Native American Encounters in Arizona

Twenty-one Native American tribes make Arizona home, and most invite visitors to experience their lands, culture and heritage. Here are just four Native American encounters your family can have in Arizona.

Native Experiences. Photo: Teresa Bitler

Heard Museum

Opened in 1929, the internationally acclaimed Heard Museum actually brings tribal culture to Phoenix through the art and items on display in its 12 galleries. Highlights for families include 1,200 katsina dolls donated by the late Senator Barry M. Goldwater and the Fred Harvey Company and a kid-friendly area with crafts for young artists.

Throughout the year, the museum hosts cultural performances featuring dancers, musicians and artists at work. Check its online calendar for upcoming events, or plan to visit when the museum holds its annual Indian Fair & Market. (The next fair will be March 6–8, 2020.)

Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass

Also located in the Phoenix area on Gila River Indian Community lands, this Native American-owned resort incorporates tribal culture into its design, artwork, activities and even its menus. Families can gather around campfires to hear the legends of the Pima and Maricopa tribes, take a horseback ride with native guides or rent a pedal boat or kayaks to explore the Gila River.

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Native Experiences. Teresa Bitler

Mom and Dad can further immerse themselves in native culture with a spa day at Aji Spa featuring native ingredients like prickly pear and tribe-approved experiences like the Burden Basket Meditation. Or, they treat themselves to dinner at Kai, Arizona’s only AAA Five-Diamond and Forbes Five Star restaurant.

Canyon de Chelly

Jointly operated by the National Park Service and the Navajo people, Canyon de Chelly in Northern Arizona is often compared to the Grand Canyon for its incredible beauty. Families can drive along the rim, stopping at scenic overlooks, or hike into the canyon on the public trail starting at the White House Overlook.

To explore more of the canyon, sign up for a ranger-led program or hire a Navajo guide for a hike, horseback ride or Jeep tour inside the canyon, where several Navajo families still live.

Native Experiences, Katsina. Photo: Teresa Bitler

Canyon de Chelly isn’t the only park where you can explore Native American lands. Monument Valley and Havasupai Falls in the Grand Canyon offer similar opportunities.

Hopi Arts Trail

Many of today’s Hopi people live along State Route 264 on the First, Second and Third Mesas and in Tuba City. Although the Hopi Arts Trail today has only four participating galleries where you can see Hopi artists at work, there are enough sites in the area to keep your family entertained.

To see them, book a tour with Experience Hopi. Your day will include a stop at colorful Coalmine Canyon, lunch at the Hopi Cultural Center and a visit to Prophecy Rock, an ancient petroglyph.