Hike-in Required
Yes
Open Year-round
Yes
ADA accessible
Yes
Guided tours
No
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

Chetro Ketl is one of the largest of the Chaco Canyon great houses, and it is a popular stop in Chaco Culture National Historical Park since it shares a parking area with the undoubted highlight of the park, Pueblo Bonito. Chetro Ketl is a worthwhile companion to Pueblo Bonito because it also displays the scope of the builiding projects at Chaco as well as the construction and design skills the Chaco people possessed.

From the parking lot it is a short trek to the Chetro Ketl site, the highlight of which is the large kiva in the center of the massive elevated earthen plaza. The great north wall is an extremely large and intact structure that shows off how the large beams were incorporated into the masonary structure.

The short trail between Chetro Ketl and Pueblo Bonito is easy and informative, and it highlights the huge sandstone masses that separate from the main cliff and eventually crash down, as happened to a section of Pueblo Bonito in 1941.

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Spring
Fall

Congestion

High

Parking Pass

Park entrance fee

Pros

Easy access from Pueblo Bonito parking lot. Second-largest ruin. Large kiva.

Cons

None.

Pets allowed

Not Allowed

Features

ADA accessible
Family friendly
Vault toilet
Historically significant
Geologically significant
Native artifacts

Location

Nearby Adventures

Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Chaco Culture National Historical Park

Nearby Lodging + Camping

Chaco Culture National Historical Park

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