Canyon de Chelly Tour Guide Recommendations

<p>I'm planning a photo trip to NM, AZ and UT this December. (I like shooting in winter.) I've shot Monument Valley, Arches & Canyonlands, etc., but want to spend some time in Canyon de Chelly this time. I've found multiple guide services for the Canyon, but would appreciate recommendations for a tour guide.<br>

Thanks for your input.</p>

<p>Mario:<br>

Canyon de Chelly is a wonderful place to visit and photograph. December will be cold, though! If you are hiking, there is one trail (White House Ruins) you can use on your own. Additionally, you can drive along the rim without a guide. But every other way of exploring in the canyon must include an official guide. Luckily, there is no shortage of tour guides. The link below offers an official National Park Service list of authorized guide companies. When I toured the canyon a few years ago, I just asked at the nearby Park Service headquarters and was directed to a spot where individual Navajo guides were available for hire. We negotiated a price and had a great time. It worked for us because we had our own 4-wheel drive SUV and the guide simply hopped in and drove us down into and all around the canyon, stopping wherever we desired. A safer bet, especially if your time at the canyon is limited, would be the aforementioned list of approved guide companies. A call to the local park service headquarters to inquire about average conditions in December would be advised. They can close off access to the canyon if there is bad weather, flooding, etc ... <br>

http://www.nps.gov/cach/upload/CDC_2015.pdf</p>

<p>You need a guide for the floor of the canyon, not for the rim overviews that are easily do-able on your own. There seem lots of guides, and we just picked up a leaflet on arrival from the hotel's rack or the visitor centre that make the prices and tour options clear, and called to make a reservation for the following morning. They picked us up from right outside the hotel (Holiday Inn IIRC).</p>

<p>There doesn't seem to be a lot of variation company to company in what you get. We used Oscar Bia's company but although we paid him and met him the tour was conducted by someone else, who was OK rather than sparkling. However it seemed that Mr Bia's credit card machine was reluctant to provide a receipt and whilst we were told he'd meet us at the end to give it he didn't show, or respond to contacts to provide it. He had in fact charged the expected amount of money, but we had to wait till we returned home and saw the CC bill to be sure of that. His reviews on Tripadvisor are mixed and I wouldn't use him again. </p>

<p>Personally I didn't think Canyon de Chelly was a great experience and preferred Mesa Verde from a photographic perspective. I covered similar ground as a bolt-on to a fall colour trip to the San Juans last October. I particularly enjoyed Bisti ( take a GPS and get coordinates for the features you want to photograph) White Sands ( which is a long drive but can get you photographs you won't see anywhere else) and parts of Petrified Forest. I thought Canyon de Chelly was a sideshow- especially if you're doing Utah's red rocks. </p>

<p>http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=1030951 There are a number of Cyn. de C. shots in this folder, most in back half of folder. If you find a 50mm, 1.8 prime on the canyon floor, it's mine. Send collect! Most of my favorite shots were from rim rather than floor. I booked my tour at the Thunderbird Lodge which is right in the heart of things. Here is a blurb from their website:<br>

Our "Wet-Season" usually runs from February to May. Ice may coat the canyon floors from December through February. In past years, the advent of winter often closed the canyon to tourism. The weather in the last few winters however, has been extremely mild. The canyon has remained open all year. <strong>During Bad Weather, inquire about the conditions in the canyon.</strong> <br>

Might be pretty stark in December and definitely cold. I was there in March when trees and shrubs were budding out. </p>

<p>I will track down the name of the guide company we used, the key is to make sure you ask for a photo tour, they will give you someone who knows the best photo spots, etc. </p>

<p>Depending on the clouds, weather, you can get some AMAZING shots from the rim. </p>

<p>Here's some that I took : <a href="

<p>My wife and I had a great tour with Leon Skyhorse Thomas in November 2014. My recollection is that the "tour office" for all of the guides is now located at the Thunderbird Lodge and not at the Park Visitor Center. We stayed at the Thunderbird Lodge which offers very nice accommodations at a reasonable cost. The gift store located at the lodge is excellent and the prices will be very reasonable compared to other stores in Arizona. <br>

http://www.canyondechellytours.com/</p>

<p>Joe Smith</p>