White House Tail - Canyon de Chelly
Posted by: 
linkys
N 36° 07.825 W 109° 28.622
12S E 637040 N 3999488
Quick Description: A 1.5 mile trail that leads down into Canyon de Chelly National Monument and terminates at the White House ruins.
Location: Arizona, United States
Date Posted: 10/28/2009 1:29:02 PM
Waymark Code: WM7HQF
Views: 4
Long Description:
The trail to White House Ruin begins to the right of the White
House overlook along the Monument's south road. The trail is known
to the Navajo as the Women's Trail, because in the past women often
used this trail to move sheep in and out of the grazing areas in
the Canyon. The trail is a 2.5 mile round-trip, and is the only
hike in the canyon permitted without a guide; because of this you
must stay on the trail at all times. Total time for the hike
including a stop at the ruins is about 3 hours. Note that all of
the land in the monument belongs to the Navajo people and the
National Park Service only administers policies within the
Monuments boundaries which is why you need a guide to travel off
the trail.
Trail head sign, at this point you are 550 feet above the canyon
floor. The lighter colored sandstone marks the trail and as you
walk this portion to the rim there are cairns marking the
trail.
Looking down into the canyon, our destination is out of view
behind the butte in the center of the image.
Tunnels cut through the sandstone cliffs.
These exquisite designs in the sandstone cliffs are the cross
banded layering of the sand as it was originally laid down during
the Permian age, more than 200 million years ago.
The half way point of the trail, the White House Ruins, where
according to archaeological studies, up to 12 Anasazi families may
have lived in the AD 1060-1275 time frame.
To complete the hike you must return by the same trail, which
will give you the opportunity to see all the things you missed on
the way down.