The past is the present in northeastern Arizona's Indian country, where Hopi families still carry water to pueblo villages perched atop high mesas. Granaries at Keet Seel ruins in Navajo National Monument hold corncobs stored seven centuries ago. Navajo families farm centuries-old fields in Canyon de Chelly National Monument, site of prehistoric cliff dwellings inherited from the Anasazi, ancestors of today's Pueblo tribes. And Hopi and Navajo artisans still sell their trademark rugs and jewelry at the old Hubbell Trading Post.

Overview
This 425-mile loop route runs from Tuba City northeast to Kayenta, southeast to Canyon de Chelly, south to Ganado, then west back to Tuba City. Highlights include various Native American attractions and national park sites.

Start in Tuba City
In 1878 a Mormon named Erastus Snow established Tuba City, naming it Tuve in honor of a Hopi headman. Tuve was mispronounced by so many newcomers, the reason why travelers roll into town expecting to hear some anecdote about a horn instrument. Snow's flock moved when the Navajo Indian Reservation was enlarged to include Tuba City and established its western headquarters here. The terrain around town includes sediments deposited 200 million years ago in the Jurassic period. One early dinosaur stalked across a nearby mudflat over 70 billion days ago, leaving tracks preserved in Moenave Formation sandstone. For a look, drive west 5.5 miles on US 160 to milepost 316 and watch for the sign to Dinosaur Tracks. Their shape and stride length suggest those of a Dilophosaurus, a toothy biped.

Navajo National Monument
From Tuba City, proceed northeast on US 160 to Klethla Valley, then veer north on Ariz. 564 to Navajo National Monument. Here, in two serene canyons, are two of the largest and best preserved cliff dwellings in the Southwest, Keet Seel and Betatakin, occupied by the ancient Pueblo people (also known as Anasazi) between A.D. 1250 and 1300. Exhibits at the visitors center trace the ruins' human history and include a display of archaeological finds. A video tells what is known about the ancestors of the Hopi, Zuni, and Pueblo peoples. For a good view of 135-room Betatakin (Navajo for "ledge house"), walk the half-mile trail from the Visitor Center to the Betatakin Overlook. The stone and mortar enclave, visible across the valley, perches on a shelf inside a 452-foot-high sandstone alcove. Viewing Betatakin and its mysterious rock paintings requires a strenuous five-mile round-trip hike at an altitude of 7,000-plus feet—a trek only for those in good shape. The same caveat applies to Keet Seel, the larger and more remote ruin. An 8.5-mile path switchbacks down a thousand-foot cliff, ending beneath a soaring overhang of sandstone. Walkways lead past Keet Seel's 150 rooms: ceremonial chambers, clustered apartments, storage areas. Some granaries hold corncobs abandoned seven centuries ago.