Getaway To Flagstaff - A Hub Of Activity
This past weekend Deirdre and I were fortunate to go and have a little getaway in Flagstaff and it was the first time we got to spend significant time there. We were wowed by the shear amount of natural landmarks within such a short distance. We got to visit Sunset Crater National Monument, Wupatki National Monument, Montezuma’s Castle National Monument, Walnut Canyon National Monument, and drove by some other mostly unmarked ruins.
This short getaway trip to Flagstaff was actually for a Cold Case Gear sales trip but we took full advantage of being down there to see everything the town had on offer. Living in Pagosa Springs is great but we certainly miss things that larger cities have to offer such as nice grocery stores, great restaurants, and a decent internet connection. So let me break down the national monuments we saw.
Cliff Dwellings of Walnut Canyon
Cliff dwellings line the entirety of the canyon
Walnut Canyon National Monument
Just a short 15 minute drive outside of Flagstaff this was a national monument I had never even heard of but apparently was on Deirdres radar since our first visit to the Grand Canyon several years ago. This national monument preserves some of the most expansive cliff dwellings I’ve seen to date. You can take a short loop from the visitor center that descends into the canyon and takes you on a tour of dozens of dwellings. I love to see the plaster and mortar work unclose.
Sunset Crater National Monument
Explore a vast expansive of lava rock in this incredible landscape.
Sunset Crater National Monument
Just a short twelve minute drive from our AirBNB, Sunset Crater National Monument is a very cool sight to behold. The area is scattered with Cinder Cones. Cinder Cones are like the idealistic version of a volcano with their steep walls and prominent craters. The whole area within Sunset Crater National Monument is covered in lava rock and the black landscape is other worldly. There are some great little walks that can be done within the park but unfortunately due to a recent fire many of the trails are closed.
Wupatki National Monument
Archaeological wonders about at this seldom visited national monument.
Wupatki National Monument
This seldom visited national monument was new on my radar this year and I was excited to go and check it out. It was a short drive from Sunset Crater and well worth the drive. The main attraction is an incredibly well preserved structure that you can walk into and explore. It always blows my mind that people in ancient history were able to build structures like this. I can hardly fix my fence. It’s a short walk from the parking area and it takes you in and around the well preserved structure. You can see other structures scattered throughout the area and I’m sure there is much more to the area than what we saw.
Montezuma’s Castle National Monument
One of the best preserved and largest cliff dwellings in the country.
Montezumas Castle National Monument
Nestled in the Verde Valley of Arizona lies one of the largest cliff dwellings in the Southwest. Montezuma’s Castle is an imposing ancient dwelling high in the cliffs of the Verde Valley. What struck me the most about this area was actually the incredible amount of Arizona Sycamore trees. We could see large swaths of orange and brown from the highway and we were wondering what trees were responsible for the beautiful color. Once we entered the park we found out. Arizona Sycamore trees line the creeks in the area and their beautiful white bark and large gold leaves were truly stunning. The trees along are worth the visit!
Needless to say our four day trip to Flagstaff was action packed. We definitely will be making more trips to this area as we barely even scratched the surface. Who knows, perhaps a Grand Canyon Rim To Rim backpacking trip is in order.