Archaeological Sites

Superintendent Name:

Larry Wiese

The name "Yucca House" was selected for the monument because the Ute Indians called the area by a name meaning yucca, for there is an abundance of the yucca plant growing on the mountainsides. The long-term preservation of Yucca House ensures that archeologists will be able to continue studying Ancestral Puebloan society and what caused them to migrate from this region in the late 1200s.

Park Open Info:

Year-round (weather pending)

Park Closed Info:

Year-round (weather pending)

Park Acreage:

Visitor Count Year Recorded:

2006

Has Volunteer Program:

Has Shuttle System:

Park Sights:

Upper House; Lower House

Entrance Fees:

Free

Nearest Major City:

Cortez, CO

Gateway Communities:

Towaoc, CO; Cortez, CO; Lewis, CO; Dolores, CO; Yellow Jacket, CO; Mancos, CO

Nearby Airports:

Cortez Municipal Airport (CEZ); Durango-La Plata County Airport (DRO); Four Corners Regional Airport (FMN)

Walnut Canyon National Monument

Superintendent Name:

Diane Chung

Walnut Canyon National Monument was established in 1915 specifically to preserve the "prehistoric ruins of ancient cliff dwellings." Visit Walnut Canyon and walk in the footsteps of people who lived here more than 700 years ago. Peek into their homes, cliff dwellings built deep within canyon walls. The Canyon remains valuable today as habitat for plants and animals. See for yourself on trails along the canyon rim and into the depths.

Park Open Info:

Year-round (hours vary seasonally)

Park Closed Info:

Year-round (hours vary seasonally)

Park Acreage:

3541

Visitor Count:

120820

Visitor Count Year Recorded:

2006

Has Volunteer Program:

Has Recycling:

Yes

Has Shuttle System:

Park Sights:

Island Trail; Rim Trail; Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument; Wupatki National Monument

Entrance Fees:

Adult (16 & older): $5 (valid for 7 days); Child (under 16): Free; Local Passport (valid for Sunset Crater Volcano, Wupatki, Walnut Canyon): $25 per year; Commercial Tour Fees: $25-$100 per day (varies depending on seating capacity)

Nearest Major City:

Flagstaff, AZ

Gateway Communities:

Flagstaff, AZ; Bellemont, AZ; Munds Park, AZ; Parks, AZ

Nearby Airports:

Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG)

Wupatki National Monument

Superintendent Name:

Diane Chung

Wupatki National Monument was established to preserve Citadel and Wupatki pueblos. Monument boundaries have been adjusted several times since its establishment, and now include additional pueblos and other archeological resources on a total of 35,422 acres. Wupatki represents a cultural crossroads, home to numerous groups of people over thousands of years.

Park Open Info:

Year-round (sunrise to sunset)

Park Closed Info:

Year-round (sunrise to sunset)

Park Acreage:

35254

Visitor Count:

236449

Visitor Count Year Recorded:

2006

Has Volunteer Program:

Has Recycling:

Yes

Has Shuttle System:

Park Sights:

Wupatki Pueblo; Walnut Canyon National Monument; Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

Entrance Fees:

Individual (15 & older): $5 (valid for 7 days); Child (under 16): Free; Local Passport (Sunset Crater Volcano, Wupatki, Walnut Canyon): $25 per year; Commercial Tour Fee: $28-100 (varies depending on seating capicity)

Nearest Major City:

Flagstaff, AZ

Gateway Communities:

Gray Mountain, AZ; Cameron, AZ; Flagstaff, AZ; Bellemont, AZ

Nearby Airports:

Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG)

Tonto National Monument

Superintendent Name:

Brad Traver

Situated within rugged terrain of the Sonoran Desert, Tonto National Monument preserves cliff dwellings and other prehistoric archeological sites. A vast culture lived within Tonto Basin, surviving and adapting to the arid environment. Perched over far above the river valley, the cliff dwellings represent the final phase of occupation in this area.

Park Open Info:

Year-round (8am-5pm)

Park Closed Info:

Year-round (8am-5pm)

Park Acreage:

1120

Visitor Count:

63733

Visitor Count Year Recorded:

2006

Has Volunteer Program:

Yes

Has Shuttle System:

Park Sights:

Upper Cliff Dwelling; Lower Cliff Dwelling; Cactus Patch; Roosevelt Lake

Entrance Fees:

Free

Nearest Major City:

Phoenix, AZ

Gateway Communities:

Roosevelt, AZ; Tonto Basin, AZ; Claypool AZ; Globe, AZ; Miami, AZ

Nearby Airports:

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX); Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG); Tucson Inernational Airport (TUS); Scottsdale Airport (SDL)

Russell Cave National Monument

Superintendent Name:

John Bundy

Russell Cave was home to prehistoric peoples for more than 10,000 years. The monument provides clues to the daily lifeways of early North American inhabitants dating from 6500 B.C. to 1650 A.D. The cave shelter archaeological site contains the most complete record of prehistoric cultures in the Southeast.

Park Open Info:

Year-round

Park Closed Info:

Year-round

Park Acreage:

310

Visitor Count:

24851

Visitor Count Year Recorded:

2006

Has Volunteer Program:

Has Recycling:

Yes

Has Shuttle System:

Park Sights:

Russel Cave; North Alabama Birding Trail; Boardwalk

Entrance Fees:

Free

Nearest Major City:

Sequatchie, TN

Gateway Communities:

Bridgeport, AL; South Pittsburg, TN; Stevenson, AL; Bryant, AL; Jasper, TN

Nearby Airports:

Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA); Huntsville International Airport (HSV); Dalton Municipal Airport (DNN)

Poverty Point National Monument

Poverty Point commemorates a culture that thrived during the first and second millennia B.C. This site, which contains some of the largest prehistoric earth works and most historic archeological sites in North America, is managed by the state of Louisiana.

