Wupatki National Monument: Red Rock Pueblos, a Blowhole and the Sunset Crater Loop

Just north of Flagstaff, the ponderosa pines thin out, the ground turns to black cinders, and then the whole landscape opens up into red rock and golden grassland that rolls toward the Painted Desert. Scattered across that open country are the walls of ancient pueblos, some perched on sandstone boulders, some crowning little cinder hills, all of them glowing red in the afternoon sun. This is Wupatki National Monument, and it is one of my favorite easy day trips in northern Arizona.

The trails are short, the views are huge, and one scenic loop road ties it all together with Sunset Crater Volcano, the cinder cone whose eruption shaped this area. Add a natural blowhole that breathes air out of the ground and you have a day that works for kids, grandparents and history buffs alike.

What Wupatki Is

Wupatki preserves the homes of Ancestral Puebloan people who built a thriving community here in the 1100s. According to the National Park Service, the early 1100s brought a cooler, wetter stretch of weather, and the area became a busy center of trade and farming. People gathered here about a century after Sunset Crater erupted, and the black cinders left behind may have acted like a mulch that helped hold moisture in the soil for crops.

The largest site, Wupatki Pueblo, had more than 100 rooms. The Park Service says that by 1182 perhaps 85 to 100 people lived there, and several thousand people lived within a day's walk. The pueblos were lived in from the early 1100s to the mid 1200s.

These places are not abandoned ruins. They are ancestral sites for 13 tribes traditionally associated with Wupatki, including Hopi, Zuni and Navajo communities, and Hopi clans still return to connect with their history. Visiting respectfully, staying on trails and leaving everything as you found it is part of the deal.

Getting There

Wupatki sits along the Sunset Crater-Wupatki Loop Road (Forest Road 545), a 35-mile scenic drive that connects to US-89 at both ends. The Park Service says the loop takes about an hour of drive time without stops, but plan on half a day or more once you start pulling over.

• From Flagstaff: Take US-89 north about 12 miles and turn right at the sign for Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments. You pass through Sunset Crater first. The Wupatki Visitor Center is about 21 miles from that turn, or 45 to 60 minutes from Flagstaff.

• From the north (Page or Cameron): Drive south on US-89 and turn left at the Wupatki sign. You pass Lomaki and the Citadel first, then reach the Visitor Center in about 13 miles.

From Phoenix, figure on two and a half to three hours to Flagstaff, then add the loop.

One important tip from the Park Service: do not trust GPS out here. Devices often send people down rough dirt forest roads. Stick to US-89 and the paved loop road. The Visitor Center address is 25137 N. Sunset Crater-Wupatki Loop Road, Flagstaff.

Fees and Passes

One entrance fee covers both Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monuments. As of my check of the official fee page, the rates are:

• Private vehicle: $25, good for seven days at both monuments.

• Motorcycle: $20, good for seven days.

• Per person (walking or biking): $15 for ages 16 and up. Kids under 16 are free.

• Flagstaff Area National Monuments annual pass: $45, which also covers Walnut Canyon.

• America the Beautiful pass: accepted.

Plan to pay by card. The Park Service says entrance fees are card only. Fees can change, so check the official fees page before you go: https://www.nps.gov/wupa/planyourvisit/fees.htm

Display your pass in your vehicle at trailheads.

Hours and Seasons

The loop road is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Trails and pueblos are open sunrise to sunset year-round, with rare closures for extreme weather.

The Wupatki Visitor Center is normally open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but it runs a reduced winter schedule. The Park Service lists it as closed Tuesdays through Thursdays in the winter months (through early March) and closed for a stretch around Thanksgiving, plus major holidays. When it is closed, the trails stay open, and passes, maps and exhibits are available at the Sunset Crater Volcano Visitor Center, which is open daily from 9 to 4:30 except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Check the official hours page before you go: https://www.nps.gov/wupa/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Wupatki Pueblo and the Blowhole

Start at the Visitor Center, where there is a small museum, a park film, restrooms and a water bottle filling station. Then walk out the back door to the main event.

Wupatki Pueblo is the largest freestanding pueblo in northern Arizona, according to the Park Service, with 104 rooms built of red sandstone that seem to grow right out of the rock outcrop beneath them. A paved, accessible path leads about 200 feet to an overlook where you can take in the whole pueblo. From there, a half-mile round-trip trail loops down and around the structure so you can see it up close. Pick up the trail guide in the park store for a couple of dollars. It follows the numbered stops on the trail and adds a lot of context.

At the far end of the trail are two of the most popular features in the monument. The first is a round ballcourt. The second is the blowhole, a natural crack in the ground connected to a network of underground passages. Depending on the air pressure and temperature, air either rushes out of it or gets pulled in. On a warm day, hold your hand over the grate and you will feel cool air blowing up from below. Kids love it.

Wukoki Pueblo

About 2.5 miles from the Visitor Center, Wukoki Pueblo is the one that ends up on postcards. It sits on top of a big sandstone pedestal, and its tower once stood three stories tall. The Park Service says it still holds original wood beams from the roof and ceiling. It had eight rooms.

