Navajo National Monument

Three cliff dwellings — Betatakin, Keet Seel, and Inscription House — sit in sandstone alcoves on the Shonto plateau, last physically occupied around 1300 CE. The Hopi, San Juan Southern Paiute, Zuni, and Navajo people have called these canyons home for centuries; the villages carry a spiritual presence that outlasts their abandonment. The park is free, open year-round, and offers ranger-guided hikes into Betatakin and the backcountry route to Keet Seel — strenuous, genuine, and worth every step.