Chaco Culture National Historical Park

Address:Nageezi, New Mexico
Tel: (505) 786-7014

Explore an ancient culture at the Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico. The beautiful park, located between Albuquerque and Farmington, is home to the largest collection of ancient ruins in the American Southwest and hosts tours and hikes of the ruins.

From 900 to 1150, the area known as Chaco Canyon was a major cultural center for the Ancient Pueblo people, who assembled 15 major complexes, which were the largest buildings in North America until the 1800's. When the climate changed around the mid-12th century, the Chacoans emigrated from the canyon, leaving behind the wondrous ruins.

Today, the Chaco Culture National Historical Park is home to self-guided tours of a main paved circuit road, ranger-guided tours of select sites, and numerous hiking trails for the more adventurous. The nine-mile circuit road leads through six major sites along the way. From May to October ranger-guided tours of Pueblo Bonito and evening programs are offered. From April to October, the Chaco Night Sky Program presents astronomy programs, daytime solar viewing, and telescope viewing of the spectacular dark night sky. The four backcountry hiking trails lead visitors to the Chaco Culture National Historical Park through more remote Chacoan ruins. As the tours can take up to five hours and there is no food available at the park, visitors to the Chaco Culture National Historical Park should plan ahead.

To get to the Chaco Culture National Historical Park, turn from US 550 onto CR 7900, three miles southeast of Nageezi and 50 miles west of Cuba.