The trail is just 0.2 miles round trip, and it is accessible up to the base of the pueblo. On a clear day you get a great view of the San Francisco Peaks rising behind the walls. There is a pit toilet at the parking area.

Lomaki and Box Canyon Pueblos

Heading north toward the far end of the loop, Lomaki means "beautiful house" in the Hopi language. It sits right on the edge of a deep earth crack, and the Park Service notes it had nine rooms built of local limestone and sandstone in the last decade of the 1100s. Two smaller structures, the Box Canyon pueblos, sit on either side of the crack.

The trail is 0.5 miles round trip on rough gravel and is not currently accessible. Lomaki is about 10 miles from the Visitor Center and 4 miles from the north entrance off US-89. Watch the nearby mesa tops for more walls in the distance.

The Citadel and Nalakihu

Close to Lomaki, the Citadel sits on top of a small extinct cinder hill, with sweeping views in every direction. It once stood two stories high, and it is built largely of dark basalt along with sandstone, which sets it apart from the red pueblos elsewhere in the monument. Nalakihu Pueblo sits at the foot of the hill.

The trail is short, about 5 to 20 minutes depending on how long you linger, and accessible to the base of the cinder hill. The climb to the top is steep but brief, and the view of the San Francisco Peaks and the volcanic field is one of the best in the park.

Sunset Crater Volcano: The Other Half of the Loop

You cannot really understand Wupatki without seeing Sunset Crater Volcano. According to the Park Service, it erupted around 1085, in an eruption that likely lasted less than a year. Ash fell across hundreds of square miles, including the Wupatki area 12 to 15 miles away. The volcano gets its name from the rusty red cinders near its summit.

The must-do here is the Lava Flow Trail, a one-mile loop at the base of the cone that winds through jagged black lava, squeeze-ups and cinder fields. The upper quarter mile is paved and accessible for wheelchairs, walkers and strollers, and leashed pets are welcome on the paved part.

You cannot climb Sunset Crater itself. The trail to the top was closed in 1973 because thousands of hikers had carved deep erosion scars in the cinders, and you can still see them today. If you want a summit, the Park Service suggests the Lenox Crater Trail instead. Sunset Crater sits above 7,000 feet, so expect it to be noticeably cooler than Wupatki, and possibly snowy in winter.

Official Sunset Crater info is here: https://www.nps.gov/sucr/index.htm

Plants and Wildlife to Watch For

The loop road is a lesson in how elevation shapes plant life. Near Sunset Crater you drive through ponderosa pines slowly reclaiming the cinders. Toward Wupatki, the trees give way to junipers and then open grassland with saltbush and rabbitbrush, which blooms yellow in fall. Watch for ravens riding the wind and lizards on warm rocks. Wupatki also has exceptionally dark night skies and hosts star parties.

Pets and Accessibility

Pets are not allowed on any trails at Wupatki, because the pueblos are fragile. They are allowed on paved roads and in parking lots on a leash six feet or shorter. Never leave a pet in a parked car. If you are traveling with a dog, the Doney Picnic Area, a Coconino National Forest site about halfway between the Visitor Center and the north entrance, is pet friendly, as is the paved portion of the Lava Flow Trail at Sunset Crater.

Tips for a Great Visit

• Go in fall or spring. Wupatki ranges from about 4,300 to 5,700 feet, so summer afternoons can be hot. Fall brings mild days and clear skies.

• Bring water and snacks. Services along the loop are limited.

• Check alerts first. Weather and road work can close parts of the loop. Look at the official conditions page: https://www.nps.gov/wupa/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

• Do not climb on walls. Stay on trails and leave artifacts in place.

• Do the whole loop. Entering through Sunset Crater and exiting past Lomaki and the Citadel, or the reverse, means no backtracking.

Make It a Bigger Trip

Wupatki pairs perfectly with other northern Arizona stops. Your pass also covers Walnut Canyon if you buy the annual Flagstaff Area pass, and its cliff dwellings are just east of Flagstaff: https://www.greenthumbhobbies.com/post/walnut-canyon

From the north end of the loop, US-89 continues toward Cameron and the east entrance of the Grand Canyon. Here is my South Rim guide: https://www.greenthumbhobbies.com/post/grand-canyon-south-rim

Heading east instead? Meteor Crater (https://www.greenthumbhobbies.com/post/meteor-crater-arizona) and Petrified Forest (https://www.greenthumbhobbies.com/post/petrified-forest-national-park) are an easy drive along I-40.

Official Links

• Wupatki National Monument: https://www.nps.gov/wupa/index.htm

• Fees and passes: https://www.nps.gov/wupa/planyourvisit/fees.htm

• Alerts and conditions: https://www.nps.gov/wupa/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

• Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument: https://www.nps.gov/sucr/index.htm

Final Thoughts

Standing next to a pueblo wall built nearly 900 years ago, with wind moving through the grass and the San Francisco Peaks on the horizon, you get a real sense of how people made a life in this beautiful, tough country. Pack a lunch, drive the loop and take your time. Have you been? Tell me your favorite pueblo in the comments.