Chaco Culture National Historical Park

Chaco Canyon National Historical Park contains the most extensive collection of Native American ruins north of Mexico. The canyon was a major cultural center for Ancestral Puebloans around the region. Artifacts from distant cultures and civilizations from Central America, the Gulf of Mexico, and perhaps the Pacific Ocean have been found in the remains of the centuries-old ruins. Trade routes extended directly from Chaco for hundreds of miles in many directions. Interestingly, roads are aligned North and South nearly perfectly astronomically straight for miles despite geographical obstacles. Instead of redirecting roads around them they carved staircases directly in to cliff faces, maintaining a road’s orientation. In many cases, when a road needed to be redirected, right angles were employed, instead of smooth curves, connecting two parallel road segments.

One of many kivas in Pueblo Bonito

Pueblo Bonito

The centerpiece of Chaco Canyon is an enormous D-shaped pueblo complex (pictured at the top of this page) that covers three acres, rose 4-5 stories, comprised of more than 800 rooms and 40 kivas (ceremonial pits). Pueblo Bonito was built and occupied from 828-1126CE before it was abandoned, but it remained the largest building in the United States until the 1890s! It is believed that the structure was not used for housing, though. Many of the rooms were used for food storage, or for crafting, or for cultural purposes rather than as a domicile.

From the Pueblo Bonito parking area it is short quarter-mile paved walk to Pueblo Bonito in one direction and Chetro Ketl in the other. A marked path leads you around and through the complex, but you’ll have to duck and squeeze through confined corridors at times. The narrow doorways are also inconveniently short, so practice your ducking skills. If you have a backpack it’s best to leave it in the car for this one. You are able to walk through a number of square rooms, peer into a handful of kivas, and walk around the large courtyard area. Be respectful of marked boundaries and guidelines. This is an incredibly fragile piece of history and it is a privilege to experience it this way. Do not ruin the experience for others. To get a birds-eye-view of the Pueblo, you’ll need to hike up to the top of the mesa via the Pueblo Alto Trail.

Pueblo Alto Trail

Just behind Kin Kletso, a series of short rocky switchbacks lead to a narrow crack in the canyon wall. A short moderately steep ascent takes you to the top of the north mesa which directly overlooks Kin Kletso, Pueblo Bonito, and Chetro Ketl. If you would like to continue on to Pueblo Alto atop the mesa it is a 5.1 mile loop that will circle back to Kin Kletso. There aren’t many trail markers so be on the look out for rock cairns and be careful of cliff edges.

Archeo-Astronomy 

Chacoans were known for their astronomical skills, which were learned through generations of careful observations. Massive complexes and roads were constructed using astronomical alignments. A pictograph (an imagine painted on rock) in the western portion of the park is believed to depict a “new star”, which we know today as a supernova, that shone so brightly that it was visible during the day for weeks in the summer of 1054. If this is indeed the case, it would be one of only a few records outside of China of the now famous supernova that created the Crab Nebula supernova remnant, which surrounds a rapidly rotating pulsar which flashes a radio signal at Earth on hundred times per second! Today, Chaco is a gold rated dark sky park great for experiencing the Milky Way as the Puebloans might have one thousand years ago. An observatory behind the visitors center houses a 25” telescope and the park offers regular astronomy events.

Supernova Pictograph next to a crescent moon. Photo Credit: Kenneth Ingham

The Crab Nebula. Image taken at Chaco Canyon. Photo Credit: National Park Service

To see the supernova pictograph yourself you will need to hike out toward Peñasco Blanco. The trail to the ruins is 7.2mi round-trip from Pueblo del Arroyo and the pictographs are nearly at the end. The trail crosses a number of washes, so shallow water crossing may be necessary during periods of precipitation. There is no shade along this trail so bring plenty of water, sunscreen, and a hat. 

Other houses

Pueblo Bonito is the most famous great house in Chaco Canyon, but there are a handful of other lesser great houses you can walk through as well including Kin Kletso, Chetro Ketl, Casa Rinconada, Pueblo del Arroyo, Pueblo Alto, Peñasco Blanco, and more.

Getting to Chaco Canyon

Chaco Canyon is quite remote. The nearest cities are 1.5 hours away, and it’s roughly three hours from Albuquerque. Part of the reason it takes so long to get here is that the last 20 miles of road into the canyon is dirt. The road is in decent condition and can be taken by any vehicle, but some may require a slower drive than others. In any car with clearance 30mph shouldn’t be a problem, but lower cars may need to go ~15mph. Being dirt, it may mean that this road is not necessarily passable after recent precipitation for cars without 4WD/AWD. The road within the park is paved.

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Navajo Nation has implemented a curfew which usually means limiting travel nightly as well as over weekends. Roads throughout the Navajo Nation may be temporarily closed and the situation is constantly changing, so do your research before you attempt to visit Chaco Canyon and be respectful of our Navajo neighbors. The pandemic is disproportionally affecting Native American communities and they need any help they can get. If you approach from US-550 to the North of Chaco Canyon you should be fine.