White House Ruin

A short hike to a cliff dwelling in the bottom of Canyon De Chelly.

Trail description

Note: This is the only self-guided trail in Canyon De Chelly; visitors must have a guide to hike beyond White House Ruin.

Leaving the trailhead behind, follow the canyon rim along a broad flat bench of De Chelly Sandstone, which was deposited as windblown sand dunes 250 million years ago. In a couple hundred yards, you will see a trench on your left carved out of the rock where the trail gently descends to a tunnel behind a large square boulder. Emerging from the tunnel, you are at the base of the small cliff that forms a lip on the canyon rim. The trail continues to drop at a steady rate, and at 0.4 mile, it cuts through dark-colored Shinarump Conglomerate, composed of different sediments deposited by streams about 200 million years ago. The sharp-edged contact between the coarse, dark Shinarump and the lighter-colored De Chelly Sandstone is clearly visible on the left side of the trail.

The trail continues to switchback down the De Chelly Sandstone into the large amphitheater-shaped bowl, carved by the stream when it meandered along the bottom of the cliffs where residents now grow crops. At 0.75 mile, you reach a sandy bench. The trail enters a small drainage, curves to the right, goes through another tunnel, and drops the last few feet to the flat floor of the canyon. There is a traditional Navajo home, called a hogan, here and a cottonwood tree a few hundred feet behind a fence. Canyon De Chelly is still home to many Navajo residents; please respect the sign that prohibits taking photographs of the hogan.

After hooking sharply left, the trail crosses a deeply eroded sandy bench and goes downstream to a bridge. You can either cross the bridge or simply walk downstream (if there is no water) until you see White House Ruin on the right at the base of the cliff. Navajo venders selling arts and crafts are frequently sitting quietly in the shade of the trees beside the stream.

The light-colored plaster on some of the rooms led to the Navajo name for the site — Kinii’ ni gai — which means White House. Archaeologists believe the rooms on the canyon floor used to be high enough to provide access to the upper rooms in the alcove.

Although people have lived in Canyon de Chelly for more than 5,000 years, it was Ancestral Puebloans who built White House around 1060 AD. More rooms were added during the next 200 years, and archaeologists estimate there may have been up to 80 rooms and four kivas when it was most heavily used.

The cliffs above White House are streaked with desert varnish, a dark stain caused by deposits of iron and manganese oxide. These streaks create a tapestry effect and are prominently featured in many fine photographs of White House. Desert varnish also provides the background for many of the Southwest’s petroglyph panels.

After enjoying the view of White House and the tapestry wall above it, return the way you came.

Directions

From the park visitor center, drive 5 miles on the South Rim road and turn left on the paved road to White House Overlook. Drive 0.75 mile to the overlook parking lot. The trail begins on the path to the overlook.