Explore Ancient Pueblo Culture - Wupatki National Monument, Arizona
Written: May 24 '04 (Updated May 25 '04)
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Pros: easily accessible ancient pueblos, excellent interpretive information at visitor center
Cons: none really - though it can get hot outside
The Bottom Line: Get a chance to put your hands on thousands of years of human history at Wupatki National Monument
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| jps246's Full Review: Wupatki National Monument |
Take in some awesome scenery and a chance to see over 10,000 years of human history at Wupatki National Monument. You’ll get a chance to wander through the ruins of ancient Native American Pueblos and explore the exhibits at the Visitor Center.
Where is it & How do I get in?
Wupatki National Monument is located about 33 miles north of and west of Flagstaff, Arizona and is located on the same road that Sunset Crater National Monument is. The Monument makes an excellent stop for anyone visiting Sunset Crater or the Grand Canyon – whose entrance is to the north of the Monument.
The Monument is open year-round and the Visitor Center is open every day except for Christmas Day. The Visitor Center is generally open from 8 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon except for June, July and August when it is open until 6 in the evening.
For visitors to Wupatki National Monument, a day-use fee of $5.00 per person is required. This is good for 7-days and can be used at either Wupatki or Sunset Crater National Monuments. For children under 16, there is no day-use fee. Annual passes for the Flagstaff area parks (Wupatki, Sunset Crater and Walnut Canyon) are available for $25 and $50 will get you the National Parks Pass – which gives you entry into all National Park Properties (National Parks & Monuments) for a year.
What’s it like & what should I expect?
Wupatki National Monument is located on the arid slopes of the Colorado Plateau, to the north of Sunset Crater National Monument and the mountains within the Monument. Temperatures can range from below freezing to up close to 100 degrees, depending upon the time of year. Weather also varies depending upon season. It does snow in the wintertime and in the spring rainstorms are not unheard of, as are thunderstorms in the summertime.
Views from the area run from the mountains to the south to the Colorado Plateau stretching out to the north. There are plenty of excellent picture taking opportunities throughout the Monument.
Visitors to the park can see the pueblo ruins rising out of the sands a distance behind the Visitor Center – but should stop there first, to learn some background on the site and the Native American culture of the area in general. The Visitor Center provides an extensive collection of exhibits and interpretive information for the visitor, along with other amenities that are expected, including restrooms and a gift shop. Rangers are available to answer questions and conduct interpretive tours. Information on tours and presentations are available at the Visitor Center’s main desk.
Beyond the Visitor Center, visitors have several different options for exploring the pueblos. These include the Wupatki Pueblo Trail, the Lomaki Pueblo Trail, and the Doney Mountain Trail. These trails are all quite short (0.5 miles to about 1 mile roundtrip distance) and are all well maintained and easy to follow. The most popular trail is the Wupatki Pueblo Trail, which takes guests to the nearby Wupatki Pueblo. The Lomaki Pueblo Trail takes visitors to the Lomaki Pueblo and has additional side trails to several other pueblos. The Doney Mountain trail climbs a small cinder cone to a picnic area. There is no hiking in the park beyond the marked trails – this is to protect the fragile archeological sites that are located throughout the park.
While the trails are not difficult to walk, you should be aware that with the varying temperatures that visitors, especially in the hotter months, can quickly become dehydrated or suffer from heat related illnesses. Make sure you bring plenty of water, dress appropriately for the walks and remember that there is little shade in the desert. Visits early in the morning are best, as temperatures have yet to rise to their mid-afternoon extremes.
Regulations?
Beyond your basic National Park restrictions that are applicable at all parks, pets at Wupatki National Monument must be kept on a leash at all times, however they are not allowed in any buildings and not allowed on the Monument’s trails.
Interesting stuff…and my thoughts
I’m a sucker for archeology and everything related to it. I think it has to do with those Indiana Jones movies I saw when I was younger. I just want to explore long forgotten ruins and discover new and interesting areas. So while there were no hidden chambers with the Arc of the Covenant in it, Wupatki National Monument grabbed my attention as we were traveling from Sunset Crater. From the road you can see the remnants of the pueblo rising up from the sandy, cacti peppered landscape.
And off it was and within about 4 hours, my boyfriend and I had covered the trails that are open to the public to the various pueblos. Some are more accessible than others. In the main, Wupatki Pueblo, the public is allowed to climb around and through the remnants of the pueblo, while at others, you merely walk up to the pueblo and get a chance to look at it. I’m guessing this is due to the varying archeological potential of the sites.
The Visitor Center’s exhibits and interpretive information are also engaging and interesting. It turns out that Wupatki National Monument is the only known location in the Southwestern United States where physical evidence from at least three archeologically separate ancestral Puebloan cultures is found together in a number of archeological sites. Elsewhere similar evidence is found on a single culture, but never in the concentration that is found at Wupatki.
For More Information
The Park Service maintains an excellent website for Wupatki National Monument at http://www.nps.gov/wupa/home.htm - where you can find in-depth information on interpretive programs, maps of the park, information on current archeological research and more.
Final Thoughts
Wupatki National Monument is on my list of “not to miss” day-trips in Southwestern United States. If you are in the Flagstaff, Arizona area or at the Grand Canyon, a several hour long trip to Wupatki National Monument will not soon be forgotten. You’ll have a chance to put your hands (and your feet) on thousands of years of human history and you will get to exercise that inner-archeological spirit.
Other Flagstaff, Arizona area attractions
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument / Walnut Canyon National Monument / Meteor Crater
Travel Magazines
Travel & Leisure Magazine / Budget Travel / National Geographic Adventure / Outside Magazine / National Geographic Traveler
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: March-May
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Overview
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