Tuzigoot National Monument in Clarkdale, Arizona

At the moment many of us are not traveling out of state because of various reasons related to covid. I personally won't be traveling out of state for a while because my work would require me to go on a two week isolation, however I am allowed to travel within the state so it is the perfect time to explore some local tourist spots while the tourists are away.

One of my favorite areas to visit is the Cottonwood/Jerome area because it is absolutely beautiful, there are some amazing spots near the river to explore, lots of hiking trails, wineries and more! My husband has never been to the area so earlier this summer we decided to go on a weekend trip up north to see explore and go fishing. While we were up there one of the spots I wanted to stop was the Tuzigoot National Monument, which is located in Clarkdale, Arizona. The monument isn't that far from old town Cottonwood that has some neat attractions as well. The address for Tuzigoot is 25 Tuzigoot Rd. Clarkdale, AZ 86324.

What exactly is the Tuzigoot National Monument? Tuzigoot is a 2 to 3 story tall pueblo ruin built between 1125-1400 CE. by the Sinagua people. It was designated as a national monument on July 25,1939 by Franklin D. Roosevelt after a three year period of being excavated and prepared to be on public display. When you arrive to the monument you will find a parking lot, several picnic tables and a few small buildings which consist of the main tourist building, a storage building and a gift shop. In the first photo below you can see a small storage room they created to blend in with the ruins themselves. The entrance fee is $10 per adult, and free for children under the age of sixteen. Depending on the amount of adults in your party I highly suggest investing in the annual pass which costs $35 it allows entrance for the pass holder plus three adults to both the Tuzigoot national monument and the Montezuma Castle Monument which is located Camp Verde,Arizona.

When we were visiting Tuzigoot we went to pay, but found a sign stating entrance was free. I am assuming it is due to covid and trying to cut down on the amount of face to face with visitors, they also have signs asking visitors to stay at least six feet apart. Tuzigoot does not offer any shade or escape from the sun so it is best to visit during the cooler months or early in the morning during the summer, we arrived shortly after they opened so there were only two other small groups of people and it was easy to maintain social distancing.

The monument has it set up to where you are able to walk around and even through the Tuzigoot ruins, you walk along side the ruins and get to see everything up close and personal. You'll find several informational signs along the way with information about the ruins, the Sinagua people and the surrounding area. There is a staircase where you are able to climb up to the third story of the monument to look out at the valley, there is a large room at the top of the structure that used to be open to enter however they are currently working on reinforcing the roof of the room so it is closed for the time being.

When visiting the structure or looking at photos you might notice that only one or two of the rooms have doors, so how did they get from room to room? Instead of using doors they used ladders to get from room to room, most of the ladders are no longer there because of the age of the ruins and the fact it might encourage visitors to climb on the ruins.

When you are visiting you'll find dozens of colorful lizards of various sizes and you might get lucky to see a few other critters on your journey.The length of your visit depends on how you'd like to experience the monument, if you are there just to see it and snap some photos you'll spend about ten to twenty minutes depending on how quickly you walk. If you take your time to read all the signs and enjoy the beauty of the surrounding area you'll be there for a closer to forty to fifty minutes. Is it handicap friendly? Yes and no, Tuzigoot is set on a hill, most of the trails through the ruins are easy to manage on foot, however a few of the spots are extremely steep so it may be difficult for those who have issues with walking or at in wheelchairs.

What is one of your favorite places to visit in your home state?