Most folks are familiar with the ruins of Mesa Verde but have never heard of Canyon de Chelly much less understand the beauty of the ruins on view in this magnificent National Monument. Antelope House Ruin may be my favorite of all the vistas in this area, not only for the ruins but the beautiful geography of the surrounding canyon.
I was totally struck speechless! This awesome place took my breath away! The drive was certaily wirth the effort it took to make a "bucket list" trip come true for me.
Coming this far west we had to take the tour definitely glad we did it. Once-in-a-lifetime experience. It's amazing how people lived back then and still do today.
Don't skimp on this overlook. Walk the entire pathway and you will get an awesome view of the paintings and the ruins. There are usually quite a few sellers here with very high quality merchandise.
and ruins. We took SO many wonderful photos. The signs at some overlooks are weathered and hard to read.
Antelope House Ruins also give you a wonderful chance to view some great petroglyphs. We saw these ruins with a tour guide through the Thunderbird Lodge. Highly recommend taking the 3-hour tour to see the valley.
Many of the Anasazi pueblos one sees at ground level are either outlines of buildings at ground level or archeologists' reconstructions. This ruin is in almost as good a shape as the pueblos half way up the cliff elsewhere in the canyon. One could see construction details. The pictographs in the area were also unique with a few polychrome deer reminiscent of those in the caves near Lascaux in France. Residents in the area have set up a rest stop with food and drink options and the ubiquitous crafts. The atmosphere was enhanced by the sound of a flute echoing off the walls of the canyon.
Every turn great views. Jewellery/art sellers a bit much at times but friendly enough.
Antelope House can be viewed from an overlook on the North Rim but get a guide (Leander Staley is your man!) and visit it up close and personal, What a treasure!
Take a Jeep tour here so you can really appreciate the site and enjoy the canyon at its base, too. The tours require a Navajo guide and are about 3 hours long.