Nature & Science
_lyttle.JPG "Photo of Gallo Wash illustrating the Cliff House Formation")
Cliff House Formation in Gallo Wash Thomas Lyttle In addition to its spectacular archaeological resources, the park is naturally significant as one of the few protected areas in the San Juan Basin. It is an island of biodiversity, home to plants and wildlife that have been significantly affected by grazing, mineral extraction, and other land-use activities in the surrounding area. 
Bobcat NPS Photo The fauna found here includes elk, deer, bobcats, rabbits, badgers, porcupines, bats, snakes, lizards and other amphibians, and diverse bird populations. A number of ecosystems comprise the canyon vegetation, including pinyon-juniper woodlands, riparian with cottonwood and willow, and other numerous scrub and wildflower communities. 
Rockfall behind Una Vida NPS Photo by Marshall G. Clayton Scientific research in the park is ongoing and often overlaps projects concerning the cultural resources. Studies are as varied as fossil inventories, native plant surveys, annual bird counts, and rock monitoring. .JPG "Photo of the Menefee Formation near Kin Klizhin")
Menefee Formation, a fossil-rich layer, near Kin Klizhin
Thomas Lyttle
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Featured Amphibian
If you miss the monsoon season at Chaco, you can still hear the spadefoot toad's call here online. Read More
Did You Know?
The Hopi place name for Chaco Canyon is Yupkoyvi, "the place beyond the horizon." Ten clans of the Hopi
consider Chaco Canyon part of their ancestral homeland
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