Navajo, Hopi & Zuni Nations: 

First Nations tourism in the Southwest

Ancient communal dwelling a Chaco Canyon

From the 50 State Visitor Guide: Arizona

A.R.S. 2019  §§ 13-3821 through 13-3829, 13-3727

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

Visitors must register if staying for more than 72 hours excluding weekends & holidays (per statute). §13-3821(A). SOR office refused to answer whether return visits allowed per month or year. “That’s determined by local sheriff.” NOTE: AZ SOR office defers on many questions to local county sheriffs for interpretation. Updated Aug 2024.

Initial reg. required “within 72 hours excluding weekends & holidays of entering and remaining in any county.”  §13-3821. Updated 8/2022.  Registrants working in state must report in any county where present for 14 consecutive days or an aggregate of 30 days/yr.  Address change etc. required w/in 72 hours (business days only).  §13-3822.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction:  1,000 ft. restriction applies to Level 3 offenders. §13-3727. Local governments are pre-empted from adopting more restrictive requirements. §13-3727.

Duration & updates:

10 years to life. Transients report every 90 days.  All others annually.

From the 50 State Visitor Guide: New Mexico

N.M. Stat. Ann. 2019  §§29-11A-1 through 29-11A-10

N.M.A.C. §1.18.790.157

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

5 business days for initial registration & updates. §29-11A-4.

State law requires “sex offenders” to register, which includes one who: (1) establishes a residence [not defined] in NM; (2) “stays in multiple locations in NM,” or (3) is enrolled in a NM school, or (4) is employed in NM for more than 14 days or an aggregate period exceeding 30 days in a calendar year. §29-11A-3.

Visitors:  NM State Police say: “If convicted prior to July 1, 2013 you will need to register if in the state of New Mexico for longer than ten (10) days. You will need to register within five (5) days if convicted after July 1, 2013.” §29-11A-4 says business days.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

State pre-emption: Cities, counties & other political subdivisions are prohibited from adopting any ordinance, rule, regulation, resolution or statute on sex offender registration and notification and from imposing any other restrictions on sex offenders that are not included in the state SOR Act. §29-11A-9.

Duration & updates:

10 years to life. Updates are every 6 mo. or every 90 days depending on offense. §29-11A-4.

From the 50 State Visitor Guide: Utah

Utah Code Ann.  2019 §§77-41-101 through 77-41-112

Utah. Code Ann. §§77-27-21.7 through 77-27-21.9

U.A.C. §§R251-110-1 through R251-110-5

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

“Sex Offender” is defined to include any out-of-state SO who is in Utah for more than 10 days in any 12 month period. §77-41-102(17)(b).

Visitors must register “within 10 days of entering the state, regardless of the offender’s length of stay.”  §77-41-105.  

Updates required within 3 business days. §77-41-105.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Presence restriction: May not be on premises of a day care or preschool, public swimming pool, school, community park open to the public, playground that is open to the public.  Exceptions for access to schools when carrying out “necessary parental responsibilities” and day care center or preschool when in building for other purposes. 

Residence restriction: w/in 1,000 ft. of victim, with exceptions. §77-27-21.7.

“Sex Offender in Presence of Child Law:”  Registrants w/ convictions involving minors under 14 years old cannot invite the minor to accompany him or her absent parental consent, with exceptions.  §77-27-21.8.

Because “Sex Offender” is defined to include only out-of-state SO’s in Utah for more than 10 days in a 12 month period (see Registration Triggers & Deadlines at left), visitors not meeting this definition would, in theory, not be required to register & thus not subject to these restrictions during their visit. However, this theory remains untested.

Duration & updates:

Lifetime. Petition 10 years.  Updates every 6 mo. §77-41-105.

Most recent visit: October 2023

Native American nations can be fascinating places to visit, but make no mistake – you might tell yourself you are entering a sovereign nation when you cross the reservation boundary but you aren’t.  You’ll still be bound by the registry laws of whatever US state you’re in.  

Nor should you get any funny ideas if you are of native ancestry that you can somehow escape your registry status by moving to the reservation of whatever tribe you belong to.  You can’t.  As you must already realize, the oppression of the registry will follow you onto the reservation whether you’re a visitor or become a resident.  That’s why I have placed the registry laws of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah at the beginning of this blog entry, rather than any tribal registry laws.  They don’t exist.

