tuzigoot national monument

We decided to visit Tuzigoot after we visited Montezuma's Castle. They are reliatively close to each other. Tuzigoot has a nicely paved walkway up to the top of the ruins, but it is not accessible for someone that has difficulty walking. I wish that had been mentioned on the website. The views from the top of the ruins was beautiful. You could see for miles. I would have liked to have seen more artifacts or descriptions of what had been there.

TUZIGOOT NATIONAL MONUMENT ANICENT MAN IN THE VERDE VALLEY (ARIZONA’S HIDDEN BYWAYS V) West of Sedona, Arizona, there is a quite place high in the Verde Valley near the towns of Cottonwood and Clarkdale, AZ. This is a place containing spectacular Native American pueblo ruins. It is a place relatively devoid of man, and where the winds and storms swirl and frolic. A place where an ancient society lived in eons past, and traditions were kept, cherished, nurtured, and remembered. This is a place where the land was sacred, and was worked in the old ways and worshiped for its wisdom. TUZIGOOT NATIONAL MONUMENT is located in the Central section in the state of Arizona. The access to this National Monument is via AZ US89A-S, west of the town of Sedona, AZ. You can also access this monument from the south via I-17N/US179N/US89S from the Phoenix, AZ area. In either case, your entrance into Tuzigoot National Monument is at a few miles south of Sedona, AZ off SR89A-S on your right side. The National Monument have available campground (via reservations-contact the monuments), but you will need to stay elsewhere if you desire a lodge, hotel, or motel. If you seek the aforementioned lodging, check the towns of Sedona or Cottonwood, AZ. for accommodations. You can also link this trip to this monument with an extended stay at the south rim of the Grand Canyon. In all cases, you will have at least a 30 minutes to two hour drive to the entrance point of this national monument. At this point, I should mention that this is not a large site, such as Mesa Verde in Colorado, Hovenweep in Utah, or Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. We spent approximately two hours in the Tuzigoot site due to the limited amount of viewing material (i.e. ruins). The principle ruin in Tuzigoot National Monument is assessable to all and is a short walk from the Visitor’s center. Therefore, I would recommend linking these locations onto others for a true day trip. A convenient place to stay is Sedona, AZ, since it is more geared up for the tourist trade and has much to offer. We stayed in Sedona and found it a delightful town to visit. If you want to explore Tuzigoot National Monument, go west of Sedona, AZ on AZ US89A-S. Get off at exit SOUTH MAIN ST. in Cottonwood, AZ, Following it to NORTH MAIN STREET AND SOUTH BROADWAY. Make a right at TUZIGOOT ROAD, and go to the signed entrance to Tuzigoot National Monument. There are no services on this entrance road besides the Visitors Center, where there are restrooms. A morning visit is recommended due to the fact that the ruin on the cliff face is sun lit, allowing for excellent photography. A WORD ABOUT THESE RUINS; THEY HAVE BEEN HERE FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS. TAKE PLENTY OF PICTURES, WALK WITHIN THE RUINS IF ALLOWED, AND LEAVE FOOTPRINTS! DO NOT DISTURB OR REMOVE ANY ARTIFACTS. IT IS AGAINST FEDERAL LAW. I would advise to keep an eye on the weather conditions. Thunderstorms do crop up unexpectedly, especially in the summer afternoon, and can be quite powerful. For your own safely, do not get caught out in the open in one of these storms. You first major stop will be the Visitors Center at TUZIGOOT NATIONAL MONUMENT. This is the principle stop in this national monument, containing a major puebloan ruin on the hill, so give your self about an hour plus here. The Visitors Center is your source for information, maps, souvenirs, and, most importantly, restrooms. USE THEM! They will be the last restrooms you will encounter until you reach civilization as we know it, unless you like trees and rocks as company. The Visitor’s Center is also a place that you should spend some time in. There are photographs of what the site looked like during the original archeological excavation done many years ago, along with a model of what the site may have looked like when it was first built. To me, the greatest treasure in the Visitor’s Center is the excavated artifacts that have been painstakingly restored (see images). There are examples of hand made pottery fabricated by these Sinagua people on display. Spend some time here and marvel at the diversity of these irreplaceable relics. As you walk out the back door of the Visitor’s Center, you will find a path that leads to an upper viewing area of the TUZIGOOT RUINS (see images), on your right up the hill. You will be walking on a path below the ruin, so that you can see it from various angles. From these vantage points, the main communal building, which housed over 100 people, is visible on the hill crown (see images). The main communal building was a massive piece of engineering for its time, since only primitive tools were available to the builders. As you walk down the steps and approach the viewpoints for this structure, marvel at the construction and number of rooms that it encompasses. This was all built by hand out of stone and mud, using ladders, local material, and primitive rope. This was a vibrant agrarian community, using the rich soil to grow crops and draw water from area streams and springs in the Tavasci Marsh. To build an edifice of this nature, especially one of this size, must have consumed many hundreds of man hours. The safety of the hill was paramount in the eyes of the ancient leaders and engineers, while any agricultural activity could be performed on the valley floor. You are permitted to enter these ruins and admire the Sinagua people’s engineering handiwork. There is also access to the roof of the structure, enabling you to see the surrounding terrain. What is especially interesting are the 87 rooms connected to the main building, whose walls have been reconstructed to allow the visitor to see the extent of this ancient Native American ruin complex. Return to ground level and continue your journey back in time. Walk around the ruins of the sites that you have spotted from the roof of the edifice and admire the construction. It is also interesting to see the additional, everyday use artifacts scattered around the site. You can even walk down to the Tavasci Marsh area, which was very important to the early inhabitants of this area, insofar as it provided them with a steady source of water in the middle of this semi-desert environment of the Verde Valley. It also was the source of water for plant cultivation. At this point, return to the main road AZ US-89A-N and continue back toward Sedona, or all other points. Take plenty of photos on the way out, for one does not know when one will pass this way again. HAVE A SAFE AND HEALTHY TRIP. ALASKASEEKER = (B.I.N.)

