Spider Rock

Impossibly tall and slender, Spider Rock rises 750 feet from the floor of Canyon de Chelly. The taller of its two spires is home to Na'ashjé'íí Asdzą́ą́ (Spider Woman) in Diné (Navajo) belief. Spider Woman is an important deity who nurtured the Diné in myriad ways, including teaching them to weave on a loom. Spider Rock was once connected to a ridge between two canyons—Canyon de Chelly and Monument Canyon. Over thousands of years, the connecting land eroded away leaving the isolated stone tower of Spider Rock. Canyon de Chelly National Monument encompasses approximately 84,000 acres and lies within the Navajo Nation. About 40 Diné families live and farm within the park boundaries today. The National Park Service and the Navajo Nation work in partnership to manage this special place.