Montezuma Castle National Monument Travel Guide

 
by Camping_Girl
 
  •   Things to Do
    by Camping_Girl
  • Numerous holes show how large this community was
      Numerous holes show how large this...
    by Camping_Girl
  •   Things to Do
    by Camping_Girl
  • Foundations of old buildings that no longer remain
      Foundations of old buildings that no...
    by Camping_Girl
  • Diorama of what inside looked like
      Diorama of what inside looked like
    by Camping_Girl
 

Pro

Yaqui profile photo

  Breath Taking! 


Con

Basaic profile photo

  Bring Water 


In a nutshell

mtncorg profile photo

  History on Parade 

 

Explore Montezuma Castle National Monument

Things to Do  

Stand-alone Pueblos

Stand-alone Pueblos, Montezuma Castle National Monument

 Basaic Says:  The piles of rocks you see here are the remains of a 15 to 20 room pueblo built here on this hilltop. Other pueblos were built on other hilltops overlooking the farmland. These pueblos were built using sandstone and limestone a similar technique as was used to construct the... 

Cliff Dwelling

Cliff Dwelling, Montezuma Castle National Monument

 Basaic Says:  Here you see an example of a cliff house built by the Sinagua. These were built facing east so the morning sun would warm the house in the winter. The houses were relatively easy to make because all you had to do was enclose the mouth of the cave. You got to the house using... 

Cave House

Cave House, Montezuma Castle National Monument

 Basaic Says:  Here you see how the inhabitants built these houses in the naturally occurring caves using the cave walls and roof as parts of the buildings. The doors are small to protect against the hot summer sun and the cold winter winds. Note the black color of the cave ceiling from... 

Montezuma's Well

Montezuma's Well, Montezuma Castle National Monument

 Basaic Says:  Montezuma’s Well was probably formed about 11,000 years ago when the roof of a large water-filled underground cave collapsed. The resulting formation provided the water for a thriving Sinagua community and today offers us a unique look into the past. There are... 

Agriculture

Agriculture, Montezuma Castle National Monument

 Basaic Says:  The Verde Valley was first settled around 700 AD by hunter gatherers who hunted antelope and gathered food on the fertile land along Wet Beaver Creek. You can see the course of the creek by looking for the line of green trees in the picture. Farming was probably introduced... 

Musuem in Visitor Center

Musuem in Visitor Center, Montezuma Castle National Monument

 Yaqui Says:  Visitor Centers are like a museum within a museum. They not only provide a service in preserving and protecting our past, but provide a upclose educational look at centuries past. They had some really nice displays of artifacts and some really neat old photographs of what... 

Plaques along the pathway

Plaques along the pathway, Montezuma Castle National Monument

 Yaqui Says:  I think these plaques are essential to any national park or monument. I know with my boys, they love to read them. And I am sure as with many school children find them enjoyable as well as many adults like myself. I watched many people just walk along and not even glance... 

Read the wall plaques!

Read the wall plaques!, Montezuma Castle National Monument

 Yaqui Says:  Visitor centers are a wealth of information. It’s almost the central hub of any park almost more than the monument…….lol. Without them, many tourist or adventures would be lost. As you start to enter the walkway, be sure to take the time as you walk in or exit the visitor... 

Model Display

Model Display, Montezuma Castle National Monument

 Yaqui Says:  What is really neat, there is a really cool model display that is encased and is a replica of the ruins during its occupation. It is very detailed and my boys really enjoyed it. It even has a voice recording explaining the different faucets of the Sinagua people while living... 

Transportation  

Restrooms at Park Visitor Centers

Restrooms at Park Visitor Centers, Montezuma Castle National Monument

 Yaqui Says:  If you are ever in the area just hiking around or in a emergency situation with a family member, park visitor centers will always have restrooms available. I know they are essential to my family….lol. 

Driving through the Mojave Desert.

Driving through the Mojave Desert., Montezuma Castle National Monument

 Jerelis Says:  During our drive from Los Angeles to Phoenix we drove about 600 km through the Mojave Desert. We passed the Joshua Tree National Monument, which is a very poor soil area with highly deformed trees. These trees can grow up till 15 meters. We also drove through the windmill... 

Local Customs  

The legend of the Saguaro's!

The legend of the Saguaro's!, Montezuma Castle National Monument

 Jerelis Says:  The Mojave desert lodges a very large variety of (not always visible) fauna, like purcupines, deers, coyotes and foxes. We also learned about the legend of the Saguaro's. We learned this from a local man and he told us about it, because we saw so much Saguaro's, which is a... 

