Arizona's Navajo Reservation

A Drive Through the "Rez" is Unique and Awe-inspiring!

Joy Schantz, Yahoo Contributor Network
Apr 12, 2010

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Many travelers see only a desert highway as they hurriedly pass through the Navajo Reservation. Look closer next time!

Monument Valley, historic trading posts, hogans, sheep herding, intricate jewelry, hand-woven rugs, and a unique culture await the visitor.

The red soil, wind-swept vistas, desert sage, beautiful clouds, and sometimes thunderstorms can enchant you!

Stop and try Navajo fry bread or mutton stew at a local Navajo restaurant. Visit the publicly-displayed hogans, and learn about the native culture.

Plan to take a side tour of Canyon de Chelly, Navajo National Monument or the Dinosaur Tracks. Wikipedia tells us about them:

Canyon de Chelly National Monument was established on April 1, 1931 as a unit of theNational Park Service. It is located in northeastern Arizona within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation. It preserves ruins of the early indigenous tribes that lived in the area, including the Ancient Pueblo Peoples (also called Anasazi) and Navajo. The monument covers 131 square miles (339 km²) and encompasses the floors and rims of the three major canyons: de Chelly, del Muerto, and Monument. These canyons were cut by streams with headwaters in the Chuska mountains just to the east of the monument.

Navajo National Monument is located within the northwest portion of the Navajo Reservation in northern Arizona.It preserves three of the most intact cliff dwellings of the ancestral puebloan people (Hisatsinom). The Navajo people who live here today call these ancient ones Anasazi. The monument is high on the Shonto plateau, overlooking the Tsegi Canyon system in the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona. The monument, located west of Kayenta, Arizona, features a visitor center, two short self-guided mesa top trails, two small campgrounds, and a picnic area. Rangers guide visitors on free tours of the Keet Seel and Betatakin (Bitátʼahkin in Navajo) cliff dwellings. The Inscription Housesite (Tsʼah Bii Kin), further west, is currently closed to public access.

Dinosaur tracks can be seen five miles West of Tuba City on U.S. 160. This is always a favorite with the kids. Tuba City is located within the Painted Desert on the western side of the Navajo Nation. The town is situated on U.S. Route 160, near the junction with Arizona State Route 264. Tuba City is located about 50 miles from the eastern entrance to Grand Canyon National Park. Most of Tuba City's residents are Navajo, with a small Hopi minority.

Economy of the Navajo Nation

The Navajo Nation economy includes traditional endeavors such as sheep and cattle herding, fiber production, weaving, jewelry making, and art trading. Newer industries include coal and uraniummining, though the uranium market slowed near the end of the 20th century. The Navajo Nation's extensive mineral resources are among the most valuable held by Native American nations within the United States.

Until 2004, the Navajo Nation declined to join other Native American nations within the United States in opening a gambling casino. That year, the nation signed a compact with New Mexico to operate a casino at To'hajiilee, near Albuquerque. Navajo leaders have now been negotiating with Arizona officials about opening casinos near Flagstaff, Lake Powell, Winslow, Sanders (Nahata Dziil Chapter), and Cameron (the Grand Canyon entrance).