The Wupatki National Monument is located about 18 miles from Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. Although we were never far from the highway, the landscape became vast and vacant, and somewhat empty feeling. We could see Vermilion Cliffs and the expansive painted desert before us.

We found the loop road void of fellow travelers and eerily quiet. Eighteen miles passed like molasses—but, eventually, we came upon the closed Wupatki Visitors Center (thanks CoVid). In hindsight, we should have explored the grounds a bit further—one of the main attractions—WUPATKI PUEBLO (geez) was a short hike BEHIND the Visitors Center. WHOOPS. That didn’t happen. Instead, we backtracked to explore the Wukoki pueblo ruins.

Wukoki (Big House) was once home to three prehistoric families. It was occupied from approximately 1120-1210 A.D. and sat upon a Moenkopi Sandstone outcropping.

The beauty of this ruin was that we were able to explore it. 

Three rooms remained within the ruin. The pillared room was dark and cool. Not a place that one would want to spend a lot of time.

A tiny doorway led to an area that may have been a gathering or work area for the families. In the day, it was highly unusual for a pueblo to have three stories—thereby supporting the theory that this home may have been one of several nuclear sites for the Anasazi and Sinaguan People.

The views from the pueblo were stunning. We could see for miles from every direction—undoubtedly the center of their universe.

We passed several other pueblos that were accessible from the loop road. It seems Dave and I only touched the surface of what the Wupatki National Monument had to offer. Let’s call it an impromptu look back at some of the history of Northern Arizona.