Adjacent to the Thunderbird Lodge is the free Cottonwood Campground, which has around 100 sites but does not take reservations. On South Rim Drive 10 miles east of the Canyon de Chelly visitor center is another option, the private Spider Rock Campground (tel. 928/674-8261; www.spiderrockcampground.com), which has more than 30 spaces and charges $10 to $12 per night. This campground also has a couple of hogans for rent for $29 to $39 per night. The next-nearest campgrounds are at Tsaile Lake and Wheatfields Lake, both south of the town of Tsaile on Indian Route 12. Tsaile is at the east end of the North Rim Drive.
