Navajo National Monument National Park Service photo by Fred Mang, Jr.

Navajo National Monument, administered by the National Park Service, contains three large prehistoric Anasazi Indian cliff dwellings constructed between 1200 and 1300 A.D. Keet Seel, with over 160 rooms including six kivas, is the largest cliff dwelling in Arizona; Betatakin Ruin has 135 rooms including living quarters, granaries and one kiva; and Inscription House, the smallest of the three, has 44 rooms, several granaries and one kiva. (Inscription House is closed to the public.) The pueblos were vacated in the 1300s, probably due to erosion which depleted the soil in the canyon floor and lowered the water table.

Navajo National Monument is 30 miles southwest of Kayenta, Arizona, off US 160 on Arizona 564. The Visitors Center is near the Betatakin Ruin site, and is open daily 8:00am to 5:00pm, closed on major holidays. Two self-guided overlook trails are open year round. Ranger guided tours of the Keet Seel and Betatakin cliff dwellings are always available Memorial Day to Labor Day, and usually during the winter, spring and fall as well. Please call 928-672-2700, or visit the park's website for further information.