If you are coming from the Phoenix area I would
suggest heading North on I-17 and
making your first stop at Montezuma Castle NM. This is located just off of I-17 on the East side of the
road at Exit 289. Ride East for approximately 1/2 mile to the blinking
red light. Turn left on Montezuma Castle Road for about 4 miles to the visitor center where you will learn about the castle and the people who used to inhabit it before
you take a short walk.
On December 8,
1906, President Theodore Roosevelt celebrated the passage of the Antiquities Act
by declaring four sites of historic and
cultural significance as our nation's first National Monuments. Among these was
Montezuma Castle, which the President identified as a place "of the greatest
ethnological value and scientific interest." A paved, 1/3 mile loop allows you to gaze through the windows of the past
into one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America. This 20 room high-rise apartment, nestled into a towering limestone cliff, tells a 1,000 year-old story of ingenuity and survival in
an unforgiving desert landscape.
It is
one of the best places I have been that actually gets across what a day in the
life of the Sinagua Indian
culture must have been like, allowing you to imagine how you might have
survived in this same place. There is also several points of interest along
the way and an interactive kiosk to help you learn about the life and times of the Sinagua
people. Tourists are no longer allowed to go in the dwelling. Open daily 8am -
6pm June-August and till 5pm the rest of the year. $5 entry
fee.
Walnut Canyon National
Monument
After about an hour
at Montezuma Castle, we hopped on the bikes heading North another 60
miles to Walnut Canyon National Monument, located just 9
miles East of I-17 off of I-40 at exit 204. I really had no preconceived idea of
what this place was going to look like, but I was really surprised at how
beautiful it was in this canyon setting. Walnut Canyon National Monument was established by
President Woodrow Wilson on November 30, 1915, to preserve ancient cliff dwellings. Initially managed by the US Forest Service, the monument
was transferred to the National Park Service in 1934. Today a variety of
archeological and natural resources are preserved on approximately 3600
acres.
Once you are through the visitor
center and pay your $5 fee, there is a choice of 2 trails to see the
Cliff Dwellings. The Rim Trail is a .7
mile hike that gives you an easy overview of the canyon. But if you want to
get up close and personal by actually going into the dwellings, you will have to take the Island Trail which is .9 miles
long that takes you 185 feet down into the canyon via 240 steps. The
trail takes you in a circle around the canyon allowing you to experience the rooms and the structures while enjoying the beauty of the canyon. If you are able to do so, this is really a wonderful
little hike. However, climbing the 240 steps back up at an elevation of 6690ft can tax the heart
and lungs. If you have bad knees, it might be a long hike. Bring
water! This stop will probably take you about 1.5 hours to complete. But it
is well worth the effort and my personal favorite of the National
Monuments. Park hours are
8am - 5pm, May-Oct and opens at 9am Nov - April. Be sure and look at all the
photos from this stop.
Sunset Crater Volcano/Wupatki National Monument
Loop
From Walnut Canyon you
are just 18 miles from Sunset Crater/Wupatki National Monument loop.
Just go back to I-40, head West to
Flagstaff to Hwy. 89 and go North about 12 miles to Forest Rd. 545. You will see
the signs for the turn. Sunset Crater National
Monument was established
by President Herbert Hoover on May 26, 1930, to protect its geologic
formations. In 1990 the name was changed to Sunset Crater Volcano National
Monument. It occupies 3,040 acres surrounded by Coconino National
Forest.
I will admit to not knowing
much about the history of Sunset Crater, but it is a nice ride through here,
that is what was important at the
time. Apparently a volcano erupted here about 900 years ago and obviously
wiped out civilization as they knew it, covering the area with a
lava flow that you will see today. Vegetation has returned that give
it an interesting landscape combined with the lava landscape. 900 years later,
Sunset Crater is still the youngest volcano on the Colorado Plateau. The
volcano's red rim and the dark lava flows seem to have cooled and hardened to a
jagged surface only yesterday. They have a visitor center as well, which we did
not explore. It was more about the ride through here.
Wupatki National
Monument
About 20 miles into
the 34 mile loop you will start to see the Painted Desert in
front of you and will soon come upon
the Wupatki National Monument which was established by President Calvin Coolidge
on December 9, 1924, to preserve Citadel and Wupatki pueblos. It now
includes additional pueblos and other archeological resources on a total of
35,422 acres. Wupatki represents a cultural crossroads, home to numerous
groups of people over thousands of years. Less than 800 years ago, Wupatki
Pueblo was the largest pueblo around. It flourished for a time as a meeting
place of different cultures. Your first stop is the Wukoki Ruin which is one of the ancient pueblos ruins that were
inhabited by the Sinaqua Indians from about 1100AD to 1250AD. Other pueblo sites
within the Monument include Wupatki, Citadel, Nalakihu and Lomaki. This was the
only one that we stopped at. The visitor center is just a couple of miles down
the road.
Optional Stop -
Arizona Snowbowl and
Skyride
We spent about 30
minutes at the Wukoki Ruins and were on our
way back to the Flagstaff area
where we made our way to the Arizona
Snowbowl ski resort for a late lunch on the patio of the ski lodge and a trip on the Skyride which shuttles you to an elevation of
11,500 feet for panoramic views
atop this extinct volcano. From
this elevation, you can see over 70 miles of world-class scenery, including
the Grand Canyon and downtown Flagstaff. The Skyride operates from 10am -4pm at a cost of $12 per person. The
Arizona Snowbowl is located 7 miles northwest of Flagstaff on Highway 180. Turn
right on Snowbowl Road and continue another 7 miles. Click for Directions. This ride up to and the experience at Snowbowl is
really enjoyable. I would
highly suggest Snowbowl as a day ride on its own merit.
Not only that, you can relieve yourself in the highest toilet in Arizona, 11,500 feet!
The total mileage for the ride, assuming a start location
from I-17 and Loop 101 is 388 miles, if
you include the trip to Arizona Snowbowl. Taking Snowbowl out would lower the
trip by 34 miles to 354. But remember that 250 of those miles will be on I-17
which of course moves at 75 mph.
So if
you are looking for a ride this weekend that would be a combination of riding separated by a few
short hikes to see some history, the Cyclerides.com Monument Tour would make for
a great day, and it would get you out of the heat in the Valley. As usual, I
went snap happy with the camera and have included 190 great photos for you to
enjoy. HAVE FUN! Let me know if you go.
Barry
Click Here for 190 Photos
Click Here for Map
Useful Links:
Montezuma Castle
History of Montezuma Castle
Walnut Canyon National
Monument
Sunset Crater National Monument
Wupatki National
Monument
Arizona Snowbowl.
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Until Next Week,
Blessings
and Safe Riding To All,
Barry Caraway
"The Road Is Yours - Take
The Ride"
www.cyclerides.com
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