Walnut Canyon National Monument
Arizona
Managed by National Park Service
Established 1915
3,529 acres
Website: nps.gov/waca
Overview
Cliff dwellings were built in Walnut Canyon around the same time another group of Sinagua was living at nearby Wupatki National Monument. These cliff dwellings were only occupied for about a hundred years and abandoned by AD 1250. For over a century, they have been protected within Walnut Canyon National Monument, a 3,541-acre park on Interstate 40 east of Flagstaff, Arizona.
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Highlights
Museum, ruins, scenic views
Must-Do Activity
To get up close with the ruins requires a hike down 200 stairs on the one-mile Island Trail loop. At 6,690 feet in elevation, downhill is easy, but getting back up is another matter entirely. It is well worth the effort to get a feeling for a life spent inside the shallow limestone recesses in the canyon walls.
Best Trail
The paved Island Trail drops 185 feet and takes you right up to the 25 rooms built into the cliffs. Above the canyon, 0.75-mile Rim Trail is handicap accessible and provides views of the ruins.
Instagram-worthy Photo
October is a great time to visit to see changing leaves in Walnut Canyon, especially the bigtooth maple trees.
Peak Season
Summer
Hours
https://www.nps.gov/waca/planyourvisit/hours.htm
Fees
$15 per person, $25 per vehicle, or America the Beautiful pass
Road Conditions
Access road is paved
Camping
There is not a campground at the site, but dispersed camping is allowed down the dirt road that turns off to the left just before entering the National Monument.
Related Sites
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument (Arizona)
Montezuma Castle National Monument (Arizona)
Tuzigoot National Monument (Arizona)
Nearest National Park
Explore More – There are multiple Arizona sites in the National Park Service system dedicated to the vanished Sinagua people; what does their name mean in Spanish?
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