Walnut Canyon National Monument, Flagstaff, AZ.

Walnut Canyon, just ten miles from Flagstaff, Arizona, was formed over 60 million years as water cut 400 feet deep through layers of Kaibab limestone and the underlying Coconino sandstone. The limestone was deposited in layers of varying hardness. Water gouged out the softer layers of limestone rock to form overhanging ledges in the canyon walls.
Early Archaic people probably visited the canyon periodically over many thousands of years, but between 1125 and 1250 people known as the Sinaqua (without water) took advantage of the alcoves formed by the overhanging ledges to build cliff dwellings. The ledges conveniently provided ceilings, floors, and back walls. The Sinaqua needed to build two side walls and a front wall. And adjacent rooms could share side walls.
They also built pithouses on the canyon rim, where they did their farming: corn, squash, and beans mostly.
The twists and turns on the canyon create different conditions of sun and shadow to which plants and animals respond. The monument exhibits on the trail emphasize “Life on the Shady Side” and “Life on the Sunny Side”.
The Visitor Center has exhibits and a panoramic view of the canyon.
The .7-mile Rim Trail overlooks the canyon and passes ruins of rimtop structures. Elevation at the rim is nearly 7,000 feet.
The .9-mile Island Loop Trail descends into the canyon and passes 25 of the cliff dwelling rooms. Fascinating! But the trail is steep and deep. It has an elevation change of 185 feet, and it requires 736 stair steps roundtrip. And at such a high elevation, this hike can be strenuous. Know your limitations: Going down is optional; returning is mandatory.
The cliff dwellings were largely undisturbed by visitors until the 1880s. Being so close to Flagstaff, the cliff dwellings were then regularly visited by souvenir hunters. Theft and destruction prompted local efforts to preserve the canyon dwellings. In 1915 Walnut Canyon was made a National Monument.
Enjoy my video of my visit to the Walnut Canyon National Monument. There are many explanatory panels on the trails. Pause the video as needed to read all the interesting information.
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Specifically, I have a direct link at the end of this video to my video playlist on the channel about National Monuments and Historical Parks.
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