Antelope House Overlook, Canyon De Chelly

In the middle of the Navajo Reservation in northwest Arizona, Chinle is a remote but atmospheric town, serving as the gateway to Canyon De Chelly National Monument, amongst the top attractions in the state. Chinle is reached by US 191, about half way between Chambers on I-40 and Mexican Water on US 163, one of the few significant settlements on this 149 mile stretch of desert highway. Facilities along US 191 include the Tseyi Shopping Center, with Basha's supermarket, but most shops, and lodging, are a short distance east, along Route 7, which leads to the national monument entrance.

The horizon is flat in most directions, interrupted only by a few distant hills, and there is no sign of Canyon De Chelly at first, but the low cliffs enclosing Chinle Wash soon rise several hundred feet, and the land becomes partly wooded. The next nearest National Park Service property is Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site, 38 miles south.