little colorado river navajo tribal park

Last summer my best friend and I did a crazy 6 days adventure road trip and covered a lot of ground. From our previous stop in page Arizona (which you should absolutely check out) we were heading to the grand canyon. There is nothing for quite a long while on the road, then this popped up. We were interested and tired when we arrived. There was a fee to pay, but honestly, fees like this I don't mind, if it helps maintain the beauty of nature. It is a bit run down, but in that "it has character" sort of way. There was a little market with vendors selling trinkets. It is titled little gorge, and I guess compared to the grand canyon, it is...but it still holds its own. It is more monotone than some of the other things we saw: horseshoe bend, the painted desert, antelope canyon, petrified forest etc. But its a nice stop/break. I would say, see this one BEFORE the grand canyon, otherwise it might be a little of a let down. The pictures on this site don't seem to really capture the depth of the overlook. It is just that though, an overlook, not really much to "explore". I'm glad we stopped.

We visivted here on our way to grand canyon. The gorge was nice and no fee required. However, the facilities is abit run down. Neverthless, still quite impressive.

I found this place rather fascinating, considering I thought AZ was a desert and Grand Canyon. The plains are beautiful, the mountains in the distance are majestic, and the traditional octagon houses are unique to the Navajos. It's almost inevitable that you will go through it, so enjoy the scenery.If your are there around lunch, I highly recommend eating at the Navajo at the Cameron Trading Post.

There are no trails into the canyon of the little Colorado, just a very up-close and intimate view of a canyon that's spectacular in its own way. For many travelers overdosed on the grandeur of the Grand Canyon it is often passed by, or folks stop for a few minutes then carry on. But stay long enough to appreciate the geology and scenery, and talk with the Dine people (aka Navajo) who are there, to learn about how their culture and this scenery are intertwined.

I just finished a 2-week camping trip of the National Parks in the Four Corners area. We naturally had many opportunities to purchase Navajo jewelry and other craft work. The selection here was excellent and one could buy everything from $5 necklaces to very high quality jewelry and pottery. I purchased several unique dreamcatchers made with old horseshoes for my horse-friends.

Nice view. Lots of little stands selling authentic native American made items ... prices okay for area, and you can bargain ... They do ask for a couple of bucks entry to this Native American owned area (lost of other little stands dotted around the region, with no entry asked, but this has the great views and more stands than most.

We stopped off on our way to the Grand Canyon. The views are a small foretaste of what the visitor will see when they get to the Grand Canyon itself.There were quite a few Navajo Indians selling their trinkets and jewelry and my wife was happy that she found a pretty necklace.We would definitely recommend this as a visit if you are passing. We note that there is no entrance fee, but visitors are encouraged to give a donation.

This vista is off to the north side of Highway 64, 10 miles west from the 89/64 Junction, which is near Cameron, AZ. The spot is convenient, whether on your way in to the Grand Canyon, or traveling south on 89. The turnoff is easy to miss, as the sign only indicates that it's a scenic overlook, not a Tribal Park.As we entered, there was a man herding sheep across the pathway, which was pretty novel for someone like me who is from the city. The road was dirt last time we visited, but has been upgraded to a paved gravel. It's less than a quarter mile to the entry booth, where we were greeted and notified that they are accepting donations, as it's a Tribal Park, not a National Park and the recreation pass is not accepted. We gave a few dollars, and the attendant did not look at the amount before thanking us and allowing us entry, which I understood as not having a minimum donation amount.The parking area is a bit rougher, with small rocks. Once parked, you have the option of walking directly to the rail to see the vista, or walking through the booth area to look at wares for sale. We chose to look at the vista first.The space where the vista is located is rocky, and small 1-2 foot rocks need to be traversed to get to some areas. People with mobility issues will have a very limited access to the view. The railing is not substantial enough to keep kids or pets from falling over, and it's a steep and deep 1,500 foot drop. It's definitely not a play area for kids or adults, so behave responsibly and if you're going to have kids take a look, explain to them ahead of time and keep them close to you. Pets are not a good idea, and the stop should probably be avoided if you have a pet with you unless someone waits in the car with it with the AC on. It is hot there in the summer, 109F the day we visited, and even gets harsh direct sunlight in the winter.The view itself is breathtaking, especially if you have not yet seen the Grand Canyon. Where the Grand Canyon is an entire landscape, this is an enclosed feature that you might not ever know existed unless you venture off the side of the road. Some of the stones look almost like they were placed by people. The area is very dry, and the river is dry, as it will be unless there is recent significant rain or snow melt. The view down makes me a bit nauseous and I had to have someone else take photos for me, as I have a thing with steep heights. Spectacular nonetheless, and worth the time and donation in my opinion.The booths with tribal wares are nice if you like that kind of stuff. There is plenty of jewelry, pottery, ornaments, and figurines. We were not bothered by the merchants and did not have anyone try to sell us anything. The only interactions I witnessed between merchants and visitors were when they were actually browsing the tables. I'm not into this style of art and jewelry, but it was interesting to look at as we walked back to the car.The entire stop should not take any longer than 15 minutes, unless you are slower moving or stop for some other reason.

