Overview
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.
3 sights · 4 places to eat · 1 bars & cafés · 2 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Window Rock
Navajo Nation Museum, Library, and Visitor's Center
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, informatio…
Navajo Nation Zoo and Botanical Park
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.
Window Rock Tribal Park and Veteran's Memorial
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.
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Apr–May, Sep–Oct. Summer highs reach about 93°F; winter lows dip to about 19°F. Very hot (Jun, Jul, Aug) — plan outdoor time for mornings. Wettest: Aug and Jul. (climate data from nearby Canyon de Chelly National Monument)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- GUP Gallup Municipal Airport, Gallup — 19 mi away. Directions
- SOW Show Low Regional Airport, Show Low — 111 mi away. Directions
- ABQ Albuquerque International Sunport, Albuquerque — 145 mi away (major hub). Directions
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.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 1-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Navajo Nation Museum, Library, and Visitor's Center, Navajo Nation Zoo and Botanical Park
- Lunch Mikasa 2
- Afternoon Window Rock Tribal Park and Veteran's Memorial
- Dinner Cociana De Dominguez
- Evening Latte Abini Coffee
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Try out the local frybread stands, most near the downtown fleamarket.
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
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 also operates buses.
The Navajo Nation Tourism Department operates a tourism information center on Hwy 264 in nearby St. Michaels.
See
See Navajo Nation Museum, Library, and Visitor's Center
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.
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.
Eat
Try out the local frybread stands, most near the downtown fleamarket.
Eat Cociana De Dominguez
Mexican restaurant.
Eat Mikasa 2
Chinese and other Asian cuisines.
Eat Blake's Lotaburger
New Mexico-based restaurant known for its green chile cheeseburgers
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.
Drink Latte Abini Coffee
Coffee and tea stand with a few outdoor tables.
Sleep
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.
Nearby
Gallup
City / town · 11 listings · 21 mi away
Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Park · 4 listings · 42 mi away
El Morro
City / town · 2 listings · 60 mi away
Petrified Forest National Park
Park · 14 listings · 64 mi away
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Park · 67 mi away
Grants
City / town · 11 listings · 77 mi away
My experience
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