Wupatki and Area Information

For its time and place, there was no other pueblo like Wupatki. Less than 800 years ago, it was the tallest, largest, and perhaps the richest and most influential pueblo around. It was home to 85-100 people, and several thousand more lived within a day’s walk. And it was built in one of the lowest, warmest, and driest places on the Colorado Plateau. What compelled people to build here?

Human history here spans at least 10,000 years. But only for a time, in the 1100s, was the landscape this densely populated. The eruption of nearby Sunset Crater Volcano a century earlier probably played a part. Families that lost their homes to ash and lava had to move. They discovered that the cinders blanketing lands to the north could hold moisture needed for crops.

As the new agricultural community spread, small scattered homes were replaced by a few large pueblos, each surrounded by many smaller pueblos and pithouses. Wupatki, Wukoki, Lomaki, and other masonry pueblos emerged from bedrock. Trade networks expanded, bringing exotic items like turquoise, shell jewelry, copper bells, and parrots. Wupatki flourished as a meeting place of different cultures. Then, by about 1250, the people moved on.

The people of Wupatki came here from another place. From Wupatki, they sought out another home. Though no longer occupied, Wupatki is remembered and cared for, not abandoned.

Painted Desert View
Heat waves distort the horizon. Constant winds sap moisture from every pore. Tantalizing thunderstorms build but cheat the land of rain. The rock walls of an 800-year-old pueblo frame a landscape offering little obvious source of food, water, or comfort. On a summer day, the high desert of Wupatki seems much the same today as when, amid the rumblings of Sunset Crater Volcano, ancestral Puebloan people settled here. In this region of dramatic geologic landforms, climatic extremes, scarce water, and diverse plant and animal species, they created self-sustaining lives.

Wupatki National Monument was established to preserve the archeological sites from which we can learn about past and present cultures. We have since realized that Wupatki’s history is a complex story of people interacting with this living, evolving landscape. The dynamic processes of volcanism, tectonics, and erosion have created the geologic formations and abrupt elevation changes that provide, within a short distance, a wide variety of habitats for plants and animals. The effects of elevation are startlingly visible along the scenic loop road connecting Wupatki with Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, 18 miles to the south. A drive along this road is a journey from desert grasslands (at less than 5,000’ elevation) to ponderosa pine forest (near 7,000’).

Today, Wupatki National Monument protects 56 square miles (35,254 acres) of high desert directly west of the Little Colorado River and the Navajo Reservation. Its vistas preserve clues to geologic history, ecological change, and human settlement. All are intertwined.

ACTIVITIES

Allow 2 hours to see five prehistoric pueblos; or, at least 30 minutes to visit the largest - Wupatki Pueblo - located behind the Visitor Center.

Wupatki Pueblo Trail, located at the Visitor Center, is a self-guided tour of the largest pueblo in the park. Don't miss the blowhole, a fascinating geologic feature. The trail is less than .5 mile (.8km) round trip.

Lomaki Pueblo Trail is an easy .5 mile (.8km) walk to several pueblos. Wukoki, Citadel, and Nalakihu Pueblos are reached by short .2 mile (.4 km) trails.

Doney Mountain Trail ascends .5 mile (.8 km) from the picnic area to the top of the cinder cone for spectacular views of the surrounding area.

Children can stop by the Wupatki Visitor Center and ask for a copy of our Jr. Ranger booklet. A minimum of 1 1/2 hours is needed to complete the Wupatki Trail, read the exhibits and answer the questions in the booklet.

Wupatki Pueblo Trail

What Can You See?	Wupatki Visitor Center, largest pueblo in the park, 2 other pueblos, Doney Mountain
Distance	1/2-mile round-trip
Time	45-minutes round-trip
Difficulty	Moderate
Accessibility	The trail is paved with steps and some steep grades. Level paved trail to pueblo overlook. Restrooms and picnic tables are available
Pets	Pets are not allowed on trails, in the backcountry, in buildings, or tied to objects. They are welcome in parking areas on a leash. Summer temperatures may be fatal to pets left in vehicles.
Weather	Be prepared for variable and extreme weather conditions. Expect windy afternoons. Summer daytime temperatures can exceed 100 degrees. Short afternoon thunderstorms are common July through September. Autumn and spring days are warm and mild while winter days are cool with occasional snow & freezing temperatures.

People gathered here during the 1100s, gradually building this 100-room pueblo with a community room and ballcourt. By 1182, perhaps 85 to 100 people lived at Wupatki Pueblo, the largest building for at least fifty miles. Within a day's walk, a population of several thousand surrounded Wupatki.

Wupatki appears empty and abandoned. Though it is no longer physically occupied, Hopi believe the people who lived and died here remain as spiritual guardians. Stories of Wupatki are passed on among Hopi, Zuni, Navajo, and perhaps other tribes. Members of the Hopi Bear, Sand, Lizard, Rattlesnake, Water, Snow, and Katsina Clans return periodically to enrich their personal understanding of their clan history. Wupatki is remembered and cared for, not abandoned.

