Betatakin Hike and Campout

September 2007

We all drove up to Navajo National Monument on Friday night and camped in the Sunset Campground. Saturday morning half of our group backpacked to Keet Seel while the rest of us day hiked to the Betatakin cliff dwelling.

We meet the ranger at the trailhead on top of the canyon. She will lead us to the cliff dwelling and explain the history of Betatakin.

The view of the canyon from up here is gorgeous. We follow our ranger into the canyon on the 2.5 mile hike down to Betatakin.

We take a break in the shade along the way. Going back up those switchbacks won't be much fun!

We get our first glimpse of the cliff dwelling, which is built in the shelter of a large amphitheatre in a beautiful setting near a spring and aspen trees.

The view from the dwelling is not too bad!

Somebody still lives here!

Pictographs cover the walls around Betatakin representing the different clans that lived there and other important symbols in their lives.

We spend about an hour at the cliff dwelling before we hike back to our camp site.

You mean we have to hike back up all those switchbacks???