It became time for us to leave Winslow AZ so we moved to Krazy K RV Park in Camp Verde, AZ which has a very favorable senior rate. We hoped to explore several small National Monuments and do some hiking in Sedona during this stay. The campground is rather nice with a small pool and hot tub along with a fitness room which I was sure we would take advantage of.
There are three National Monuments close by and the first we visited was Montezuma's Castle. Using our Senior Lifetime Parks Pass we entered the visitor center which also houses a small museum with some interesting exhibits. Leaving the museum there’s a short paved nature trail leading to the ruins situated beside Beaver creek.
The ruins are one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in the southwest. They were built into a limestone cliff and are five stories tall with 20 separate rooms. It was definitely one of the most magnificent preserved structures we have ever seen before.
The people who built Montezuma Castle are referred to as the Sinagua, which originates from Spanish words meaning “without water” likely referring the paucity of water in the area. They are believed to be ancestors of the Pueblo of Arizona and built this structure some 800 years ago. Until the 1950’s visitors could climb up to it via ladders which is now forbidden.
Next up for us would be Montezuma Well National Monument. The “well” is actually a natural spring located within a ‘‘sinkhole.’’The spring produces upwards to 1.5 million gallons of 64-77 degrees water daily. It breaks to the surface because of a volcanic dike which formed a dam across a fracture zone deep beneath the surface.
Montezuma Well is 368 feet across and more than 55 feet deep. It drains underground into Beaver Creek, a tributary of the Verde River. Interestingly though is that this water also is relatively high in concentration of arsenic.It makes one wonder if the arsenic in the water may have led to the demise of the people who depended on the spring.
Lastly we visited Tuzigoot National Monument. Around 1400 years ago the Sinagua people arrived in the greater Verde Valley.Like the ruins in Montezuma Well they also built Tuzigoot on a hilltop overlooking the valley.The area was only inhabited an estimated 100 years and in the 1930’s it became a National Monument.
The ruins are somewhat preserved yet well enough that one can get the feel for what it might have been like to be an inhabitant of the village. There was also a trail leading to a huge freshwater marsh that is merely a remnant or oxbow of Beaver Creek. All along the trail there were an abundance of wildflowers and seemingly even more butterflies. It was a hot and exposed trail but an enjoyable little hike nonetheless.
NOTE: We are currently in Mesa, Arizona until November 1st…
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