I've lived in Arizona for many years, yet this was my first visit to the Little Colorado River Gorge. The Navajo people are working to improve this park. I strongly advise NOT bringing small children here until the railings are improved! A little kid could easily going right over the ledge. I was afraid my dog would pull me over!That said, the views are interesting and beautiful, albeit different than the Grand Canyon. There are good prices on Native American jewelry and pottery available for sale by local vendors. A few picnic tables are nicely sheltered.I very much enjoyed the drive from the Desert View exit from the Grand Canyon to Flagstaff. This park is along that route. Gorgeous skies and mountains!

Luckily we found this spot off of Highway 64 along the way to the East enterence of Grand Canyon National Park. It is part of the Navajo Nation and one of seven natural wonders in the Navajo ( and Hopi) Land (which is the size of West Virginia). There is a place to make a donation and then trails ( with railing) to the canyons. It is beautiful and a great prelude to the Grand Canyon. It is a great spot to orient yourself to the magnitude of the Grand Canyons and the land that surrounds it. The artists selling their jewery and crafts were helpful and educational. You can watch them at work making their crafts. I bought several necklaces, dream catches and bracelets. The prices were much more reasonable then at the touristy Trading Posts. Great hidden gem!

We stopped on our way between the Grand Canyon and Page, AZ. It was a good leg-stretcher, and reasonably scenic and interesting. Entry is by donation, which we happily paid. This site isn't going to blow your sox off like Horseshoe Bend of a slot canyon, or the Grand Canyon, but it is worth a stop on your way.

If you are driving by, you may want to stop here and take a photo or two, look at some Native American crafts for sale, and use the facilities. It is easy off and on the road and will only take a few minutes. There is a suggested price for entering when the entry station is manned.

With the Grand Canyon closed, my wife and I were looking for other experiences. We enjoyed our visit to this tribal park but would not rate it as anything but average. There were a number of vendors of native art and jewelry and my wife did make a purchase that she felt good about. Frankly, if we had visited the Grand Canyon, we would not have considered stopping at this park.

The canyon is actually pretty deep, and locals sell their wares here. It's a tribal park that takes donations to get in. Gravel parking lot and restrooms are available. All in all, worth a short stop.

This stop made a nice break on our long trek to Monument Valley from Grand Canyon N.P. Donations requested at the entry gate (vs. a flat fee.) There is a fair amount of rim-side walkway (with iron railings) overlooking a deep ravine/canyon, presenting some photo opps. There's also a setup for Navajo vendors to sell their goods (handmade pottery, jewelry, sand art, etc.) In mid-April, only about a third of the vendor booths were full, but there was a good mix of products, from a bit-too-touristy, to quite lovely art pieces. I regret not picking up a nice "horse hair" fired pottery Christmas ornament there - later, at Cameron Trading Post, essentially the exact same ornament was about $10 more!