Offering a variety of restaurants for all tastes, Flagstaff is a good place to grab lunch if you stay here long enough. Then walk across the street and stroll through Downtown Flagstaff, stopping for an espresso at Firecreek Cafe. After parking at the Historic Train Depot and Visitor Center, walk inside to learn about the town and its surroundings you can even watch a train go by if you’re there at the right time. Take some time to enjoy the surroundings and the fresh pine-scented air here. In stark contrast with the desert where the trip began only two hours earlier, the town offers a respite from the sweeping vistas, low vegetation, and heat, especially if you’re visiting in the summer. Give yourself about 30 minutes to an hour to visit the site, then get back on I-17 North and drive to Flagstaff.Īt the foot of the highest mountain range in Arizona, the San Francisco Peaks - also known by locals by its original name, the Kachina Peaks - Flagstaff is surrounded by tall ponderosa pines. While in the summer months it looks like a dry riverbed, in the winter you’ll see water flowing through it. When you visit, you’ll see a canal the ancient villagers built. Called Sinagua, meaning without water, those who lived here were the ancestors of the modern Pueblo people of Arizona, including the Hopi and Yavapai.Įven the name Sinagua is a misnomer though. The five-story-high structure you’ll visit here, built around 1150, housed about 50 people. Called cliff dwellings, these sites are prevalent in the US Southwest, and Montezuma Castle is one example. They carved entire villages inside the walls of the surrounding desert limestone. While Montezuma and the Aztecs lived thousands of miles South of this area, the ancient inhabitants of the desert were just as ingenious. You’ll learn about the ancient inhabitants of the Arizona desert, who built a structure impressive enough to have early explorers call it a castle and believe it to be the home of the famous Aztec king. Though it has nothing to do with Montezuma, and it’s not really a castle, this national park is worth a stop. After about 30 minutes on the road, you’ll see signs for Montezuma Castle National Monument. Get up really early and grab a quick breakfast, then head up North towards Flagstaff on I-17. Photo: Abbie Warnock-Matthews/Shutterstock
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |