Cliff dwellings at Walnut Canyon NM

A few miles east of Flagstaff, off exit 204 on I-40, lies a small national monument that is probably not too visited, but should be. Walnut Canyon National Monument is fairly small, quiet and peaceful. The canyon, though, housed quite a population of people around 1100 A.D.

The people who chose this canyon were the Sinagua. Higher concentrations of Sinaguans moved in after Sunset Crater to the north erupted sometime between 1040 and 1100. Almost everywhere you look in the canyon, you can see cliff dwellings.

 We took the hike down to the sky Island where a number of cliff dwellings in various states of decay are located. Across the way, we could see many more. Not too many artifacts have been found; pot hunters in the 1880s pretty much took everything.

The hike down to the sky island goes down 245 steps, the sign said. You'll notice the climb on the way back up - but there are many benches to rest at and interpretive signs to stop and read to catch your breath. The bottom left photo was taken on the sky island, looking back up at the visitor center perched at the rim of the canyon, where the trail started.

The path descends through several climate zones. You travel from the Upper Sonoran desert at the rim to the cooler, moister Pacific Northwestern forests of shade-tolerant shrubs and mixed conifers, including Douglas fir. In other areas of the canyon, you'll find the ponderosa pine/gambol oak forest and pinyon/juniper woodland. At the bottom is a riparian community along the stream.

 The National Park Service has preserved other Sinaguan sites in the Verde Valley area that probably get more visitation. This canyon, however, is unique and worth a stop if you are in the Flagstaff area. The parking lot will accommodate RVs. There is a picnic area but no RV campground or other camping. There are RV parks in Flagstaff to the west, an RV park at Meteor Crater to the east, and plenty of boondocking in the nearby Coconino National Forest. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Comments

[Nancy Kroes]

Thanks! We shall add this to our itinerary for our New Mexico trip with our Serro Scotty, scheduled for May/June, 2010!

[Jaimie Hall Bruzenak]

That will be a nice time of year to visit Arizona. It's only a few hours from the NM border.

Jaimie