Walnut Canyon is the location of some very interesting pueblos that were constructed into the side of the canyon cliffs. The unique formation of these cliffs allowed them to be used as the pueblo roofs so the inhabitants only had to construct a front wall. The views are very nice however, the Island Trail was closed when I visited.

Still this is a worthwhile visit from Flagstaff, especially since it is only about 15 minutes outside of town.

This is another great day trip from Flagstaff. Wuptaki National Monument was designated as such to preserve and educate the public about ancient Anasazi Indian culture and way of life. The National Park Service has done a very good job with the preservation and education. Many of the sites have some restoration and there are interpretive signs along the paths of the ruins to help describe the culture of this 800 year old site.

The park is less than 60 minutes from Flagstaff. I recommend including a tour of Sunset Crater National Monument which is along the same loop road as Wupatki.

Directions: From Flagstaff take route 89 north for 12 miles. Turn right at the sign for Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments. The Wupatki Visitor Center is 21 miles from this junction with route 89.

Sunset Crater National Monument is only 20 miles north of Flagstaff along Route 89. The park offers a glimpse at a volcano that erupted 900 years ago, forcing out molten lava across the high plains of northern Arizona. The visitor center is very informative and there is a few hiking trails with interpretive signs overlooking one of the lava flows.

You cannot hike or climb up Sunset Crater to actually see the crater. From the bottom, it looks like an average cinder cone mountains. This is a nice day trip from Flagstaff for a hike or picnic. There is a $20.00 fee to enter the park but that also gets you access to Wupatki National Monument which is up the same road through Sunset Crater.

It is always a bonus when I learn something new when visiting a location. I came across this statue after lunch at Dara Thai. I wanted to check out the Flagstaff Train Station when I came across it. The statue is of a railroad worker before the turn of the century, hammering a spike for laying down railroad rails.

The workers were known as “Gandy Dancers.” According to the sign at the statue, the rail workers had to move together because one worker could not move the rail alone. The movement resembled a dance while they also sang to time their movement. The Gandy part is said to come from the name of the company that manufactured the tools used on the railroad.  Always good to learn something new.

Directions: located at the corner of Old Route 66 and San Fransisco st., next to the Flagstaff train station