CITADEL and NALAKIHU RUINS
Wupatki National Monument
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| Citadel ruins and Citadel Sink |
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| Nalakihu Pueblo |
Whether this stone-hewn, hilltop structure was a swanky
living space, fortress, ceremonial gathering spot or a Middle Ages-era marketplace
we will never know for sure. What
is certain though is that this second stop on the Wupatki-Sunset Crater circuit
will stoke your imagination. A
paved trail--suitable for strollers and walkers--leaves the parking area
heading uphill on an easy grade. The site consists of two ruins. The first is a tiny field building
called Nalakihu (Hopi for “House Outside the Village”) that archeologists think
was used by farmers in the 1100s.
Slabs of sandstone and lumps of black volcanic basalt mortared together
in intricate layers form several rooms overlooking a stark landscape of
improbable farmlands. But farm the
ancients did---using ingenious techniques like check dams to coax crops from
brutal terrain.
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| View from the Citadel |
Above Nalakihu sits the impressive citadel. As the trail swings around the backside of
the butte, a large sinkhole depression comes in to view. This is "citadel sink" which
formed when an underground limestone cavern collapsed. On the summit, a swath of
geological wonders fills the horizon.
The flat-topped cone to the northwest is SP Crater---an intriguing
destination for anybody looking to scale a cinder cone. Framing the sinkhole are the San
Francisco Peaks--the remains of a strato volcano that at one point towered to
16,000 feet before blowing its top Mount St. Helens-style shaving it down it
its present 12,633' height. The
paved trail ends at the top of the butte, but those with sturdy footwear can
enter the site (be careful on the loose rock) to check out how the citadel
structure was built into the natural stone of the butte and ponder the millions
of unanswered questions buried in the rubble.
LENGTH: 0.2 mile
RATING: easy, barrier free
ELEVATION: 5,380'- 5,440'
FACILITIES:
none
HOURS: open year-round sunrise to sunset
PETS: are not allowed on any park trails in buildings.
Please do not leave pets in cars---heat
can be fatal.
THE RULES: as with all archeological sites, it is illegal to
take or damage anything. Take only
pictures, leave only footprints. Also, do not climb or sit on the fragile
ruins.
GETTING THERE:
From Flagstaff, travel north on US 180 to
milepost 444.5. Turn right and
continue 4.3 miles (or 0.3 mile
past the Lomaki site) to the Citadel Ruins parking apron on the right. Roads
are 100% paved.
INFO: National Park Service, 928-679-2365
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