Wupatki Ruins & Sunset Crater Volcano National Monuments
- Cathy Curti
- Jan 27
- 3 min read
An un planned day took us to some of the best ruins we've seen yet. A beautiful drive approx 36 miles/ 60 km through the Coconino National Forest making 4 stops along the way to see the 5 ruins in the park and Sunset Crater Volcano.
People have inhabited the region now known as Wupatki National Monument for more than 13,000 years. By the early 1100s, approximately 2,000 individuals lived within 50 miles of Wupatki Pueblo. They communicated, collaborated, prospered, and engaged in trade until the mid-1200s, when a prolonged drought and strong cultural migration ideas prompted them to relocate to other areas. Over the past few centuries, various groups have made use of this land. Today, 13 different Tribes officially acknowledge the area within Wupatki National Monument as culturally significant. These lands hold important ancestral value.
Our first stop was to the Box Canyon Dwellings, The Lomaki, Nalakihu and Citadel Pueblos.
We then made the drive to the visitors center where the Wupatki Pueblo is located. What an un expected and impressive ruin Wupatki is. It's magical as it comes into view from across the landscape.
The trail winds along side the ruins and down to an ancient community room that served as a gathering place as well the Ball Court.
The Wupatki ballcourt measures 78 feet in width, 102 feet in length, and had a wall that was 6 feet high. It was excavated and stabilized in 1965, with a significant portion of the interior wall being reconstructed.
Ballcourts were prevalent in southern Arizona from A.D. 750 to 1200, but were relatively uncommon in the northern part of the state. This indicates that the people of Wupatki may have mingled with their southern Arizona neighbors, the Hohokam, who might have adapted the ballcourt concept from earlier interactions with the Indian cultures of Mexico.
The Hohokam balls, found at archaeological sites featuring ballcourts, were made from meticulously shaped rock and possibly covered with pine pitch or another substance. One version of the game might have included using a curved stick to propel the ball toward a goal.
Further along you come across an odd hole in the ground - the Blow Hole.
Wupatki National Monument features an intriguing occurrence where air emerges directly from the ground beneath you. Located at the end of the Wupatki Pueblo trail is one of several 'blow holes' where visitors can witness what some refer to as the 'breathing earth'.
Bill and I may or may not have enjoyed a little fun with the blow hole! LOL
The fifth and final ruin of the day - Wukoki Pueblo is a remarkable eight-room building constructed atop a sizable sandstone foundation. It was inhabited from the early 1100s to the mid-1200s CE. The 0.2-mile round-trip trail leads up to the base of the pueblo and provides magnificent views of the San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff. The large tower was originally three stories high and still features original wooden beams from its roof and ceiling structure.
We hopped back in the truck to make the next part of the drive and enjoyed the views as the landscape changed from flat golden grass shrublands to black volcanic sand-covered mountains as we made our way upwards towards Sunset Crater.
We arrived at Lenox Crater Trail, the entry gate to Sunset Crater and were greeted and awed by the lava flow that flanked the entry gate. We parked and made our way along the Lava Flow trail to the lookout below Sunset Crater, as well explored Bona vista Trail, which looks out over the lava flow in the valley between the ponderosa pines. Looking out over a jagged valley of lava flow isn't like anything you've likely seen before.
A millennium ago, the earth split apart, spewing lava skyward, altering the terrain and the lives of the inhabitants permanently. Now, a thousand years on, vegetation thrives among the rocks, and visitors come to the lava flow to witness and recall Arizona's latest volcanic eruption.
Unfortunately, we arrived so late in the day and, losing the sun, we had to skip the 5.5 km hike along Lava's Edge trail... perhaps another time during another visit.
For more information about Wuptaki go to
Wuptaki and Sunset Crater are a must see and sure to "Blow" your mind!!
Bill & Cat