Chaco Culture National Historical Park

Chaco Canyon was a center of Ancesteral Puebloan culture between 850 and 1250. Because of its historical significance, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site called Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Here is a view entering the park in the late afternoon.

This is a view down the road leading to the Chaco Canyon Visotor Center in New Mexico. — This is a view down the road leading to the Chaco Canyon Visitor Center in New Mexico.

Photographs of Chaco Canyon

Photographing Chaco Canyon should be on every outdoor photographer’s bucket list. And, if you are fortunate enough to live in the southwest, Chaco Canyon needs to be a frequent destination. Here are some shots from our most recent visit. They are organized by great house or geologic feature.

Fajada Butte

Fajada Butte is a major landmark in Chaco Canyon and may have served as some type of astronomical observatory.

Fajada Butte in Chaco Canyon in New Mexico glows red in the early morning sun.

Dawn Panorama of Fajada Butte located in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

Pueblo Bonito

Pueblo Bonito is the largest great house in Chaco Canyon, as well as in the Chacoan Outliers.

This is a view looking up through a multi-story tower in Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

This panorama shows the entire Pueblo Bonito great house site. Pueblo Bonito was the largest of the Chacoan great houses with over 700 rooms, 32 kivas, and 3 great kivas. Pueblo Bonito is located in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

Pueblo Bonito has several masonry styles that help date the initial core ruins and later additions. This is a view of an exterior wall showing core-and-veneer stone work.

A view of the layout of Pueblo Bonito from the cliffs behind the ruin in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

Chetro Ketl

The most noticeable features at the Chetro Ketl great house are the clusters of kivas in the courtyard.

A view of a cluster of kivas located in the southeeast corner of Chetro Ketl in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

This view, looking north, shows a cluster of kivas in the north east corner of Chetro Ketl's courtyard in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

This panoramic view shows a cluster of kivas located in the northeast corner of Chetro Ketl's courtyard in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. The large kiva in the distance is one of two great kivas at Chetro Ketl.

This is a view into the larger of two great kivas found in the courtyard of Chetro Ketl in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

This is a detail of a wall at Chetro Ketl, a great house .5 miles east of Pueblo Bonito. Chetro Ketl has the largest surface area of any Chacoan great house. It is located in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

Southern Chacoan stairway

Heading up the north-facing cliffs along Chaco Wash is a set of steps. These steps lead up onto the top of the mesa.

This Chacoan Stairway is located south of Chetro Ketl, across Chaco Wash, and cuts up the southern canyon wall.

Kin Kletso

Kin Kletso is a McElmo-style great house was built late in the Chacoan period, between 1125 and 1120 AD.

Pueblo del Arroyo

Pueblo del Arroyo has a number of interesting features to photograph, such as a viga and latilla roofed room where a Macaw skeleton was found, as well as a mysterious trip-walled circular structure.

An ancient viga, probably from a tree that grew in the Chuska Mountains, protrudes from a wall in Pueblo del Arroyo in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

A Canyon Towhee gives us the eye from his ledge on and interior wall of Pueblo del Arroyo in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

An ancient viga and latillas form the roof of a lower level room in Pueblo del Arroyo in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. A Macaw skeleton was found in this room.

This interior view of Pueblo del Arroyo, in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, shows several kivas, a multi-storied greathouse, and remnants of vigas.

This is a view up the mound at the ruins of Pueblo del Arroyo, which was one of the great houses in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

Seven ancient vigas protrude from a first-floor ceiling in a room of the Pueblo del Arroyo great house in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

This wall at Pueblo del Arroyo in Chaco Canyon,New Mexico, shows evidence of having been repaired or altered. You can also see ends of vigas, or roof beams, protruding from the wall.

A close-up view of stone veneer on a wall in Pueblo del Arroyo in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

A protruding viga casts a shadow on a stone-veneered wall in Pueblo del Arroyo in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

Stone Work at Pueblo del Arroyo in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

A t-shaped doorway in a wall separating two rooms in Pueblo del Arroyo in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

A view through many rooms to a window in Pueblo del Arroyo in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

A downspout used to direct runoff from the top of a wall is painted with a camoflage pattern to help it blend in better at the Pueblo del Arroyo ruins in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

The purpose of a tri-walled structure built at Pueblo del Arroyo in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, still puzzles archaeologist today.

In the foreground is an overview of Pueblo del Arroyo, as viewed from the clipps above Pueblo Bonito. In the distance is the South Road, a Chacoan Road that leads to Kin Ya'a Outlier near Crownpoint, New Mexico.

Casa Rinconada

Casa Rinconada is the largest excavated great kiva in Chaco Canyon.

Petroglyphs

There are a number of petroglyphs along the cliffs behind Chetro Ketl and elsewhere. Here are several interesting examples.

Geology

The Mesa Verde Group is the primary formation in Chaco Canyon. Here are some photos of features in the Cliff House Sandstone.

Tips on Photographing Chaco Canyon

Here are some tips to keep in mind when planning your visit.

Camp at Chaco

The most important tip is to camp at the Gallo Campground. Because Chaco Canyon is an archaeological site, the rangers close the gates at the visitors station every evening at 5PM and open them again at 8AM.

Therefore, trying to drive in and out each day is foolish. The road into the park is absolutely terrible. It is about 20 miles of the worst washboard we have ever been on. Seriously, it is horrible. The back roads into the park are just as bad – if not worse. So, staying at Gallo is your best option, because this allows you the most time in the park.

Visit Chaco when the days are short

Since the best time to photograph the ruins is at dawn or dusk, plan to visit in the fall, winter, or very early spring. The sunlight will still be favorable for dramatic photos even though the gates do not open until 8AM or later, if the ranger wants a bit of a sleep-in.

Plan your shots

Use your downtime in the middle of the day to plan your morning and evening shots. Use an ephemeris to determine where the sun and moon will be and create your shooting list. Actually, you can do a good bit of this research prior to your arrival. But, nothing quite beats ground-truth.

Shoot early or late

I know I sound like a broken records. But, because the building materials and surrounding cliffs are the same hue, shooting early or late in the day provides the best photographic opportunities. The low sun enhances contrast, giving the foreground subjects more separation from their background. Also, you will be more likely to capture the golden glow that separates the best photos of the ruins from the rest.

Don’t photograph just ruins

Yes, the great houses and kivas are the raison d’etre for the park. However, there are natural features that are worth some shots—particularly, Frajada Butte. It is majestic at sunset, especially with dark monsoon storm clouds behind it. Speaking of rain, dark storm clouds add contrast and drama to scene. Yes, I know. This goes against my fall/winter advice. That just means you need to visit the park more than once!

Additionally, you may be fortunate enough to see elk drinking in Chaco Wash. Or, see a flock of turkey vultures sitting in a dead tree.

Purchasing our photographs

All of our scenic photographs are available as fine art prints. Use the contact form to the right to get more information. Or, go to our Fine Art Print page to learn about various pricing options.

Other portfolios of ancient ruins

Ancient ruins are found throughout the southwestern United States. Here are some addition photos of ancient ruins we have taken: Mesa Verde National Park