Interested in Cultural Immersion?
Our Spring 2025 Cultural Immersions are sold out. We will be accepting reservations for our Fall Immersion Tours beginning April 1st.
Here you will find our standard itinerary for the Yei Bi Cheii and Sheep Camp Trip. Both trips consist of 4 days and 3 nights in the canyon.The best way to think about these trips is that they are a lot like rafting: You get to go with your friends to remote locations that have rarely been visited and you can bring more stuff than backpacking. However, there will be no electricity, running water, or cell service where you are going. Even though vehicles can support both camps, roads can become temporarily impassible following a storm. There are pit toilets, shade structures, and caches of emergency water at both locations. Footpath Journeys will provide Navajo Tacos on the third night, but groups will be responsible for their own food. In a medical emergency, Footpath Journeys is CPR and First Aid certified, but we highly suggest that at least one member of your team has a more advanced medical background as well as an In-Reach satellite device. All of this means that your group will need to be completely self-sufficient and be prepared to alter plans if necessary. This is the opposite of "glamping".
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With all of that said, a cultural immersion experience with Footpath Journeys is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is a chance to learn from Lupita, to explore remote areas, and to support the Dine' people who are keeping their culture alive. We have hosted hundreds of groups in our 30 years of experience and are sure that you will have an incredible time.
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For either camp, $3450 pays for a group of up to 15 people for the 4-day experience. This money not only covers our costs, but will be used to pay for your Navajo Nation Permit and parking while you are camped in the canyon.
For groups of 15 to 30 the price is $5500 and may require additional permitting and fees.
Yei Bi Cheii
Itinerary: Day 1
9 AM: Meet in Chinle to go to visitor center, get permits, and drop off gear to be driven into camp. When this is finished, park the cars and begin hiking.
At the rim, Lupita will teach you how to properly enter the canyon in the traditional way and give a formal introduction. Afterwards you will hike down to White House Cliff Dwellings for a talk and pictures. You will arrive at Yei Bi Cheii camp after lunch to set up your tents and cooking area.
When you are done, Lupita will show you the graineries that her great-grandfather built and take you to a wall of petroglyphs and pictographs near camp. She will also take you to the caves where she used to play as a child and tell stories in the shade.
After dinner on your own, the group will gather at the campfire to learn about the Four Elements of the Dine’.
Itinerary: Day 2
Eat breakfast, pack a lunch and hike up the Yei Bi Cheii Trail. This is an ancient trail with steps worn into the sandstone. It is steep and has some exposure but there are handrails that were installed by the National Park Service.
You will explore the rim and visit what is left of the Birthing Hogan to learn about that part of the canyon’s history. Afterwards you will return to camp where Lupita will show you how to grind corn, and teach about it’s importance to the Dine’ people. The goal is to grind enough for a part of a meal in the evening.
Dinner will be on your own. In the evening, gather at the campfire for more stories.
When she was a little girl, Lupita would herd sheep up and down these steps everyday.
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Itinerary: Day 3
In the morning you will explore Ledges Cliff Dwellings and part of Canyon Del Muerto. Groups may choose to picnic in Lupita’s sister’s peach orchard, or explore trails in Canyon Del Muerto.
In the afternoon, you will be participating in several cultural activities. You may use yucca to make shampoo soap for hair washing, put your hair up in a traditional Dine’ knot, play the stick dice game, or make fry-bread.
After dinner, a relative will come to lead a night of songs and dancing. These are traditional songs for when community comes together. It is important that we celebrate this bridging of cultures.
Itinerary: Day 4
After packing up camp and hiking to the rim, Lupita will lead you in a closing prayer to help you properly exit the canyon in the traditional way. At this point the group will say a formal goodbye.
Your gear will have been delivered where your vehicles are, and you will have the opportunity to buy jewelry from Lupita’s friend Ace, and visit casually before you depart.
Packing List
This list is also available as a printable word document here.
Packing List for Canyon de Chelly
This list is divided into three parts: A day pack for short hikes, a duffle for all your camp stuff, and cooking.
