Canyon de Chelly and Meteor Crater, how to get there and above all what not to miss, low cost visits and which are the surrounding cities where it is recommended to stop and sleep.
THEArizona it is a state that offers numerous naturalistic wonders. We have already seen the Grand Canyon and monument Valley and now let's head 110 km (70 miles) southeast of Kayenta reaching Chinle where a few kilometers away is the Canyon de Chelly.
Here we are in Navajo nation the part of the state assigned to this Native American people who manage their economy and taxes. The Canyon de Chelly is considered their home and they themselves take care of the visit inside that winds on the valley floor of this canyon for about 30 km (19 miles) during which you can observe their homes and their style of life in contact with nature although civilization has now reached them.
You can also visit the ancient village and rock graffiti. The visit follows the path of the river and then splits when you arrive at the "Spider Rock" two tall parallel spiers that are found at the fork of the Canyon. Keeping in mind that there are some river crossings, we recommend a car appropriate to the dirt road and these path situations. Usually the excursion goes up to this point and then back and does not go beyond two hours - two and a half hours.
China is a microscopic town that offers very few beds and therefore this visit should usually be set up as an excursion from Kayenta or from Holbrook which is located 194 km (120 miles) southwest and therefore the time needed to reach the destination must be considered and come back.
If you go towards Holbrook then it will be possible to walk along a stretch of the very famous US 66, a historic road now almost disused in many places but which preserves memories of the glorious past. Here it is possible to travel approximately 70 km (45 miles) of it as it has been integrated into the I-40 which cuts Arizona in half.
80 km (50 miles) west of Holbrook you can visit the Meteor crater which is one of the largest meteorite impact craters still visible on Earth. After paying the entrance ticket, an uphill ramp leads to the edge from where you can observe the size of this crater which has a diameter of about 1200 meters and a depth of 170.
To have a comparison, consider that the meteorite that formed it was no more than 30 meters wide; the dimensions are the result of the enormous energy produced that swept everything in the diameter of 150 km around the point of impact. After the visit we are close to Flagstaff, a city that offers many accommodations for the night and places to eat or spend an evening.
