Indian Territory

Indian Territory covers the northeastern corner of Arizona, the high-desert plateau and canyon country shared by the Navajo and Hopi nations. The land is layered — broad mesas at 5,000 to 7,000 feet, the deep red-rock canyons of Canyon de Chelly, and the Hopi mesas rising as steep buttes from the surrounding plain. Most of the region sits inside tribal sovereignty. Apache and Navajo counties cover the region. The major communities are Window Rock (the Navajo Nation capital), Chinle (the gateway to Canyon de Chelly), Kayenta, Ganado (the Hubbell Trading Post), and the Hopi villages atop First, Second, and Third Mesas — among the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in North America. Lake Powell extends into the northern edge. Trips here move at a different pace. Canyon de Chelly and Hubbell Trading Post handle most visitor weight; Hopi country requires permits and respect for protocols around photography, sacred sites, and ceremonies. Monument Valley sits just across the Utah line. Visitors are guests on sovereign land — Arizona time, not daylight savings, applies on the Navajo Nation.