Arizona's Hidden Gem: Montezuma Castle National Monument

Montezuma Castle National Monument is thought to be one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America. However, even with its historical significance, Montezuma Castle National Monument is often overlooked by visitors to the Grand Canyon and Sedona, even though it is located only 1.5 - 2 hours from Grand Canyon National Park and is less than 30 minutes from Sedona. Our visit to Montezuma Castle was one of the highlights of our Western road-trip vacation (yes, it rivaled the Grand Canyon itself) - here's why.

First, the walk to Montezuma Castle National Monument is beautiful. The 0.4 mile round-trip loop "hike" to and from Montezuma Castle is flat and paved, so all visitors should easily be able to tour the grounds. Beyond the ease of the trail, the Montezuma Castle grounds are also extremely beautiful with tree-lined views of the surrounding creek. We did this walk when the Montezuma Castle grounds were just opening at 8am on a Sunday morning, which meant that we had the trail to ourselves and could enjoy not only the castle, but also the great weather and wonderful scenery.

Thought to be built by the Sinagua people between the years 1100-1300, the five-story Montezuma Castle National Monument is composed of twenty rooms. Although visitors are left to see the castle from the ground, models of Montezuma Castle can give you an idea of what life was like for the Sinagua people who lived in the castle. The Sinagua people left Montezuma Castle sometime in the 1400s (historians are still unclear as to why the Sinagua people decided to leave the area). When looking at Montezuma Castle National Monument, we wondered many things, such as why the Sinagua people decided to build the castle in the mountain and how they could have created such an amazing "skyscraper". The view of the surrounding water and mountains must have been great from there (you can get an idea of how great the view would have been by touring the surrounding mountains of Sedona, which are also amazing).

Admission to Montezuma Castle National Monument is covered by the National Parks Pass, so it won't cost you extra to visit Montezuma Castle if you've already bought the Pass (which you will want to do if you are visiting the Grand Canyon and plan to visit other parks in the area). If you plan to visit the Grand Canyon and Sedona, then Montezuma Castle National Monument is a fun stop along the way and certain is a hidden gem in the Arizona desert.