet friendly. Definitely the best place to stay when visiting beautiful Canyon de Chelly!

We had a great experience at Thunderbird Lodge: very clean, with great amenities, loved their variety of coffee and cocoa capsules in the room. Water pressure in the shower was good and the staff was very nice and helpful. Another surprise is that the hotel is actually on the grounds of Canyon de Chelly. They also have a nice store and a cafeteria where we had a nice breakfast. I'd recommend this hotel!

It is now called The Sacred Canyon Lodge. A perfect location on beautiful and quiet grounds. It is dated but clean and comfortable. The wi-fi is good (Rm 21). The plumbing is ridiculous. It takes a delicate touch to find hot water in the shower and just as you think you have it right, it will turn cold. I certainly hope the new owners have a major engineering refit planned.

Stayed here last night, not too bad bedrooms but need udating. Next to canyon de chelly so super easy to go sightseeing. Little self service cafeteria next door. Very nice people all around. The Navajo Taco is huge and delicious. During the summer they told us to book way in advance...so heads up. Recommend.

This classic lodge is a wonderful place to stay when visiting Canyon de Chelly. It is clean, comfortable, quiet and conveniently located. The housekeeping staff do an admirable job refreshing the room each day. I deny it a 5 star rating because the food in the cafeteria is average at best. That said, I'd gladly return here the next time I come to Chinle.