The time zones around here are a litte confusing. Arizona doesn't do daylight savings time but the Navajo nation does, so you have to know where you are to know what time it is. The monument is run by the US Park Service but is on Navajo time.
The Navajo National Monument consists of multiple ancestral cliff dwellings. Several tribes passed through this area in the past, and ancestors of the Hopi tribe constructed the main cliff dwellings in this canyon. You can sign up in advance for a ranger-led hike to view them, but you can't hike to them on your own, and the hikes are strenuous and require multiple hours. I was content to take the small hike to the overlook.
The trail had a few examples of Navajo buildings and artifacts, such as this hogan. It also had descriptions for some of the local plant life, such as this yellow cliffrose, the branches of which were used to make arrows for hunting, and red Indian paintbrush.
The telephoto lens on my camera got some good closeups.
The film in the visitor center was very well made, and included Native Americans describing some of the history. Instead of referring to the cliff dwelling pueblos as ruins, they prefer calling them ancestral homesteads out of respect for those who lived there. The visitors center also had some examples of pottery and dioramas of the cliff dwellings. The pottery designs help identify what tribe made the pottery... Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, Southern Paiute, etc.
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