Another point that must be clearly made to anyone planning to travel to Indian Country is that you are NOT going to a tourist attraction.  This is not Pennsylvania Dutch Country where you as a tourist are invited to gawk at the locals driving their buggies and eat at an expensive smorgasbord.  To the contrary, you are about to enter upon a place where quite frankly you don’t belong.  Your visit is merely tolerated, and as far as I’m concerned that is as it should be. 

Despite this lack of an invitation, however, on my way to attend the 2023 ACSOL Conference I wanted to see the Navajo, Hopi and Zuni homelands.  There are several interesting cultural and historic sites there as well as places of great beauty.

Ancient Kiva at Chaco Culture National Historic Park

Chaco Culture National Historic Park

My first foray into native lands was to see Chaco Canyon National Historic Park which is located in the Navajo Nation in New Mexico.  I entered from the north from U.S. 550. Peering down the dirt County Road 7900 I thought, this is an official county road leading to a national park – surely it’s well maintained, right?  And it was – until it wasn’t!!  After that you and your car’s suspension are on your own!  This just illustrates how the Navajo Nation has no particular interest in whether you can get to Chaco Canyon or not.  

But just when I was sure my car was a goner I passed the park entry monument and Tadahhh !! everything inside the park is nicely paved.  Later on, leaving by the south (CR 14) was also dirt, longer but a much easier ride – although it had its moments.  I am told that these road conditions can vary widely from year to year and season to season.  Just be ready for anything.

However, the park itself is truly spectacular.  The canyon is beautiful, and the ancient pueblos and kivas are among the best preserved you’ll see anywhere.  Even I who have no military experience could see that the three main pueblos are strategically located so that, between them, the entire canyon could be well defended and the Anasazi could see any unwanted visitors approaching.

Zuni Pueblo

As I was departing New Mexico on State Road 53 I decided to stop in Zuni Pueblo, the largest town of the Zuni Nation.  It so happened this was on Indigenous Peoples Day (a.k.a. Columbus Day) and I was feeling guilty about wandering down the side streets of Zuni Pueblo on a day when the people would want more than anything not to be reminded of Europeans’ existence.  There is a small visitors center but guess what?  Appropriately enough, it was closed for Indigenous Peoples Day!

If you want to gawk at reservation poverty it would be hard to pick a better pueblo to do that than Zuni Pueblo.  Unlike San Ildefonso Pueblo which I had visited two days earlier (see my New Mexico post) there was no auto tour posted outside the visitor center, and there was almost no adobe architecture, authentic or not.  Instead it’s mostly run down shacks and mobile homes.  I didn’t take any pictures.

Totally fake, inappropriate "appropriate architecture" in Tuba City / Moenkopi.

Hey, I'm a retired city planner so I've seen inappropriate "appropriate architecture" before.

Navajo and Hopi Nations

Oddly, and I’m sure uncomfortably, the Hopi Nation is located within and entirely surrounded by the Navajo Nation.  Having been to the Grand Canyon before, I knew I’d be skirting the edge of the Navajo Nation while driving up U.S. 89 so I decided to devote just a couple of hours to poke my head more deeply into these reservations.  

This didn’t allow enough time to drive up U.S. 160 as far as Navajo National Monument, and I regret that, but I did get as far as Tuba City / Moenkopi, the two opposing tribal towns.  I also drove a ways down State Road 264 just to be able to say I had entered the Hopi Nation.  Like Zuni Pueblo, these two towns were the very picture of reservation poverty.  The only adobe architecture I saw were a totally fake looking convenience store (see photo) and a motel next door in Tuba City (or was it Moenkopi?).  

Years ago my then wife and I visited perhaps the Navajo Nation’s best known tourist attraction, Antelope Canyon, which is outside the town of Page, AZ.  It’s beautiful and the Navajo tour guide played a wooden flute that echoed all over the canyon walls.

Cameron AZ - where the Navajo people really want you to visit so you'll stay out of their reservation.

If you only want to dip your toe into the Navajo Nation, you can stop in the town of Cameron on U.S. 89 just outside of the Grand Canyon entrance road.  There has been a lot of recent road improvements and tourist construction there – now they even have a roundabout at the intersection of SR 64.  It looks to me like the Navajos envision trapping you there so you won’t be tempted to go deeper into their territory … like I did.

One other point about reservation tourism – turn on your radio!  Most First Peoples have their own radio stations these days, often NPR affiliates, and there is nothing like driving through the American Southwest with authentic Native war chants blasting on the tube!