Local residents had a surprise 1,000 years ago. A volcano erupted in their back yard. The crater gushed cinder and lava and turned the forest into a fiery lava field. Now ponderosa pine and aspen struggle to survive in the barren habitat. The 1-mile Lava Flow and Lenox Crater trails take you into the heart of the devastation zone. The...

People have lived on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon for at least 10,000 years. The Tusayan ruins and museum illustrate how Ancestral Publean people survived and thrived in a harsh environment. A short trail leads past the walls of two rooms and several round kivas used for worship by a small farming community around 1185 AD. The museum...

Near the end of the Cape Royal “sky island” peninsula which juts out over the canyon, the view from Walhalla Overlook encompasses the Unkar Delta of the Colorado River to the southeast and the Walhalla Plateau to the northwest. Paleo-Indians lived in both areas from the hunter and gather period 10,000 years ago to the period of farming, basket weaving,...

Deep in this moist, narrow canyon, ancient inhabitants built their walled homes in shallow alcoves. Then 700 years ago the people moved and left pottery and other artifacts behind. The strenuous Island Trail drops 185 feet (240 steps) from the rim in .5 mile to a 25-room structure. the path is paved but not wheelchair accessible. The easy .7-mile roundtrip...

Look at the four ruins in the national monument and you’ll know that even 900 years ago, homes with a view went for a premium. The trail from the Visitor Center leads to the 100-room Wupatki Pueblo, one of the largest pueblos in the SW and hub for a farming community of 2,000 people. See the ball court and a...