Courtesy Photo from Flickr

The White House Ruins Trail leads to The Canyon de Chelly. The Canyon de Chelly contains over 2500 archeological sites ranging from 1500 B.C. to 1350 A.D. Among these sites are several hundred Anasazi Indian villages built between 350 and 1300 A.D. Today, Canyon de Chelly sits in the middle of the Navajo Indian Reservation and is home to many Navajo who live in and utilize the canyon’s resources.

There’s only one Canyon de Chelly hike that the general public can take without a Navajo guide and that’s the 2.5-mile trail to White House Ruins.

Those who do take on the challenge of the hike will find that it’s worth it. Once the hiker’s trail hits the bottom, there is a foot bridge available to cross the creek that is often dry. Hikers will be surrounded by Navajo merchants who are selling their jewelry and other ware. When hikers pass the merchants, they’ll finally get to the ruins where they’ll get to bask in the history of the Anasazi who once occupied the area and of the Navajo who still occupy it today.