Winter Solstice

Chaco and Aztec Ruins Winter Solstice Event

The sunrise observation at Chaco will take place at the Kin Kletso great house. The sunrise will be aligned with the northern wall of the building. The Sunrise program is open to the first 100 visitors. The sunset at the Aztec West great house will be aligned with the building’s back wall. Some researchers believe that these alignments were the Ancestral Pueblo way of creating a calendar on the landscape. If weather permits, there will be an evening program at Chaco on Tuesday, December 20th at 5 pm. That will take place at the visitor center.

As of December 12, there were still a few open campsites in the park’s Gallo Campground. Reservations can still be made at recreation.gov. The following morning, the gate to the loop road will open at 6:30 am and visitors will caravan to the Kin Kletso great house to observe the sunrise. Sunrise will occur at 7:18 am. That will be followed by a Casa Rinconada tour at 9:30 and a Pueblo Bonito tour at 2 pm. After 2 pm, tour visitors will have time to make the drive to Aztec to see the sunset. For questions about these events please call us at 505-334-6174 or at 505-786-7014.

You can also find information about both parks, Chaco and Aztec, on Facebook.