Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T!
We stopped at Montezuma Castle National Monument to break up a long travel day. We’d flown into Phoenix from the east coast. First, we stopped for a quick flight of bacon at the Oink Cafe. Then we 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 structure 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 designated/established: December 8, 1906
Date of my visit: August 2014
Laughed at the rattlesnake photo, T. I sometimes think parks put up the signs more out of a desire to keep people on trails than to protect them. 🙂 There are some great petroglyph sites in the area as well.
LOL, yes! My husband saw one rattlesnake when he was climbing Bell Rock, but we didn’t encounter any near the trails.
Gotta love all the places Arizona has to offer! This is a great one.
Thanks! 😃
So nice Cousin. I still remember the first time I visited Montezuma’s Castle. I was smitten by the stories it held. The Camp Verde region holds a lot of history. I worked in the area many times and was quite fortunate to see so many of the sights. After reading this I can’t wait to go back to the area and escape this snowbound town.
Thanks cousin! Hope spring has started to melt the snow by you😃
We love Montezuma Castle. Arizona has a surprising number of similar monuments. Each is so interesting and unique. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks! Yes, we could take several more trips to Arizona and still not see it all
This was the first National Park we visited when we started full time RVing. It’s where we bought our first NP annual pass. I has a special place in my heart! Great photos as always T!
How cool! Thanks 😊
A superb slice of preserved history
Thanks Vivienne 😊