Arizona - Walnut Canyon National Monument

 When we stopped a the Red Rock Rangers station right at the beginning of the month we bought an annual pass for National Monuments. This has got us into those monuments for free and has also covered parking at all the Sedona trail heads. It has been well worth the cost of  $80US per car. We also picked up a list of National Parks and noticed that Walnut Canyon was just outside of Flagstaff, about and hour and a quarter away.

Highway all the way and snow on the south side of the mountains at Flagstaff, Occasional snow in ditches and shaded spots as we neared our destination.

 

 

 

As we drove into the park a strange looking squirrel ran across the road. Its tail wasn't as bushy as most and it had long tufts on its ears that made them look as long as a rabbits. We named it a "Squabbit" but when we asked one of the rangers we found it was an Albert's Squirrel

Abert's squirrel or the tassel-eared squirrel (Sciurus aberti) is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus native to the southern Rocky Mountains from the United States to the northern Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico, with concentrations found in Arizona, New Mexico, and southwestern Colorado. It is closely associated with, and largely confined to, mature ponderosa pine forests. It is named in honor of the American naturalist John James Abert; nine subspecies are recognised. It is recognizable by its tufted ears, gray color, pale underparts and rufous patch on the lower back. The squirrel feeds on the seeds and cones of the Mexican pinyon and the ponderosa pine when they are available, but will also take fungi, buds, bark, and carrion. Breeding normally occurs in summer, with a spherical nest being built high in the canopy. from wikipedia
 

The visitors centre sits at the top of the canyon 

and it is at nearly 7,000ft. There are 2 trails:

The Island trail goes to this raised "island" in a curve of the Walnut Creek

and involves 237 steps but you can walk in to the ruins of the cave pueblos in the canyon walls.

We did the Rim trail that takes you to lookouts where

you can see those pueblos 

without raising your heart rate

or gasping for breath.

The dwellings are in shallow limestone caves with stone walls created to make rooms. They were built between 1125 and 1250. They were abandoned about 800 years ago. They were badly looted prior to the area becoming a protected park so much of what we know is conjecture and gathered from the oral history of local tribes.

The Sinagua people may have only lived in those caves for part of the year

 

as there is also evidence

of them farming up on the rim and some indication that there may have been homes down by the river too.

They cleared land and grew beans, corn and a variety of squash. They traded with areas as far away as Mexico.

This photo shows the visitors centre and you can just see the start of the Island trail heading down just to its left.

We didn't see any wildlife other than the Albert's squirrel but pictures at the visitors centre were of some I had never seen.

 Wildlife commonly seen includes coyotes, mule deer, cottontail and jack rabbits, rock squirrels, white-nosed coati, golden-mantled ground squirrels, cliff chipmunks, pinyon jays, white-throated swifts, turkey vultures, and abundant lizards. from the National Parks website.

We also learned of another park to visit in the area but decided, enough for one day, we may come back.