In winter, Chaco Canyon rangers are relaxed about collecting the entrance fee; however, they will ticket your car if they don't see a fee receipt on your dash or rear-view mirror. Besides paying the fee at the visitor's center, you may also pick up a backcountry permit to scramble up the sandstone scree and hike any of the back-country trails.

The Pueblo Alto trail provides great views of the canyon. It leads up to the north mesa behind Pueblo Bonito, and eventually to Pueblo Alto, a remote settlement or outlier to the pueblos in the canyon. No matter how many times you see Chaco, the weather and the skies are different. In December 2003 I walked behind Pueblo Bonito to Pueblo Alto, and past the prehistoric Jackson Stairs leading down the canyon wall.

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