Castle for Kim: Montezuma Castle (and Well)

Since fourth or fifth grade social studies, I (K) had always wanted to see some cliff dwellings.  When I realized I'd find myself in Phoenix, Arizona, in July 2016, I was inspired to go find some.  So, after my plane landed mid-day on a Sunday, I found Montezuma Castle, a, 800-year-old well preserved set of dwellings in a naturally-occurring opening on a cliff face.

A small National Park Service site, Montezuma Castle is easily accessible and a wonderful glimpse into the ancient past in the desert.  The castle is not one family's dwelling--it's housing for more like 30-50 people. Misnamed as an Aztec site at one point (hence the Montezuma), this Sinagua native site helps the visitor understand desert survival. There's a short sidewalk-style trail that is relatively flat that will give you a view of the castle and some pretty desert landscape.  No, you can't enter the castle--it's too challenging to preserve--but the view from the ground is grand.  There's also a wonderful diorama to view to give you a sense of the "inside"--and I have been trained by hubby J to appreciate these delightful touches that help interpret such sites. And there's a gift shop (with an educator discount)!

Run up the road a few more miles and you'll find the less busy but quite splendid Montezuma Well, an interesting "lake" made by a spring that's home to unique species of leeches and other such nifty-ness.  Take a short "hike" (also on a sidewalk, but with some stairs with decent steepness) .25 mile up to the top of the lake (and looping back around to the parking lot).  Venture off the beaten path (but still on a marked trail) down to the lake edge if you wish--this was also pretty terrain. For diver shots from 2006, the last research dive into the well, click here.  There's no gift shop at the well, so be sure to pack water.  It's the desert--if it is summer, basically walk around sipping water.

If you go, the drive from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is north about 90 minutes and will afford you some excellent desert scenery.  You could easily visit the small town of Jerome or the Red Rocks of Sedona in the same little road trip--admission here also gets you in to Tuzigoot National Monument for the week, too, and it is easily accessible from the same drive.  For some thought-provoking reading on archaeology, historic preservation, and plunder, check out Craig Childs's Finders Keepers.  If you are interested in other things K was inspired to see thanks to elementary school social studies, check out our blog on Town Creek Indian Burial Mound in North Carolina.