Hopi Mesas & Navajo Lands of Canyon de Chelly & Monument Valley

Program Registration: 5:00 – 5:30 p.m. After you have your room assignment, come to the Road Scholar table in the hotel meeting room to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing the up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, other important information, and to confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in. Orientation: 5:30 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. On the Road programs are journeys that take participants to multiple study sites in a region with a number of overnight stays. Lectures, talks, discussions, field trips, and on-board commentary amplify the program theme. Some journeys involve great distances and may take hours, others are much shorter. Long or short, On the Road journeys are learning experiences that make the most of our time together. Field trips will be conducted by our Group Leader, a seasoned and experienced naturalist who will also function as our Study Leader, unless noted otherwise. We will travel via comfortable passenger vans. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience more meaningful and memorable according to your preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

In the hotel restaurant.

At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night's rest for the day ahead. Be sure to prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

at the hotel.

To facilitate a better understanding of the pre-historic cultural development of the Southwest - we will enjoy an insightful and informative docent-led field trip at the Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA) after arriving by van. The MNA has evolved into a regional center of learning with collections, exhibits, educational programs, publications, and research projects. Museum of Northern Arizona is the premier museum dedicated to the cultural and natural history of the Colorado Plateau. Afterwards, we’ll take some time for independent exploration in the museum.

We’ll enjoy a plated lunch at a local restaurant.

After lunch, we’ll board our vans and begin our transfer from Flagstaff to Navajolands with a stop at Wutpatki National Monument. Nestled between the Painted Desert and ponderosa highlands of northern Arizona, Wupatki National Monument is an unlikely landscape for a thriving community. The early 1100's marked a time of cooler and wetter weather, when the ancestors of contemporary Pueblo communities created a bustling center of trade and culture. For indigenous peoples, these sites represent the footprints of their ancestors. Then, we will make our way to Tuba City, Arizona, Tuba City is the largest community in the Navajo Nation, offering many culturally significant attractions to explore.

At the Hogan Restaurant.

Gathering after dinner, we’ll enjoy a local Navajo presenter that will share culture and music.

At the Hogan restaurant.

The Explore Navajo Interactive Museum approximates the journey Navajos take through life. At over 7,000 sq. feet, the museum features a traditional Navajo Hogan (home) and Navajo stories of creation.

at the Hogan Restaurant.

We’ll take a field trip to Tutuveni, Newspaper Rock. Recognized as a sacred site by the Hopi people, the Hopi "Tutuveni" petroglyph area contains 5,000 petroglyphs of Hopi clan symbols and is the largest known collection of clan symbols in the American Southwest.

at Hogan Restaurant.

At our dinner location, we’ll have a Q&A on Hopi preparation. Then, be sure to prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

at the Hogan Restaurant.

After checking out and loading our luggage, we’ll make our way to the Hopi Reservation. The Hopi trace their history in the Southwest to long before the Spanish arrived in 1540 and many villages have been occupied since the 1100s C.E. With a Hopi expert we will explore either Oraibi or Walpi village, depending on local circumstances and conditions. Each is one of the oldest continuously inhabited villages in the country. Oraibi, also referred to as Old Oraibi, is on Third Mesa on the Hopi Reservation and has been a place of habitation since c. 1100 C.E. The way of life here has changed little over the centuries. Orabi is not typically open to tourists. Walpi dates from c. 900 C.E. It also has changed little since moving to its present location higher up on the mesa in 1680. The community embodies traditional lifestyles and preserves Hopi architecture, history, and rituals. In spite of some structural “improvements” in the 1970s, Walpi offers an excellent sense of what life was like here centuries ago evidenced by its lack of electricity and running water. Also as it has been for centuries, the Hopi are organized into matrilineal clans, and home ownership passes from mother to daughter. Visiting a Hopi community is a privilege. As anywhere else, we will be polite and sensitive to the surroundings, the people, and their beliefs. Photography is not permitted. Upon arrival at the Cultural Center, we’ll enjoy a fascinating native arts demonstration (pottery making, Kachina carving, or other) presented by a Hopi tribal member and artisan. We’ll then enjoy some time exploring the exhibits and photographs in the Hopi Tribal Museum independently, as well as checking out the native arts and jewelry.

at the Hopi Cultural Center.

