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We stopped at Montezuma Castle National Monument to break up a long travel day. We’d flown into Phoenix from the New York area, stopped for a quick flight of bacon at the Oink Cafe, and then hit the road for the four hour drive to Page.
After about 90 minutes of driving, we took the exit for the Montezuma Castle visitor center, desperately needing to stretch our legs.
Montezuma Castle National Monument protects a set of well-preserved dwellings in Camp Verde, Arizona which were built and used by the Sinagua people around 1100 AD.
It cost $5 per adult to get in (this has since doubled)…we didn’t mind paying it to help preserve this treasure. We enjoyed the pleasant 1/3 mile loop where we read some of the interpretive displays. And then we turned the bend and saw the amazing castle high up on the cliff walls.
This was one of the first National Monuments designated under the antiquities act. Access to the interior of the structure was discontinued in the fifties due to safety issues, but you can still see a virtual tour of the inside on the park website.
Location: Montezuma Castle Rd, Camp Verde, AZ
Designation: National Monument
Date designation declared: 12/8/1906
Date of my visit: August 2014
Great post. Another place to visit if we come back to Arizona. Did not realize we were so close, when we went through Flagstaff. Allan
Thanks! Nice stop to break up the drive right off the highway. I’m thinking it was about an hour south of Flagstaff
This looks like another fascinating place to see near Flagstaff. There is so much to see and do in that area. 😊
The NPTC convention is in Flagstaff next year. Trying to see if I can swing it
That sounds like fun! I hope you can. 🙂
hey your in my state! this place is cool! did you cruise over to Jerome when you were in Cottonwood area?? nice pictures!
Thanks! This was in 2014…I skip around a lot to keep things interesting 😉
Lol I do the same!
Reblogged this on researchesofjoannemariesworld and commented:
Like the virtual tour
Thanks for enjoying this enough to share!
I see that this is about 6 hours from Mesa Verde National Park – one I visited when I was twelve and made a lasting impression and one for which we plan to return in the next year. Did you also go to Mesa Verde. Glad to know about Montezuma as it would seem like one would want to hit both of them on a trip to the SW.
Mesa Verde IS memorable….I was there when I was 4 with my parents when gas was cheap and we drove cross-country one summer. When I saw Montezuma, I had to confirm with my Dad that we had been to Mesa Verde because I had pretty clear memories come back of climbing a ladder through a roof of a similar structure!
We were just here the other day! <3
Really something, isn’t it?
I love this place! Your first photo in this post was breathtaking!
Thanks so much!
Thanks for sharing this. I had never heard of this park before.
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