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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
