Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments

Flagstaff KOA

Flagstaff, AZ

August 11 & August 14, 2025

Apache Plume beside the Lava Flow (paved) Trail 

Early on Monday (8/11) the three of us headed to Sunset Crater National Monument. I read that pups are welcome there on the paved walkways.  Sunset Crater, known for being Arizona's youngest volcano, erupted around 1085.

We all enjoyed the drive through the park and the paved Lava Flow Trail.  It is an easy 1 mile roundtrip walk that we could take Lucy on.  

The volcano created a dramatic landscape of red and black lava flows that resemble a sunset.

The eruption was a powerful event.  It created a 1,000 foot cinder cone, widespread ash and cinders, and extensive lava flows.  We also made a quick stop at A'a Trail for me to get some photos.  A'a Trail is a quick 0.2 miles roundtrip.  It is the shortest trail in the park, but it delivers a powerful impact.  Sharp blocks of rough basaltic a'a lave that formed the Bonita Lave Flow. 

Life begins on a lava flow with the smallest of steps. Weathering of rocks into soil by wind, rain, and plant life is extremely slow and most of the soil today has been carried in by the wind and collected in small, protected pockets.  We learned in the VC that the oldest pine tree in this area is approximately 250 years old. 

For many of the trees, flowers, and shrubs, growing on the flow, life begins as a single seed that finds its way into a sheltered pocket.  The margin for success here is small, but signs of life continue to grow on this fragile landscape.

Sunset Crater NM is a stark, yet unique environment.  With black ash and lava rocks/boulders it became a wonderland of rock.  The distinct red-orange color at the top of the cone comes from oxidized iron in the cinders.  Sunset Crater is part of the much larger San Francisco Volcanic Field.  Sunset Crater was designated a National Monument in 1930 to protect its geological and cultural significance. 

 

For the rest of the story, Joe and I headed out to Wupatki National Monument on Thursday (8/14). We entered this absolutely amazing National Monument at the north entrance.  

Established as a National Monument in 1924 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.  The listing included three contributing buildings, 29 contributing structures on 35,422 acres. 

The eruption around 1085 forced ancestral Pueblo people to leave their homes after days of shaking from earthquakes which served as a warning of the impending eruption.  Native peoples who had lived in this area for centuries lost their homes and fields. Some families relocated to lower elevations, establishing new villages and farm land that are protected and preserved within Wupatki National Monument.  It is estimated that 2,000 people moved to this area in the century following the eruption.  A thriving cultural and trade center evolved and today, is recognized as culturally significant  by 13 different Indigenous tribes. This thriving community was eventually abandoned in the mid-13th century due to an extended drought. 

There are 4 short easy trails to enjoy that guide you to an up-close and personal connection to these significant and sacred sites.  There is a 5th trail, Dooney Mountain, rated moderate to strenuous due to loose cinders that we did not do.

1) Lomaki and Box Canyon Puebloes : A 1/2 mile round trip paved trail to limestone pueblos surrounded by open views of native grasslands and majestic peaks.

Box Canyon to the right of the dwelling was a water supply. 

Lomaki had 9 rooms constructed from local limestone and sandstone.  Both the exterior and interior walls may have been coated with plaster. 

2) Citadel and Nalakihu Pueblos :  A 0.2 mile trail to explore Nalakihu and walk up to Citadel Pueblo for panoramic views of the landscape.  

Nalakihu is a Hopi word meaning "house standing outside the village".  This is the smaller sandstone structure at the beginning of the trail.

Citadel, a much larger dwelling,  sits on a small remnant butte of volcanic origin. 

The walls were built to follow the outline of the hill. It was constructed with both sandstone and basalt (volcanic rock). This structure was two stories high on this side.

I read that this ruin has never been excavated. It is estimated to have had 30 rooms with approximately 50-60 people living here.
 

To the left of the trail is a deep volcanic cinder pit. 

3) Wupatki Pueblo : An easy 1/2 mile roundtrip trail to what was once a regional trade center.  This 104 room pueblo features a ball court and a blowhole.  The trail begins behind the Visitor Center

The 35,422 acres of Wupatki protects an exceptional record of thousands of people whose knowledge of dry farming and skillful adaptations enabled their community to thrive and grow.  In the Hopi language, Wupatki is translated as "Tall House".  

This pueblo began as a home for a few families.  over time, it grew to 104 rooms and was engaged in not only farming, but also ceremony, trade and craft specialization with approximately 85-100 living there.  The surrounding area had as many as 2,000 people living within a days walk.

The reconstructed circle area was a special room used for rituals and ceremonies. Tribal members today have advised that this was an open-air community room and that rituals may have united different tribes, solved problems, and served as a place to redistribute materials and food. 

The Hopi view of the community...The family, the dwelling house, and the field are were inseparable,  because the woman is the heart of these, and they rest with her...The man builds the house but the woman is the owner because she repairs and preserves it.  

The site also includes a ball court and a blow hole.  And it is worth mentioning that park rangers once lived in this pueblo.  Two rooms were reconstructed to house a husband and wife back in the 1930s.  They hauled water from Wupatki Creek and used propane to cook.  A small adjoining storage room housed a gas refrigerator (there was no electricity).  The government charged them $10.00 a month rent.   By the 1950s the walls and roof added for them were removed.  The original Visitor Center was built in 1930s by the CCC.  The VC we see today along with ranger housing was built in 1964.  Wupatki became a National Monument 1924.    

4) Wukoki Pueblo Trail : A 0.2 mile roundtrip walk to a towering pueblo built on an outcrop that is unique for its structure and location.

Our last stop for the day is my favorite of all the sites.  Wukoki is an impressive 8 room structure built on a sandstone pedestal. There were three stories in what seems to be a tower and a plaza used for daily activities. 

Wukoki translates “big house” in Hopi. 

This pueblo was home to 2 or 3 families. 

 

We sat for a few minutes...the encompassing view may have been the motive for building on a sandstone outscrop. No matter what their reason was for choosing to build where they did, the height of the Pueblo and the location are extraordinary.  

The scenic drive that joins Sunset Crater and Wupatki is worth taking.  It is about 35 miles through meadows and pine forests.  

  Until next time...

 Sunflowers along the side of the road

Pineywoods Geranium along the trail

Western Tanager at Sunset Crater VC

Rain clouds over the mesa at Wupatki NM followed us all morning.

HAPPY TRAILS!