Walnut Canyon near Flagstaff, Arizona was a last minute choice. One of those “make it up as you go” decisions that often bump a planned adventure to somewhere even better. Hail, snow and gusting 65 mph winds were forecast for the first day we had planned to hike into the Grand Canyon. I had called a Park Service Ranger hoping that being down in the Canyon itself might shelter us from some of the wind, but she didn’t give me the answer I wanted to hear. In the meantime however, Zach had spotted Walnut Canyon, so we bundled up against abrupt cold temperatures (especially “abrupt” and “cold” after 90 degree Tempe weather just hours before), and drove to the east.
I complimented Zach on the backup plan repeatedly that morning.
Walking into the park office, we were unprepared for the sudden and dramatic view that appeared through the glass panel on the opposing wall. \ I was familiar with the Sinagua people. They were the same cliff hugging tribe that created the extraordinary Montezuma’s Castle I’d visited near Sedona. But here in Walnut Canyon, the Sinaguas had created a community that stretched out to suburban lengths. I tried not to rush through the informative displays on their culture and history but was eager to walk out the back doors and into the cliff side dwellings that were just steps away.
Next: Sinagua cliff dwellings
“Hail, snow and gusting 65 mph wind”, sounds like a challenging adventure.
Wow, awesome! Did you get to visit any of the dwellings?
Rainfield: Hail and wind on the edge of cliffs or on a summit (Bear Mountain in Sedona!) will definitely test a person. Fortunately we were able to avoid the worst of it by shifting our plans a little.
Shelley: Yes! It always surprises me when the park service allows public entry, but I think people are -for the most part, respectful of the ruins. I’ll be posting more photos of the dwellings themselves tomorrow and midweek.