Experiences at Tonto, Tuzigoot, Walnut Canyon National Monuments

I'm based in southeast Arizona and am looking to take a weekend trip

up to at least one, if not all three, of the subject monument parks.

Looking for advice on what to look for and how to manage the trip

from photographers who have been to one or more of these. Based on

the position of the ruins relative to the sun, what times are best to

visit these parks?

 

Also, the NPS gives the following operating hours: Tonto 8-5,

Tuzigoot 8-7, Walnut Canyon 8-7. The NPS websites don't clearly

specify whether these times are for the visitor center alone, or

whether the park overall is open only at these times. Or, are these

ruins set up like those at Gila Cliff Dwellings NM, where the park is

open all the time but the trail to the ruins itself is only open

during set hours?

 

For Tonto, I see that the lower ruins are self-guided, but that park

employees have to accompany you to the upper ruins. Can anyone share

their experiences with the upper ruin tour?

 

Finally, if I get up near Flagstaff, I may try to shoot the Grand

Falls of the Little Colorado. I remember seeing a moonlight photo of

these; anyone remember seeing it that knows where to find it?

At Tuzigoot, the hours posted are for the visitors center; the ruin itself is accessible at dawn. At Tonto, the road is blocked; there is no access at dawn, and the ruins face the east. You must take the guided tour to see the upper ruins. I have neve been to the upper ruins.

 

Grand Falls (or the Little Colorado River) flows only in the spring during the snow melt in the white moutains, or during extremely heavy monsoon activity in the same mountains. The Little Colorado is dry right now. You are looking for an image of Grand Falls in the moonlight? Or are you looking for Grand Falls itself? The location of the falls is clearly indicated on the Delorme AZ atlas if I remember correctly....

I was at Monument Valley last month. What a place! I went there for the sunset, but, in my opinion, the best time to shoot would be the sunrise. You may want to drive all the way back to the east side of the canyon before the sun breaks in. However to get the large mittens in good light, you may have to wait till noon. Do not take the guided tour.

OK, thanks. Wasn't looking to get up into Monument Valley, but appreciate the input onetheless. So the Little Colorado is dry? Damn. As for my question, I know where the falls are, I'm looking for the image. Haven't found it yet.

Hmm. According to this geocaching site <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=72790">http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=72790</a>, the water was flowing on 10 August, which corresponds with this USGS flow gauge below the falls <a href="http://waterdata.usgs.gov/az/nwis/uv?09402000">http://waterdata.usgs.gov/az/nwis/uv?09402000</a>. According to the USGS, it was flowing a lot less on 10 August than it is today, so perhaps by this weekend there will still be some water left.<p>

 

By the way, the USGS streamflow website at <a href="http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/rt">http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/rt</a> is nearly always a great resource for real-time streamflow data. I always found it helpful for estimaing waterfall conditions in the Appalachians when I lived in Georgia.

Christian, I know that website also, and have found it to be notoriously inaccurate. I drove by the Little Colorado at Cameron 5 days ago (the 9th), and there wasn't a drop in the riverbed, nor any sign of recent flow. I repeat....outside of the spring runoff, the LC flows only when there is heavy monsoon action in the White Mountains. Following those periods of monsoon activity, the runoff will be short lived, but often intense. The monsoons been working pretty good up there, so maybe you'll get lucky.

Just wanted to add that I know that no water on the 9th doesn't mean that it wasn't flowing on the 10th. Given the monsoon activity lately thats certainly possible. However, I've made several trips to GF based on the flow as reported by the same website. Lets just say I trust it about as far as I can throw my wifes piano.

Christian,

If you are going to Walnut Canyon NM, then you WILL be in Flagstaff, part of that park is actually in the city limits. And you will not be able to get into the ruins area after hours. A way more interesting ruins park is Wupatki NM, about 30 miles north of Flag. All four major public ruin groupings are self guided, open 24/7, and you are allowed to walk through most of them (don't stand on the walls!). Get to Wukoki Ruin (within Wupatki) for sunrise, it is spectacular. The red rock of Wupatki makes for a much more interesting surrounding landscape and you have the opportunity to also explore adjacent Sunset Crater NM. Having seen all of these parks numerous times, there is no doubt I would substitute Wupatki for either Tuzigoot or Walnut Canyon (or add it). Enjoy.<div></div>

Good point, George. Plus, that gage is downstream of a few more tributaries. But who knows, I may get lucky. Just have to see.

 

Thanks for the suggestion, David. I visited Wupatki last summer, but I may revisit if I have time. If they're open 24/7, I may do some night shooting there, or at leas get some dawn shots. Thanks for the information.

