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Wupatki National Monument, Flagstaff, AZ

Photo: Docku, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

SightseeingHistory BuffOutdoor Adventure

Wupatki National Monument

25137 N Wupatki Loop Rd · Flagstaff, AZ

Why you should go…

Wupatki National Monument preserves ancestral Puebloan villages scattered across open grassland north of Flagstaff. From the visitor center, a trail leads to the largest of them, Wupatki Pueblo, with 104 rooms, a community room, a ball court and a blowhole where air rushes from an underground cave system. Other pueblos you can visit along the loop road include Wukoki, Lomaki and the Citadel. One entrance pass also covers Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument on the same 35-mile scenic loop.

  • #national monument
  • #pueblo ruins
  • #archaeological site
  • #scenic drive

Good to know

General sightseeing guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • The forecast is part of the ticket

    Haze, low cloud, and rain flatten a view. Clear-day visits are worth rearranging your plans for.

  • Golden hour sells out first

    Sunset slots at observation decks and cruises are the first to go, so book those further ahead.

  • Dress a layer warmer

    It is always breezier up high and out on the water than it feels at street level.

  • Timed entry is common

    Plenty of landmarks release tickets in windows rather than at the door, so check before you walk over.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Wupatki National Monument, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

    $25–$50

    Walk a one-mile loop across the Bonito Lava Flow at the foot of a cinder cone volcano that erupted around AD 1085.

    14 mi awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor

  • Sightseeing
    Outdoor Adventure

    Flagstaff

    Free

    A high-elevation Arizona city on Route 66 serving as a gateway to the Grand Canyon, ponderosa forests and ski country.

    27 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Arizona Snowbowl

    $50+

    Historic ski resort on the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff with year-round gondola rides.

    27 mi awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor

  • Attractions
    Iconic

    Lowell Observatory

    $25–$50

    Tour a working research observatory in Flagstaff and view the night sky through historic telescopes.

    28 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Desert View Watchtower

    $25–$50

    Climb a 70-foot stone tower on the South Rim for views of the eastern Grand Canyon and Colorado River.

    44 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Quirky Fun

    Standin' on the Corner Park

    Free

    Pose beside a bronze troubadour, a red flatbed Ford and a two-story mural on the Route 66 corner from the Eagles song.

    51 mi awayMore like this