Montezuma Castle and Well

11/3/09


We went to visit Montezuma Castle today.
Views on the way.
The castle in the cliffs, built by the Sinagua tribes.
This is the best preserved cliff dwelling in the USA.
Joe and I think we could have lived here. Doesn't seem as high up as many we have seen.
Arizona sycamore tree. These trees are really big and have really cool trunks. They look like army fatigues trunks.
Model of Montezuma Castle with front wall removed.
Now that I look at it from here, it looks much higher, maybe we would not have lived there if we were living in that era.
After our visit at Montezuma Castle, we drove to Montezuma Well which is about 15 miles away.
Montezuma Well.
There is another cliff dwelling at this well. Can you see it across the well in the cliffs?
A close up of the cliff dwellings.
View of Mingus Mountains, and the Montezuma Well.


Closer up view of cliff dwelling.
Then Joe and I walked down the trail into the well to see a cave home.


Joe standing in front of the cave home.
Duck swimming in the well making lots of noise as they play in the water.
The well is spring fed, but has too much carbon dioxide, so fish can not live in it.
An opening into another area of the cave home.Joe looking at where the well drains out under the ground to the Verde River.
Looking up while down in the well.
Looking at the well from down below in the well.
Taking the trail out of the well.
See the trees out in the distance that have yellow leaves. These trees line the Verde River.

After we climbed out of the well we walked down the hill to a place where we could walk down to the Verde River and the well outlet.

Walking down to well outlet and river.
A walkway made by the National Parks along the trench that the Sinagua people dug out to irrigate their fields.
A walkway next to the 3 foot deep trench above the river.
Sinagua irrigation trench.
On the path Joe finds a stone that has his profile.
The well outlet that comes out from an underground river into the trenches that go to the once Sinagua fields.
The trench along the walkway made by the National Park. The Verde River is out past the walkway.

Verde River.
Walking back on walkway. River to the left and trench on the right.
Verde River and the trees with yellow leaves. I believe the trees are Arizona Sycamores.
Almost back to where we walk back up the stairs away from the river.
Trench now on the left of the walkway.
The Montezuma Castle and Well are both National State Parks and are free if you have a National Park annual membership. The Montezuma Well has no entrance fee and the Castle has a fee if you don't have a annual membership. There are no members of Sinagua tribes left.