NAVAJO NATIONAL MONUMENT , in the northwest quarter of the reservation, protects two of Arizona's biggest and most beautifully sited cliff dwellings. From behind the good visitor center (summer daily 8am-6pm; rest of year daily 8am-5pm; tel 928/672-2366, ; free) at the end of paved Hwy-564, ten miles north of US-160, a ten-minute trail crosses the plateau to a viewpoint overlooking Betatakin , an exceptionally well-preserved 135-room masonry structure tucked away in a large natural alcove halfway up the 700ft high, brilliant-red sandstone on the far side of a canyon. It's only possible to hike down to Betatakin - which feels as though it was abandoned seven years, not seven centuries, ago - by joining one of the unforgettable six-hour ranger-guided hikes (May-Sept; daily 9am), which leave from the visitor center. Numbers are limited, and no advance bookings are taken, so get here as early as possible on the day - or stay the previous night at the very attractive free campground in the forest beside the visitor center.

In summer, you can also visit the even larger Ancestral Puebloan site of Keet Seel . However, the seventeen-mile round-trip hike from the visitor center is too grueling to attempt in a single day, so you'll have to sleep in the small campground near the site, having obtained a permit from the visitor center at least a day in advance.

Most people pass through this area on their way somewhere else, so there aren't many places to stay . However, TUBA CITY , west of the monument, has the large, modern Quality Inn Tuba Trading Post (tel 928/283-4545 or 1-800/644-8383; $75-100), while the coal and uranium mining town of KAYENTA , 22 miles northeast of the monument at the junction of US-160 and US-163, holds the Best Western Wetherill Inn (tel 928/697-3231, ; $75-100) and the Holiday Inn (tel 928/697-3221; $75-100), which has a distinctive and good-value restaurant .

Navajo National Monument

• Navajo National Monument

Arizona cities


All U.S. city guides