Park Open Info:

Year-round

Park Closed Info:

Year-round

Park Acreage:

911

Visitor Count Year Recorded:

2006

Has Volunteer Program:

Park Sights:

Observation Tower

Entrance Fees:

Individual: $2

Nearest Major City:

Tallulah, LA

Gateway Communities:

Epps, LA; Pioneer, LA; Delhi, LA; Transylvania, LA; Sondheimer, LA; Lake Providence, LA

Nearby Airports:

Monroe Regional Airport (MLU); Jackson-Evers International Airport (JAN); Grider Field (PBF)

Petroglyph National Monument

Superintendent Name:

Joe Sanchez

Petroglyph National Monument protects a variety of cultural and natural resources. Of the most extraordinary, an estimated 20,000 carved images dot the landscape. Many are recognizable as animals, people, brands and crosses; others are more complex. These images are inseparable from the cultural landscape, the spirits of the people who created, and who appreciate them.

Park Open Info:

Year-round

Park Closed Info:

Year-round

Park Acreage:

7236

Visitor Count:

121825

Visitor Count Year Recorded:

2006

Has Volunteer Program:

Has Recycling:

Yes

Has Shuttle System:

Park Sights:

JA Vocano; Albuquerque Overlook; Black Volcano Loop; Vulcan Volcano Loop; Rinconada Canyon; Boco Negra Canyon: Mesa Point; Macaw; Cliff Base; Piedras Marcadas

Entrance Fees:

Weekday Parking: $1; Weekend Parking: $2

Nearest Major City:

Albuquerque, NM

Gateway Communities:

Albuquerque, NM; Corrales, NM; Rio Rancho, NM; Isleta, NM; Bernalillo, NM; Tijeras, NM; Cedar Crest, NM

Nearby Airports:

Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ)

Natural Bridges National Monument

Superintendent Name:

Corky Hays

Natural Bridges preserves some of the greatest examples of natural stone architecture in the southwest. Three such natural bridges formed when running streams slowly cut through the canyon walls. In honor of the Native Americans that inhabited the area, the bridges are named "Kachina," "Owachomo" and "Sipapu."

Park Open Info:

Year-round

Park Closed Info:

Year-round

Park Acreage:

7636

Visitor Count:

91288

Visitor Count Year Recorded:

2006

Has Volunteer Program:

Has Recycling:

Yes

Has Shuttle System:

Park Sights:

Sipapu Bridge; Horsecollar Ruin; Kachina Bridge; Owachomo Bridge; Solar Power System

Entrance Fees:

Individual Pass (valid for 7 days): $3 (motorcycles, bicycles, walk-ins); Vehicle Pass (valid for 7 days): $6; Local Passport (valid for Arches, Canyonlands, Hovenweep, Natural Bridges): $25; Commercial Tours: $25-$100 (varies depending on seating capacity

Nearest Major City:

Blanding, UT

Gateway Communities:

Blanding, UT; Mexican Hat, UT; Bluff, UT

Nearby Airports:

Cortez Municipal Airport (CEZ); Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT); Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)

Montezuma Castle National Monument

Superintendent Name:

Kath Davis

Visit Montezuma Castle National Monument to witness the incredible legacy of a people who continue to inspire the imaginations of this and future generations. Gaze through the windows of the past into one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America. This 20 room elaborate domain, nestled into a towering limestone cliff, tells a 1,000 year-old story of ingenuity and survival in a harsh desert landscape.

Park Open Info:

Year-round (hours vary seasonally)

Park Closed Info:

Year-round (hours vary seasonally)

Park Acreage:

1658

Visitor Count:

597762

Visitor Count Year Recorded:

2006

Has Volunteer Program:

Has Recycling:

Yes

Has Shuttle System:

Yes

Park Sights:

Montezuma Castle; Montezuma Well; Sycamore Grove; Beaver Creek

Entrance Fees:

Montezuma Well: Free; Montezuma Castle Adult (valid for 7 days): $5; Montezuma Castle Child: Free

Nearest Major City:

Flagstaff, AZ

Gateway Communities:

Camp Verde, AZ; Rimrock, AZ; Lake Montezuma, AZ; Cornville, AZ; Dewey, AZ; Sedona, AZ; Prescott Valley, AZ

Nearby Airports:

Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG); Sedona Airport (SEZ); Rimrock Airport (private)

Lava Beds National Monument

Superintendent Name:

David Kruse

The history and cultural legacy of the lava beds stretches back thousands of years - it is one of the longest continually occupied areas in North America. Volcanic eruptions have created a rugged landscape with more than 700 caves, Native American rock art sites and Historic battlefields in a high desert wilderness.

Park Open Info:

Year-round

Park Closed Info:

Year-round

Park Acreage:

46560

Visitor Count:

104490

Visitor Count Year Recorded:

2006

Has Volunteer Program:

Has Recycling:

Yes

Has Shuttle System:

Park Sights:

Mammoth Crater; Symbol Bridge; Big Painted Cave; Hidden Valey; Schonchin Butte; Fleener Chimneys; Thomas-Wright Battlefield; Black Crater; Gillems Camp; Sheepy Ridge; Captain Jacks Stronghold; Petroglyph Point

Entrance Fees:

Vehicle Pass (valid for 7 days): $10; Individual Pass (motorcycle, bicycle, walk-in): $5

Nearest Major City:

Klamath Falls, OR

Gateway Communities:

Tulelake, CA; Merrill, OR; Malin, OR; Midland, OR; Klamath Falls, OR

Nearby Airports:

Klamath Falls International Airport (LMT); Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport (MFR); Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO)