Happy Arizona Day!
Today we are highlighting five Native American sites in Arizona, each of them beautiful and historically significant. Arizona has the second largest total Native American population of any state. Most of the Navajo Nation and all the Tohono O’odham Nation are in Arizona. These two Nations are the largest of the almost 600 Native American Tribes in the United States.
Canyon de Chelly National Monument
The Canyon de Chelly National Monument was established in 1931, with all 83,840 acres located entirely in the Navajo Nation. Today, about 40 Navajo families live in the park— one of the longest continuously inhabited landscapes of North America. The park protects and preserves the ruins of the indigenous tribes that lived in the area — from the Anasazi to the Navajo.
Things to Do:
– Scenic Overlooks: Drive the North and South Rim Drive and stop at the 10 overlooks for magnificent views of the canyon.
– Guided Tours: Take a guided tour of the canyon with a Navajo Guide or National Park Ranger. There are three ways to explore the canyon: by vehicle, horseback, or hiking.
– Hike: Descend into the canyon on the White House Ruin Trail, the only way to access the canyon without a guide. Canyon de Chelly
Route 7
Chinle, AZ 86503
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument “Big House”
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument was established in 1918 to protect and preserve the traditional adobe Ancestral Puebloans Hohokam structures. The site consists of 13th century ruins, including multiple structures surrounded by a wall. The large house consists of three-story high outer rooms surrounding a four-story inner structure. Casa Grande Ruins was the first designated prehistoric and cultural reserve in the United States.
Things to Do:
– Visitors Center: Watch the twenty-two-minute orientation film about the Hohokam Culture.
– Self-Guided Tour: After picking up a map in the visitor center, take a self-guided tour of the ruins, abandoned since 1450.
– Guided Tours: Ranger-guided tours provide a comprehensive look into the Hohokam culture and how they lived, worked, and traded in the region. Casa Grande National Monument
1100 W Ruins Drive
Coolidge, AZ 85128
Montezuma Castle National Monument
Montezuma Castle National Monument consists of multiple dwellings. The largest cliff dwelling is five-stories, including 45-60 rooms. The monument encompasses the cliff dwellings built into the limestone rock 90 feet above the ground level, as well as ruins scattered along Beaver Creek. The site was built and used by the Sinagua people, a pre-Columbian culture closely related to the Hohokam and other indigenous peoples of the southwestern United States.
Things to Do:
– Scenic Walk: The mostly flat out-and-back path leads to Montezuma Castle, passing through ground-level ruins as you make your way through the sycamore trees. The path ends at Beaver Creek, which drains into the Verde River.
– Tours: The self-guided tour is the most popular way to see Montezuma Castle. You will not be able to enter the dwellings. Read the signage along the paved trail to learn about the Sinagua people who lived here 1,000 years ago.
– Visitors Center: The museum exhibits provide a great explanation of the National Monument. Spend some time in the visitor center before heading to the cliff dwellings. While visiting, check the daily ranger program schedule— the programs last less than 30 minutes and provide further insight into the Sinagua culture. Montezuma Castle National Monument
Montezuma Castle Road
Camp Verde, AZ 86322
Tuzigoot National Monument
The Tuzigoot National Monument preserves the multi-story pueblo ruins on the summit of a limestone and sandstone outcrop. The Tuzigoot site consists of 110 stone masonry rooms, most of which didn’t have doorways. Each of the rooms were built with openings in the roof requiring a ladder to enter. The pueblo was built by the Sinagua people between 1125 and 1400 CE. Tuzigoot is the largest and best preserved Sinagua pueblo ruins in the area.
Things to Do:
– Museum: Learn about the legacy of a people who lived in the Verde Valley 1,000 years ago.
– Trails: Walk the short trails around the monument— the Tuzigoot Pueblo and Tavasci Marsh. Tuzigoot National Monument
25 Tuzigoot Road
Clarkdale, AZ 86324
Walnut Canyon National Monument
Walnut Canyon became a national monument in 1915 to preserve the dozens of cliff dwellings once inhabited by the Sinagua people. It is thought that the Sinagua left the area mysteriously around 1250 CE, leaving over 80 cliff dwellings behind. The Sinagua built their one- or two- room homes under limestone ledges, along the canyon.
Things to Do:
– Visitors Center: Before visiting the 25 cliff dwellings, learn about the Sinagua people and why they might have chosen to live in Walnut Canyon.
– Guided Tours: Ranger-guided tours and talks are available daily and provide additional insight into the history of the National Monument and its former inhabitants.
– Self-guided Tours: Walk along the canyon rim; two canyon overlooks provide scenic views of the canyon and cliff dwellings below. If you are up to the challenge, descend 185 feet on the Loop Trail passing 25 cliff dwelling rooms. Walnut Canyon National Monument
3 Walnut Creek Road
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