While visiting the pueblos, stay off walls, do not remove or disturb any features, and stay on established trails. These sites are vital to our studies of the past and are protected by Federal law. Please join us in our efforts to protect these prehistoric sites as well as the plant and animal life in the park

Doney Mountain Picnic Area

What Can You See?	The San Francisco Peaks, many cinder cones, the Painted Desert and a panoramic view of the Wupatki National Monument area.
Distance	1-mile round-trip
Time	1-hour round-trip
Difficulty	Moderate
Accessibility	The trail is uneven with rocks in places. There are pit toilets and picnic tables.
Pets	Pets are not allowed on trails, in the backcountry, in buildings, or tied to objects. They are welcome in parking areas on a leash. Summer temperatures may be fatal to pets left in vehicles.
Weather	Be prepared for variable and extreme weather conditions. Expect windy afternoons. Summer daytime temperatures can exceed 100 degrees. Short afternoon thunderstorms are common July through September. Autumn and spring days are warm and mild while winter days are cool with occasional snow & freezing temperatures.

Interpretive signs along the way tell you about the unique ecology of this rugged area and about the adventures of Ben Doney who prospected for gold. You'll also be able to see two prehistoric ruins with signs interpreting their role in the local community and how they related to prehistoric farming practices.

While visiting the area, stay off pueblo walls, do not remove or disturb any features, and stay on established trails. These sites are vital to our studies of the past and are protected by Federal law. Please join us in our efforts to protect these prehistoric sites as well as the plant and animal life in the park.

Citadel and Nalakihu Pueblos Trail

What Can You See?	2 pueblos, the San Francisco Peaks and the Painted Desert.
Distance	Less than 1/2-mile round-trip
Time	30-minutes round-trip
Difficulty	Moderate
Accessibility	The trail is uneven with rocks in places.
Pets	Pets are not allowed on trails, in the backcountry, in buildings, or tied to objects. They are welcome in parking areas on a leash. Summer temperatures may be fatal to pets left in vehicles.
Weather	Be prepared for variable and extreme weather conditions. Expect windy afternoons. Summer daytime temperatures can exceed 100 degrees. Short afternoon thunderstorms are common July through September. Autumn and spring days are warm and mild while winter days are cool with occasional snow & freezing temperatures.

These 800 year old pueblos are thought to be the former home of the prehistoric Anasazi and Sinagua people.

Nalakihu is a Hopi word meaning "house standing outside the village." This structure had 10 rooms and the ground floor and three or four more rooms formed an upper story.

The Citadel pueblo is built on a small volcanic remnant. The wall of the Citadel were built to follow the outline of the volcanic butte. The structure may have been two stories high.

While visiting the pueblos, stay off walls, do not remove or disturb any features, and stay on established trails. These sites are vital to our studies of the past and are protected by Federal law. Please join us in our efforts to protect these prehistoric sites as well as the plant and animal life in the park.

Lomaki and Box Canyon Pueblos Trail

What Can You See?	3 pueblos, the San Francisco Peaks with Mt. Humphrey looming over 12,000 ft. and many cinder cones.
Distance	Less than 1/2-mile round-trip
Time	30-minutes round-trip
Difficulty	Easy
Accessibility	The trail is uneven with rocks in places. There are pit toilets and picnic tables.
Pets	Pets are not allowed on trails, in the backcountry, in buildings, or tied to objects. They are welcome in parking areas on a leash. Summer temperatures may be fatal to pets left in vehicles.
Weather	Be prepared for variable and extreme weather conditions. Expect windy afternoons. Summer daytime temperatures can exceed 100 degrees. Short afternoon thunderstorms are common July through September. Autumn and spring days are warm and mild while winter days are cool with occasional snow & freezing temperatures.

Lomaki Pueblo was built in the last decade of the 1100s. The name Lomaki means "beautiful house" in the Hopi language. Constructed of limestone and sandstone, it includes the remains of nine rooms, most of which were originally two stories. Both the exterior and interior walls may have been coated with plaster.

While visiting the pueblos, stay off walls, do not remove or disturb any features, and stay on established trails. These sites are vital to our studies of the past and are protected by Federal law. Please join us in our efforts to protect these prehistoric sites as well as the plant and animal life in the park.

Sacred Ties

The descendants of the prehistoric peoples of the Southwest are very much alive and thriving. The Hopi of Northern Arizona and the various Pueblo people of New Mexico have religious and cultural practices which began with prehistoric cultures.

Pueblo villages such as Old Oraibi of the Hopi, and Sky City of Acoma were built around A.D. 1100, the same time as those at Wupatki and Walnut Canyon. These are viable communities yet today. The ceremonies and tribal rituals carried on there have been practiced for centuries. Crafts like pottery making and weaving have origins deeply rooted in the past. Time brought change, but traditions and customs have lived on through the centuries.

The Hopi call their ancestors Hisatsinom, meaning "People of the past." However, in most cases archeologists borrowed names for prehistoric cultures from American Indian tribes of today. For example, Anasazi is a Diné (Navajo) name meaning "ancient ones" or "ancient enemy" and Hohokam is an Ackimal O'odham (Pima) name meaning "those who have gone" or "all used up." In some cases names were given according to archeological findings, for example, Sinagua is from Spanish words sin (without) and agua (water).

The pueblos found in Wupatki, Sunset Crater Volcano, and Walnut Canyon National Monuments are now part of the National Park System. They still are sacred to the modern Pueblo people. Many sites are known by name and have their place in oral history that is passed on from one generation to the next. Various Hopi clans are traced back to these sites.

When you visit ancient Pueblos, remember these sites are an important part of modern Pueblo culture. They are a source of cultural identity and provide a bond with ancestors. Vandalism and theft of artifacts weaken these ties. We ask that you leave everything in its place.

Reuben Honahnie, Hopi,
Park Ranger, Flagstaff Area National Monuments