Two National Historic Sites Near Flagstaff

Just outside of Flagstaff, Arizona there are two national historic sites that are worth visiting. They are only a half hour drive from each other and both can be done in one day. Our first stop was Wupatki National Monument. This is an ancient pueblo site which had more than 100 rooms and was home to thousands between 1100 - 1200AD. The dwelling was made from Moenkopi sandstone which gives it it’s red color.

Wupatki was a thriving community and was used as a gathering place and ceremonial center. Even though this is a hot, dry area, farming was abundant back in the 1100s due to the eruption of a nearby volcano (Sunset Crater) leaving moisture conserving cylinders behind. Hopi, Zuni, and other Pueblo peoples are descendants of the Wupatki. After the 1200s, trees, shrubs, and soil was depleted and people moved one. This was an interesting area to walk around and take in the history of these ancient people. It doesn’t seem like a place where people would gather when you are driving in. The area is flat, remote, and dry. However, realizing how important the volcano was to their way of life this made more sense after visiting. There was a smaller site a short drive from the main one that we stopped at before leaving. Below is a view out from this structure.

After Wupatki we took the half hour drive down to Walnut Canyon. This is a really cool area and well worth visiting. Around the same time as the Wupatki were leaving their site, people were living in the cliffs of Walnut Canyon. These people climbed up and down the cliffs to the river for water and crops. It would have been physically exhausting doing this day in and day out although the security must have been worth it!

We took a short trail along the top of the cliffs, looking out at the cliff dwellings. This trail was nicely maintained and also included some old remnants of houses and other dwellings along the way.

After this short walk, we went through the visitor’s center to get to another trail that heads down to the dwellings in the cliff. These dwellings provided natural protection, leak proof ceilings, and limestone walls.

Most of these rooms were used to store tools, food, and water. One hundred days of water could be stored relatively easily in large pots. People stayed in larger rooms to sleep and avoid bad weather and several probably lived in one room. Most work took place outside.

If you can only go to one, go to Walnut Canyon as it’s a very cool experience and has more to offer. However, Wapatki is pretty interesting and has a unique history worth leaning more about.