Wupatki National Monument & Sunset Crater National Monument
Getting from Mesa Verde to Flagstaff, Arizona is simple, take U.S. 160 until you meet U.S. 89 in Arizona, then head south. This drive is almost completely unfettered by the influence of any other drivers. Passing mostly through Navajo reservation lands, there were few signs of life for great distances. In all, the drive should take you about four hours, but in some of these areas there was nothing to stop you from driving as fast as you wanted.
These two parks lie on a common parkland, so they are easily visited together on the same day. The first park you will come to after leaving the highway is Sunset Crater. Sunset Crater is a dormant volcano that lies within the San Francisco Peaks range of volcanic mountains that occupy northern Arizona. Sunset Crater last erupted around a thousand years ago. One can only imagine the natives that lived in the area at that time, and the confusion they must have felt, or the concern over the anger they must have caused their gods to bring such an eruption to their lands. When you arrive take the time to walk the trails that lead up the peak. Wendy and I took the time to hike both the Lava Flow Trail and the Lenox Crater Trail. Both can be done in around an hour. Since we were visiting in March the mountain was still covered in snow which made the ancient lava flows even more impressive as they jutted out of the earth. There are much longer trails available, but those are for seasoned hikers.
From there you have two choices to get to Wupatki, you can either go back out and go up U.S. 89, or you can take the park highway through. I would recommend the latter since it gives you amazing views of the destructive path of the lava flows, and some wonderful vantage points for pictures. When you get to Wupatki stop at the Visitors Center. Behind the center is Wupatki Pueblo, the largest site at the park, and the remains of what must have once been an impressive village. A massive village in the 12th Century, the natives who lived here abandoned the village centuries ago until it was rediscovered by explorers in the 19th Century. At the site you will see their citadel like fortress that housed an estimated 100 people. They also had an ancient ball field, and a unique geothermal feature of an underground air vent that blows a torrent of warm air out constantly.
There is one side road immediately across from Wupatki Pueblo that will take you to an almost unvisited Wukoki Pueblo. After leaving there drive the loop through the park. You will see some long abandoned ancient ruins that stretch through the entire park. You will also find small canyon called Box Canyon that must have been a popular location after the snow melt funneled all of the water down the path. The most impressive site to me was the Citadel Pueblo. A fortress that sat on top of a high peak looking down into a giant crater, this high point must have provided the inhabitants with amazing views of wildlife and invaders coming to their lands. When you finish the loop the road will bring you right back out to U.S. 89, and you can head south to Flagstaff. If you have time there is one more site called Walnut Canyon National Monument that is home to more ancient pueblos, but sadly we didn't make it before the park closed for the day.
Everyone goes to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon, and you all should because it is that awesome, but don't miss out on some other wonderful sites of nature and Native American history that live here. You will find most of these sites are almost completely empty, so you can have the run of the park for as long as you like. After you get to the Grand Canyon, you will be longing for the parks where you could hear yourself think.
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