DAYPACK (for hiking into the canyon)
______ Bag Lunch for 1st day.
______ 2 Large water bottles
______ Hiking shoes- sometimes you may have to take these off to cross streams. We necessarily recommend sandals because there are also a lot of cactus.
______ Hat
______ Sunscreen
______ Sunglasses
______ Camera
______ Light jacket just in case
______ Small first aid kit with basics (Ibuprofen and other medications)
LARGE PACK OR DUFFEL (These items will be transported into the canyon in the back of a truck.)
______ sleeping bag for cold weather (~ 25 – 40F at night)
______ sleeping pad, small pillow
______ tent
______ warm jacket - it may snow or freeze anytime before June.
______ warm hat
______ Light Jacket or Sweater (additional layer for cold evenings)
______ Rain Jacket (waterproof jacket or poncho is REQUIRED)
______ 2 pairs of long water resistant/quick drying pants
______ 1 pair of shorts
______ 1 long sleeve shirt (for sun protection)
______ 2 t-shirts
______ underwear and hiking socks for three days (synthetic recommended)
______ extra pair of shoes/ hiking boots.
______ towel, simple toiletries (toothbrush & toothpaste, soap, feminine products)
______ flashlight or headlamp w/extra batteries
______ book/ journal
OPTIONAL:
______ camp chair
______ hammock
______ soccer ball/ frisbee
______ small musical instruments
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COOKING:
Your group will need to bring dinner for the first two nights of the trip as well as snacks, breakfasts, and lunches. Navajo Tacos and fry bread are provided the third night for you.
There are a lot of items already out at Yei Bi Cheii Camp. These include:
-A Large Three Burner Propane Stove w/ Propane
-2 55 gallon drums of water
-2 large cast iron skillets
-An entire sent of pots and pans
-Tables, tablecloths, benches, and 8 chairs
-Wash bins for dishes
What you will need to bring is:
______ coolers with your food
______ A bin for dry food (Rez dogs will chew through mesh bags)
______ A bin for your personal plates, utensils, and cups (our family brings a small cooking bin with a cutting board, wipes, a good knife, some mixing spoons, and other basics)
______ Small stove (Jetboil) for coffee
Other general info:
There is a central shaded gazebo in camp. It’s a great place for everybody to eat and cook.
There are two pit toilets at camp. We provide toilet paper. You may always bring extra.
There is a protected stall for solar showers. However, water is scarce. If you bring a solar shower, please use it extremely sparingly. My family just brings wet wipes to clean the basics.
As mentioned before, water is provided. With that said, for groups coming from nearby, if you want to fill and bring your own 5-gallon container, it always helps.
There is plenty of firewood. With that said, the fire poker stick is one of the most sacred things to the Dine’ people. Don’t ever throw it in the fire.
We highly discourage alcohol and portable speakers. Are we going to search your bag? No. Just remember that Yei Bi Cheii isn’t a party scene. It’s a place to connect with nature.
Finally, while 99% of folks who visit are respectful, make sure that everybody follows Lupita’s rules. This means being mindful of pottery, rock art, and their own safety. Never take anything, or scratch the canyon walls.
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Loading up the vehicles with gear
The 3 Burner Propane Stove
There are lots of pots and pans at camp, including two cast iron skillets
Notice the plastic bins that this group brought for their food and other cooking supplies. These are the best for taking to camp because they are rez-dog proof and are easily transportable.
Cars safely parked at Acey's home
A view of Yei Bi Cheii Camp
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Plenty of space for tents
Water in the gazebo
Stall for solar showers
The sacred fire poker- Do Not Burn
There are lots of sacred artifacts and rock art around camp. Enjoy, but don't touch or take anything please.
Sheep Camp
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Much of the Sheep Camp Itinerary is the same as Yei Bi Cheii. The biggest differences are that you will drive to camp because it is on the rim, and that you will take different hikes. Sheep Camp is an ideal place for school trips and large groups that require more logistics. The hike to Wind Arch (pictured below) is more difficult and remote than the hikes at Yei Bi Cheii. The cultural activities will be the same at both locations.