Warnings Or Dangers  

Dangers for Human and Pets

Dangers for Human and Pets, Montezuma Castle National Monument

 Yaqui Says:  Stay on the path please! There are rattlesnakes in this area and they would rather keep to themselves. "Kind of like, you leave me alone and I will leave you alone." They love to stay in the shady areas like grass, trees, and under rocks during the summer months. So it is... 

Do drink enough!!! Extra info ...

Do drink enough!!! Extra info ..., Montezuma Castle National Monument

 Jerelis Says:  For years, we have all been told of the importance of water. The general guideline has been to drink 2 litre of water each day. For a person who is not living an active lifestyle this may be enough, but if you are physically active, you need more water than that. That is... 

What to Pack  

Travel light!

Travel light!, Montezuma Castle National Monument

 Jerelis Says:  * Map and guidebook;* Crackers;* 2 Liter of water;* Fruit / power bars. * Hiking boots;* 1 extra t-shirt;* Shorts with many pockets;* Sunglasses;* Fleece type jacket;* Hat / cap;* Raincoat. * Lip balm;* (Neck) sunblock;* Band-aids. * Camera and lots of films!* Filter;*... 

Off The Beaten Path  

A fascinating landscape!

A fascinating landscape!, Montezuma Castle National Monument

 Jerelis Says:  A lot of people who drive or hike through the desert have the wrong idea about the Mojave Desert and think that it's a rough waste, but in fact it is a very fascinating landscape. This desert has a very vulnerable environment with a lot of exotic plants and animals. The... 

Learn more about its history.

Learn more about its history., Montezuma Castle National Monument

 Jerelis Says:  If you walk a bit further you'll be able to see more ruins of other dwellings. You're not allowed to enter these ruins and there is much to be said for, because a lot of people have already taken some art, pieces of rocks, other artifacts, etc. Nowadays these exhibits are... 

Sports & Outdoors  

Hiking at Montezuma Castle and the Well

Hiking at Montezuma Castle and the Well, Montezuma Castle National Monument

 Basaic Says:  The hiking trails at both locations are relatively short and for the most part easy. They are well-marked so you won't get lost. Most of the trail is also handicapped accessible. Please, for the preservation of the site, and your own safety, stay on the trail. 

Favorites  

Budweiser - King of all Beers?

Budweiser - King of all Beers?, Montezuma Castle National Monument

 Jerelis Says:  Let’s make no secret of it. We both like a nice cold glass of beer. Being abroad is always a challenge to find a beer we like, which reflects our taste of having a beer. In America it wasn’t really that hard to find the brand we liked, it was clearly Budweiser, popularly... 

Montezuma's well

Montezuma's well, Montezuma Castle National Monument

 Jerelis Says:  By the way...another part of Montezuma's Castle National Monument is Montezuma Well which is located about 16 km North East of the castle itself.We didn't know this when we visited this beautiful place. We heared it afterwards when we talked about our visit with other people... 

The Place

Plan a Montezuma Castle National Monument vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Montezuma Castle National Monument locals

Experience Montezuma Castle National Monument
  •   62 Tips and Reviews
  •  150 Photos
  Share your Travels  
Map of Montezuma Castle National Monument
 

The People

 
Our Members Say
 profile photo

 We actually came to L.A. for a wedding. Then we rented a car to see the Grand Canyon. We had a guide for California that covered the rout to Grand Canyon over... 

 

Question about Montezuma Castle National Monument?

Our members can help!

postQuestion_button

Top Montezuma Castle National Monument Writers

1

Visit the Impressive Montezuma's Castle

Basaic profile photo

 Montezuma's Castle (which is misnamed because it is not believed Montezuma ever traveled this far) is one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America. The castle consists of 20 rooms and is... 

2

Montezuma Castle National Momument

Yaqui profile photo

 For over 400 years, the Sinagua people (two Spanish words “sin” and “agua”, which means “without water”) had made this beautiful oasis their home along Beaver Creek. Located high and practically... 

3

How they must have done that all those years ago!

Jerelis profile photo

 This dwelling is build against (maybe it's better to say "build in") steep rocky hills. We were really amazed how they must have done that all those years ago! 

4

Medieval Arizona

mtncorg profile photo

 Three separate cultures had made their appearance here in central Arizona's Verde Valley before the first Spanish showed up in 1583. Hohokam, Sinagua and Yavapai. The Hohokam came around 600 with... 

5

Montezuma Castle

daarth profile photo

 I've got some interesting experiences in Montezuma Castle National Monument. I'd love to share with you the 3 tips I've written, the 4 photos uploaded, and 0 travelogues I've created. 

View all rated pages

View newest pages

Build your own Montezuma Castle National Monument page