Just wanted to post a follow-up about the current conditions of these monuments, plus a few details I didn't know before I went. I'll have some photos up eventually.<p>

 

- <a href="http://www.nps.gov/tuzi/index.htm">Tuzigoot</a>: Not the best example of a historic pueblo. I think it is slightly better than Casa Grande (also in AZ), which has a big roof over it, but situated as it is between Clarkdale and Cottonwood with a big smelter and tailings ponds in the background, it ain't great. Plus, apparently they just got a big <a href="http://www.cr.nps.gov/aad/vt/vt.htm">Vanishing Treasures</a> grant, so the place is littered with construction material as they rebuild and restore. It'll look better when they're done, but for now there are shovels, hoses, and wheelbarrows everywhere. Call before you visit to see if they're done yet. Also, I'm not sure if the ruins are accessible at sunrise anymore; I was the last to leave Friday night and watched the park ranger lock the gate on the road behind me. Could possibly be a recent change due to restoration.<p>

 

- <a href="http://www.nps.gov/waca/index.htm">Walnut Canyon</a>: Really neat. LOTS of cliff dwellings. Only a few are accessible by a loop trail; the rest are visible from a distance (a 300mm lens works well for shooting across a canyon; you may even want to go longer). Some of the ruins appear to be positioned such that they never really get direct sunlight. This park is right next to Flagstaff off I-40, so expect company on the weekends. I was first through the gate Sunday, and by the time I got down to the ruins and started shooting, I had maybe 15 minutes to myself before I had company, and I was constantly getting out of the way for others to pass by (the "Island Trail" is not wide enough to have a tripod set up and leave enough room for others to pass). They are currently redoing the sidewalk trail and have a ton of flourescent engineers' tape and orange traffic cones adjacent to some of the ruins; I had to move several out of my shot and then carefully replace them. Fortunately I shot this section before any passers-by showed up!<p>

 

- <a href="http://www.nps.gov/tont/index.htm">Tonto</a>: Also a great cliff dwelling. The lower cliff dwelling reminded me of <a href="http://www.nps.gov/gicl/index.htm">Gila Cliff Dwellings</a> in New Mexico, only smaller. A few things to note: although they have trails to both the upper and lower cliff dwellings at Tonto, the trail to the upper (larger) ruins is only open from November to April due to the heat. Also, reservations are required for the hike except for two "open house" weekends, one in March and one in November. Anyway, the lower ruins were very neat, but I was a little disappointed by the obvious modern improvments: barred doors over some rooms, steel support girders on the exterior walls, and even calipers in some cracks in the cave roof to measure movement. I know they are necessary to preserve what's left, but I was disappointed that they didn't do a better job of hiding them. Still, overall it was great; the lower ruins have an impressive view of the reservoir below, and the hike up has a nice interpretive desplay of cacti and culture.<p>

 

- <a href="http://www.nps.gov/wupa/index.htm">Wupatki</a>: The only bad thing I can say about this park is that as a rule they don't allow backcountry hiking. I understand why -- there are scads of ruins out there that they want to protect, and they can only watch so many -- but I was amazed to see how many ruins are either visible from the road or displayed on my topographical map that aren't even mentioned by the park staff. It's also interesting to note that some great activities the park offers are not discussed on its website. There is a ruin located in a "panhandle" at the north end of the park called Crack-in-the-Rock Ruins that has a lot of rock art on site (surprising, since of the four sites normally open to the public, I think there is only one petroglyph visible along the trail to Wupatki Ruins). The park apparently offers an overnight hike to Crack-in-the-Rock 8 times a year (reserve in advance) as well as at least one 1-day 4WD excursion (I want to say it's in March). Also, the park apparently offers at least one other backcountry hike to other ruins in the park. Again, it's a pity that these are basically secret; the park rangers will tell you if you ask, but you have to know to ask. Anyway, as above, the ruins are open sunrise to sunset, and even though overnight parking and camping is not allowed in the park, there are National Forest areas right outside the park where you can rack out and then wake up in time for sunrise. There is no gate to Wupatki, as a side road serves as access to a ford across the Little Colorado into the Navajo Nation.<p>

 

- Speaking of the Little Colorado, I was fortunate to see some water over the falls, although not anywhere near the peak flow, I'm sure. I took some moonlight exposures as well as some at sunrise; hopefully I'll get good results.<p>

 

- Finally, on a whim, I hiked the Kachina Trail up near Humphreys Peak (also erroneously called Mount Humpreys). Gorgeous trail. The first mile is a bit of a drag, as the busy road to the trailhead (and the Arizona Snow Bowl area, and the Humphreys Peak trail) runs right near the trail, and you even cross under a power line at one point. After the first mile, though, you enter the Kachina Wilderness, and it's just you, groves of aspen, wildflowers, ferns by the truckload, and the occasional hiker. It had been a while since I hiked any place with trees overhead and ferns underfoot, so I had a blast. Very scenic hike.