zacky

Hi All - Thanks for the great advice on CDC and Mon. Valley. One last thing...
where to stay in CDC? This forum has good and bad info on Thunderbird Lodge in CDC. We want CLEAN. How is Holiday Inn? Heard Best Western was no good. We are there for one night, want clean, convenient and easy.
Thanks!

Utahtea

We stayed in the campground which is free but we heard the rooms at the Thunderbird were $106 per night!

Utahtea

RB

We stayed at the Thunderbird Lodge in 2000; our rooms were basic, but they were clean. The Lodge is right at the park entrance, so we chose it for the location. As I've said in previous posts on Southwestern accommodations, the scenery is the star at these locations. The lodging options are not luxurious, opulent, or even upper-line chain motel fancy. They do provide (on the most part) clean accommodations & hot showers- which after a day of hiking (our top activity), I'm glad to have! Hope this is of help- Canyon de Chelly is a great location; wish we had taken a guided tour, but our timetable didn't permit it. Safe travels to you.

rqf

To RB - my understanding is the only hiking that can be done at CDC without the services of a Native American guide is to the White House ruins. Has this policy been changed?

ellen

Yes, the Thunderbird was clean and sufficient and where the tours begin. However, if we do it again, we will choose the Holiday Inn......

RB

RQF- Yes, you are correct. We only had a half-day to explore Canyon de Chelly, so we didn't arrange for a guided tour- we just followed the White House Overlook to the White House Ruin, and drove to some of the overlooks. We plan to take a guided tour on the next trip.

John

I stayed at the Best Western several years ago and it was perfectly fine, and clean. The restaurant was't great - but would you expect it to be? Another advantage is it's very close to the entrance to the Canyon.

Utahtea

To rqf:

You do need a guide to go in the canyon except for one exception. You are allowed to hike the 2.5 mile round trip down the canyon to White House.

I don't know if this is new or not but it was that way last spring.

Utahtea

Karen

Zacky...one thing about these places, as RB said, the scenery is supreme and the accomodations are basic. Thunderbird Lodge is historic, been there a long time, but it is fine and I wouldn't stay anywhere else...tours leave from there and they are well worth it...

judith

like rb, i enjoyed my stay at thunderbird lodge, very nice and a cafeteria next door with a good selection, also a gift shop. you can make reservations for the tours with your inn reservation. i liked the all-day tour best, pickup and dropoff at thunderbird front door. c.de c. is awsome!