Montezuma Castle National Monument

We had never heard of this little national park south of Flagstaff until we stayed in nearby Camp Verde. We were staying in this region to visit the Sedona area and we saw signs and grabbed a brochure for Montezuma Castle. The main attraction are some ancient cliff dwellings still very well preserved.

I am still planning on taking the family to Mesa Verde this spring where we can walk through the cliff dwellings, but this was still a cool and educational stop, even if we could just view them from a distance. The junior ranger program here was so simple compared to Saguaro, where it took forever to complete the program.

It is pretty amazing to consider how these ancient peoples built this adobe home on the side of a cliff using no power tools, cranes, or even iron tools. I am sure it took an incredible amount of skill, patience and teamwork to see the task finished. Some of the very same character traits I am trying to teach my kids.

Most of these photos are courtesy of our resident photographer Blake.