Window Rock - census designated place in Apache County, Arizona, United States

Window Rock (Navajo: Tségháhoodzání) is a town of 2,500 people (2020) in Apache County, in the state of Arizona in the United States of America. It is significant beyond its size as the administrative center of Navajo Nation, the country's largest Indian reservation and an important tourist destination.

Get in

Window Rock is just west of the New Mexico state line and is more easily reached by road from New Mexico than from Arizona. Hwy 264 leads from Gallup on Interstate highway 40 (following historic Route 66) to the town. The southwestern approach to the town is via US Hwy 191 from I-40.

Albuqueque International Sunport, with flights around the U.S., is about a 2½-hour drive away.

Get around

Window Rock is a small town of 5 square miles (14 sq km) and 2,712 residents. Just walk, bike, or drive. The Navajo Transit System (dead link: January 2023) also operates buses.

The Navajo Nation Tourism Department 📍 operates a tourism information center on Hwy 264 in nearby St. Michaels.

See

• Navajo Nation Museum, Library, and Visitor's Center, Hwy 264, 35.664109°, -109.051159°, +1 928 871-7941. Tu-F 8AM-6PM (winter), 8AM-7PM (summer); M Sa 8AM-5PM. The modern Navajo Nation Museum is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the rich and unique culture of the Navajo Nation. Native displays, book shop, gift shop, snack bar, auditorium, outdoor amphitheater, information kiosk, library, and on-site traditional Navajo hogan complete the center. Free
• Navajo Nation Zoo and Botanical Park, Hwy 264, 35.6642°, -109.051°, +1 928 871 6574. M-Sa 10AM-5PM. The only zoo in the U.S. owned by a Native American tribe, the Navajo Zoo focuses on animals native to the reservation and the Southwest. Most were found injured or orphaned, including many golden eagles. Free 2021-12-12
• Window Rock Tribal Park and Veteran's Memorial, 35.680928°, -109.048817°, +1 928 871 6647. A small park featuring the red sandstone window rock that gave its name to the town. The veteran’s memorial honors Navajos who served in the U.S. military. 2021-01-16

Do

Buy

See the Navajo Nation article for a discussion of Navajo rugs and other distinctive arts and crafts of the region. Navajo Arts and Crafts Enterprises 📍 is headquartered in Window Rock (Hwy 264, just east of the center of town) and may be worth a visit, not so much for buying goods as for learning about other places in the region for buying them.

• Cool Runnings Music & Indian Store, 9 Los Verdes Ct, St. Michaels, +1 928 871-5600. M-F 10AM-3PM, Sa 10AM-3PM. 2021-12-12

Eat

Try out the local frybread stands, most near the downtown fleamarket.

• Blackbird Brunch, Hwy 264, St Michaels, 35.659702°, -109.075808°. Sa Su 10AM–2PM. Huevos rancheros, breakfast tacos, French toast, and coffee 2021-01-16
• Cociana De Dominguez, Hwy 264 and Route 12 (Navajo Nation Shopping Center), 35.665855°, -109.057535°, +1 928-810-3777. M-F 10AM-6PM. Mexican restaurant. 2021-12-12
• Mikasa 2, Hwy 264 and Rt 12 (Navajo Nation Shopping Center), 35.665669°, -109.056288°. Su-Th 10:30AM–9PM; F Sa 10:30AM–10PM. Chinese and other Asian cuisines. 2016-11-24
• Blake's Lotaburger, Highway 264, Manuelito, New Mexico, 35.659082°, -109.042300°, +1 505 371 5400. New Mexico-based restaurant known for its green chile cheeseburgers
• Bashas, Hwy 264, 35.661891°, -109.063184°, +1 928 871 3322. Grocery store 2021-01-16

Drink

Alcoholic beverages are prohibited within Navajo Nation. If you simply must have a beer, Gallup, New Mexico is only a few miles away, but bar-hopping there may expose you to some hostility, owing to problems with alcoholism in Navajo Nation.

• Latte Abini Coffee, Hwy 264, St Michaels. Coffee and tea stand with a few outdoor tables. 2021-12-11

Sleep

• Quality Inn Navajo Nation Capital, 48 W Hwy 264, 35.664675°, -109.05374°, +1 928-871-4108. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Includes WiFi and hot breakfast. It has an exercise room, laundry, and business center. The on-site restaurant serves American and local native cuisine, such as Navajo tacos and mutton stew. 2021-12-13
• NavajoLand Inn, 392 W. Hwy. 264, Saint Michaels (3 miles from Window Rock), 35.658806°, -109.113885°, +1 928-871-5690, info@navajolandinn.com. Indoor pool and hot tub, WiFi, and breakfast included. 2021-11-24

Go next

• Window Rock is a good base camp from which to visit some of the Navajo Nation trading posts and look for Navajo rugs and other folk art. Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site, near Ganado, is a unit of the United States National Park System, but is also a working post with a good collection of rugs and jewelry. Posts at Crystal (picturesque setting, quite different from the desert you might be expecting), Two Grey Hills (a particularly noted rug-weaving region), and Wide Ruin are also close.
• Other nearby national parks and monuments include Canyon de Chelly National Monument to the north and Petrified Forest National Park to the southwest along I-40.