Welcome (Yá'át'ééh) to AZ Canyon Jeep Tours Website!

My name is Deswood Yazzie and I am the owner of AZ Canyon Jeep Tour. I am a full blooded Navajo (Diné) born and raised in the canyon. I have been a guide for 30 years plus. I grew up learning the Diné (Holy People) way. We have struggled hard since coming and as of today we continue to struggle.

The canyon we call Tseyi (Canyon de Chelly) is referred to by our Navajo Elders as “a place within the rock.” Canyon de Chelly embraces the history of the human spirit, a place of refuge, a source of strength, protection and peace.

Our tours will take your back to Anasazi times. The Anasazi's were the first early people of the canyon. They inhabited the canyon from 2500 B.C.E. to 1300 A.D. Around the 1200’s they migrated from the canyon; throughout the southwest they left behind dwellings, handmade tools and wares.

After the Anasazi migrated from Canyon de Chelly the Hopi's arrived and utilized the canyon for ceremonial purposes, cultivating and other uses. It was the Hopi’s that planted the thousands of peach trees that were destroyed by the U.S. Calvary along with Colonel Kit Carson and William T. Sherman during a “Scorched Earth” Campaign.

During your tour we will learn about the people and the events that went on in Canyon de Chelly. We will view the ruins of the early people, and admire their beautiful artwork in the forms of pictographs and petroglyphs, all created by the early people, which included the Hopi and the Navajo people.

Available Tours:

➤ 3 Hour Tour (most popular)

This tour will take you into Canyon de Chelly, where the first stop is Kokopelli Cave. We will then continue on to:

Petroglyph Rock
First Ruins
Junction Ruins
From there we will go to the South Canyon and visit White House Ruins (Restrooms available and vendors are selling jewelry, arts and crafts)

… then back to the Junction and up the North Canyon to continue on to:

Bare Trails Ruins
Round Corner Ruins
Ledge Ruins (Restrooms Available)
Our final stop will be Antelope House Ruins (Concession stands, along with Native Arts and Crafts, and restrooms are available)

➤ 4 Hour Tour

This tour is the same as the 3 Hour Tour, but we will continue past Antelope House to:

Standing Cow Ruins. There you will see the Spanish Mural Panel.
Along the way you will see Navaho Fortress Rock This is where the Navajo (Diné) took refuge from the Spanish soldiers and the U.S. Calvary. This is where you will also see the entrance to Black Rock Canyon.

➤ 6 Hour Tour

This tour is the same as the 4 Hour Tour, but we will journey all the way to:

Mummy Cave Ruins then back South Canyon to continue on to…
White House Ruins (or vise verse with Spider Rock)
Spider Rock
Then to North Canyon’s Antelope House Ruins

For Deluxe Tours Please Call for Pricing.

Please bring the following:

Snacks or lunch for longer tours
Camera
Money
Insect repellant
Binoculars
Jacket (winter season)
Light sweater or jacket, rain coats, hats
… And of course your humor

Things To Know:

Daylight Saving Time is Observed from March to October.
We are Open Year Round. Our Office is Open Daily.
Tours are Subject to Change Due to Weather / Trail Conditions.
Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation issue the back country permits. The fee is $2 per person.
Not recommended for persons pregnant or with serious back problems.
Our Guides are full-blood Navajo (Diné), Knowledgeable, professional guides from Canyon de Chelly.

We depart from 3 Motels:

The Sacred Canyon Lodge
Holiday Inn
Best Western Motel
We pickups from the Cottonwood Campground

We are located at the entrance of the canyon (The inner part of the canyon). Follow the AZ Canyon Jeep Tour signs; we are located next to Justin's Horse Stables.