If I Were Going...: Road Trip: Castle to Canyon

National Park Passport safely retrieved, it was time to get to the Grand Canyon. Had I not detoured back to Tonto National Monument, I had planned to drop by both Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments. Tuzigoot, which is west of Sedona, was out of the question. But, after a lovely drive through fir forest (and actually a few snowflakes), I was getting ready to reconnect with the interstate and there was the turnoff to Montezuma Castle National Monument.

Montezuma Castle

It's only a few miles from the interstate, so why not? This is the first cliff dwelling I ever saw, way back when I moved to Arizona in 1984. It is an impressive five-story, 20-room dwelling that was built sometime between 1100 and 1300.

Windows

Its name is a misnomer - early American settlers assumed it was Aztec. Of course, it was not. It is Sinagua, ancestral peoples to the Hohokam. Cliff dwellings were the first types of villages these people built, but eventually they migrated to hilltop dwellings (more like those at Chaco). Then, they left the Verde Valley for reasons that have not been determined (it is usually drought).

You look up from the path

If you want to see a cliff dwelling and have any mobility issues, Montezuma Castle is a great choice. It is easy to reach and has a wide, level, accessible trail.

Next, on to the Grand Canyon, where I was meeting Scott for the night. As I drove north, the weather got colder and windier, so I had to change back from summer gear to light winter gear. We got to the Canyon in time for some late-afternoon/sunset shots.

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

Then, we went back at night to try to capture the Milky Way.

Nope!

I am still working on camera settings, but a did get a few passable star shots. Clouds came in before we could really experiment too much.

Well, a little bit of Milky Way

The next morning, Scott had to leave early, but I had the luxury of multiple early morning stops as I headed toward the east exit. I stopped at almost every lookout on the way.

Lots of views

This is much easier to do than heading west because much of the year, access to the west is restricted to shuttle buses.

Gorgeous

I even detoured into the Desert View Tower, which looks ancient, but was actually built in the 1930s.

Desert View

So, even though it is "fake ancient," it is a good relic of the early tourism days of the Grand Canyon.

A look back

When I went inside, I was surprised by the decor. I am not sure if I forgot what it looked like, if I had never been inside before (which is possible since I am usually at Desert View very early or very late) or if it has been spiffed up.

Interesting interior

Regardless, it was lovely.

Many details

I have been to the Grand Canyon many, many times and I have many, many photos. Still, it is so beautiful that one cannot help taking more photos and mentally planning the next hike.