Page 177 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Southwest USA & National Parks

THE FOUR C ORNERS  175

Hiking in the Canyon
Canyon de Chelly is a popular destination for
hikers, but only the White House Ruins Trail
may be walked without a guide. The visitor
center (see p173) offers Navajo-guided hikes
on trails of varying lengths.

Key
Highway
Hiking route

To Tsaile
Window
Rock

North Rim Drive J Massacre Cave Overlook

J Mummy
Cave
Overlook
Canyon del Muerto

Standing
Cow Ruin

Black Rock Canyon
Spider Rock
Rising more than 800 ft (245 m), Navajo
legends say it was here that Spider
Woman lived and gave them the
skill of weaving.

Sliding Spider Rock
House Overlook Kit Carson and the “Long Walk”
Overlook J In 1863, the US government sent Kit Carson (see p208) under the
J
command of General James A. Carlton to settle the problem of
Navajo raids. To avoid outright slaughter Carson led his soldiers
through the region, destroying villages and livestock, as the Navajo
fled ahead of them. In January 1864 Carson entered
Canyon de Chelly, capturing the Navajo hiding there. In
1864, they were among 9,000 Navajo who were driven
on the “Long Walk,” a forced march of 370 miles (595
km) from Fort Defiance to Bosque Redondo in New
Mexico. There, in a pitiful reservation, more than
3,000 Navajo died before the US government
accepted the resettlement as a failure and
allowed them to return to the Four Corners.
Fur trapper and soldier Kit Carson (1809–68)
For hotels and restaurants see p241 and pp256–7

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