Cottonwood Campground

Canyon de Chelly is a national monument jointly managed by the National Park Service and the Navajo Nation. This means that things are run a bit differently at this campground. For one thing, the usual discounts and passes good at other national parks and monuments are not honored here. The maintenance of the campground is below par, and the park managers are seldom seen. In spite of that, this is one of the only places to camp near the canyon, and it is pleasant enough to serve its purpose.

Sites are spread out around three one-way loop roads and are a mix of back-in sites and side-of-the-road pull-outs. Each loop has a comfort station with flush toilets but no showers. There are one or two potable water spigots in the interior of each loop and a water fill at the dump station that was non-functional as of this writing . Loops 1 and 3 are mostly devoid of trees and sunny, while loop 2 is basically a grove of cottonwood trees that make some light shade and provice a bit more privacy.

All sites are first-come, first-served, and this campground gets a LOT of turnover. Most people only stay for one or two nights, so there are always spaces available earlier in the day. Tours of the canyon from Navajo guides are the only way to experience the floor of the canyon (other than one trail that is open to hiking on one’s own), and tour operators generally will pick up and drop off at any site in the campground.