After lunch at the Hopi Cultural Center, we’ll enjoy a fascinating native arts demonstration (pottery making, Kachina carving, or other) presented by a Hopi tribal member and artisan. We’ll then head to Chinle, stopping at Hubbell Trading Post. Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site is considered a meeting ground of two cultures between the Navajo and the settlers who came to the area to trade.

In the hotel restaurant.

The evening is at your leisure as you rest from the busy day!

in the hotel restaurant.

Setting out from the hotel via our regular vehicle, we’ll drive to the starkly beautiful South Rim of Canyon de Chelly, making stops at multiple viewpoints, taking some short walks, and enjoying vistas at Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Before returning, we will offer some time to explore the Canyon de Chelly National Monument Visitor Center independently.

We'll enjoy a traditional lunch in a local Navajo home.

At the hotel, we’ll board four-wheel-drive vehicles for a field trip into Canyon de Chelly with certified local Navajo/Diné experts. During our adventure, we’ll see stunning scenery with sandstone cliffs, canyons, petroglyphs, and ruins. Compared to the millions of years it took for natural forces to create the landscapes we see today, humans have lived here only a relatively short 4,000 years. There are people today who continue to make a living as the “Ancient Ones” did by planting crops within the national monument’s 84,000 acres. The National Park Service works in conjunction with the Navajo Nation to manage Canyon de Chelly. Of the more than 2,700 archaeological sites, some 700 are standing ruins and only about a dozen of these have been protected. At the end of our adventure, we’ll get dropped off back at the hotel in time for dinner.

Hotel plated meal.

In the hotel meeting room, we'll settle in for an expert-led presentation on one or more fascinating aspects of Dine' (Navajo) history and culture, such as the special connection between the people and Canyon de Chelly, or a demonstration by a native artisan accompanied by a discussion of inspiration and technique.

at Hotel.

After checking out, we’ll load our luggage and set out for Cameron via Goulding’s Lodge and Trading Post in Monument Valley. In 1938, Harry Goulding got movie director John Ford to visit here by showing him evocative photographs of Monument Valley. It started a lifelong friendship and Monument Valley served as the iconic backdrop for Ford's western movies. While here, we’ll also have a look around the Trading Post Museum independently.

At historic Goulding's Lodge and Trading Post with magnificent views of Monument Valley's red rock splendor.

We’ll then get picked up for a field trip aboard four-wheel drive vehicles with Navajo/Diné experts, during which we’ll see famous monuments including The Mittens — red sandstone buttes seen in countless movies and TV shows. We’ll also have a special visit to the Monument’s restricted area. This area contains many rock windows and arches of unique shapes and sizes, which make for unparalleled photo opportunities in one of the American West’s most photographed destinations. Carrying on, our journey will move through a scenic section of the Navajo Reservation past Comb Ridge, Tsegi Canyon, Black Mesa, the Elephant Feet, Tuba City, the Little Colorado River Canyon, the northern end of the Painted Desert, and wide open sweeping vistas. Upon arrival at historic Cameron Trading Post, we’ll check in to our hotel with time to freshen up and relax before dinner.

In the Cameron Trading Post restaurant. Alcohol is prohibited on the Navajo Reservation. The restaurant is decorated with beautiful Navajo rugs, baskets, pottery, antique cabinets, and stained glass — all topped with a pressed tin ceiling.

We’ll then have a final wrap-up session for reflections on our adventures. Share some of your favorite experiences from the program with new Road Scholar friends. The remainder of the evening will be at leisure. Be sure prepare for check-out and departures in the morning.

At the hotel.

After checking out of the hotel, we’ll load our luggage and depart for Flagstaff.

The program concludes with drop-offs at at the starting hotel, Flagstaff airport, or the Flagstaff Amtrak visitor center if taking Groome Transportation. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Happy Trails!