Having visited a number of smaller National Monuments and having visited a number of ruins, my expectations for this one were rather low. I was pleasantly surprised. If you have an hour to spare while in the Sedona, Cottonwood, Clarksdale, or Jerome areas, I can't imagine you'll be disappointed. The views as you are walking around the ruins are amazing.We were too early for a ranger-led tour and did the self-guided, but they do have ranger-led tours if you are interested. You may call ahead to get the times of those for the day.

We stopped at the National Monument on our way to spend a day visiting Jerome and I am glad we did. This site is as interesting as Montezuma's Castle and one is allowed to get up close to the ruins. There were hundreds of rooms built out of rock, mud, logs, and branches perched on top of a steep knoll above the river. At least two hundred or more people lived in this primitive fortress at the peak of settlement. They grew and gathered food from the valley below and brought water, food, wood and other necessities all the way to the village on top of the hill every day. Talk about a view, these people could see strangers approach from miles away. Their houses had no doors, but the entrance was by ladders through the roof. Undoubtedly, this kept out a lot of unwelcome guests. There is a nominal fee to visit the monument and there is a small museum that interprets what life may have been like for these people. A visit is worth an hour of your time and the view will make one envious.

Wonderful piece of history that was easy to access via a smooth paved path. These ruins have great signage with history. I really enjoyed my dog being able to go on the 1/3 mile loop. With my dog's help I was able to navigate the trail.A bonus was the baby lizards.

While staying in Sedona, we took a day trip to Clarksdale, Jerome and the surrounding areas. We stopped at Tuzigoot National Park before going on a train ride. The ruins were amazing. You can walk up to and into them. It was astonishing how ancient native people built these communities in the desert. As a National Park, we were able to get in free with our senior pass. But, it would have been worth the price of admission.

Just imagining the building of this community perched high on the hill was awe inspiring. It was a community that grew to over 40 dwellings and then declined as the people moved away--makes you wonder what influenced the growth and death of this beautiful site.

The idea that you were walking where people lived hundreds of years ago was amazing, and the condition of the buildings were unbelievable! The little museum had pieces (some almost complete) of their pottery. It was a great trip.

I had some time so I found this close by and decided to stop in. It's a self guided tour, but there are rangers there to answer any questions. And if you go "ASK" my question was how did they go from room to room because there are no doors. I'll let you ask to find out the answer :) It's an interesting stop to learn a little about what they found.

Amazing building way back when? Holy cow! You must see this to believe it! Great history lesson for the kids. Beautiful views!

If you are near Tuzigoot veer off and spend a hour there.The view is great as is the history. The employees were all enthusiastic and helpful which makes it even nicer.

It was awesome, we enjoyed the sunshine and views from the Monument! Gorgeous! Stranding there thinking about the Indians that lived there and standing right where they would have stood.

We enjoyed Montezuma's Castle but Tuzigoot felt more ancient and the museum is wonderful! Once we climbed to the top of the ruins, the view was fantastic! a must see!!!

My wife and I stopped here before going on the train nearby. It was nice and we learned a little about the Indians that occupied the area.

Very good Indian ruin site. You learn about the ancient indians as well as what plants in the area are used for what cures and other interesting things. Also some aditional discussions about the mining in the area. Well worth the stop if you are in the Verde Valley.