Shash Diné
Shash Diné
Off-grid canvas tents on a working sheep ranch on Navajo Nation land in northern Arizona, run by a Diné family. Shash Diné means "Bear People," and this is one of the most rooted places you can stay in the American Southwest.
The property overlooks Lake Powell from high desert grazing land. The family that runs it has ranched here for generations. Guests stay in canvas tents while the ranch keeps operating around them, which is the point.
What the stay is actually like
The tents are canvas bell tents on wooden platforms, simply furnished with beds, warm blankets, lanterns, and Navajo textiles. No electricity, no plumbing in the tents. Composting toilets and outdoor showers with heated water for evening use. The setup is deliberately simple and it's meant to be.
Meals are traditional Navajo dishes prepared by the family, often including frybread, mutton stew, and blue corn preparations. Coffee is made on the fire in the morning. Evenings are around the fire pit with stories from your hosts, most of which you won't hear anywhere else.
Days can be as busy or as quiet as you want. Guided horseback rides across the ranch, sheep-herding experiences, hikes down to the Colorado River, day trips to Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend. Or nothing at all: just watching the light move across the mesas and letting the desert do what it does.
Getting there and when to go
Shash Diné is about 20 minutes from Page, Arizona, which sits near the border of Utah and Arizona at Lake Powell. Nearest airport is Page Municipal (PGA), or fly into Flagstaff (FLG) about two and a half hours away, or Las Vegas (LAS) about four and a half hours away.
The property is open spring through fall (roughly April through October). May and September are the best months: warm days, cool nights, clear light. Summer is hot but manageable in the higher desert. The ranch closes for winter.
Book direct at shashdine.com. Two-night minimum. If you want to understand what makes glamping different from a hotel with canvas walls, come here.