• View of Cliff Dwellings from the Island Trail

    Walnut Canyon

    National Monument Arizona

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  • Island Trail Loop Partially Closed

    5/13/2013: The north facing side of the Island Trail loop will be closed for trail construction Monday - Thursday. The entire trail will be reopened on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Please call 928-526-3367 for more information. More »

Weather

Wwinter at bottom of the canyon

Winter in Walnut Canyon.

Walnut Canyon National Monument, at 6,900’ elevation, gets approximately 20” of precipitation per year. About 2/3 of this amount comes as rain during late summer monsoons; winter snowfall (58” on average) supplies the rest. Temperatures typically range from near 0 in winter to the mid-90s in summer.

But be prepared. Weather in northern Arizona varies tremendously with elevation. Above 10,000’ on the San Francisco Peaks, annual precipitation exceeds 40 inches, temperatures are considerably cooler, and the growing season is remarkably shorter. And 30 miles to the northeast lies desert - at 4500’, the Little Colorado River Basin typically receives less than 7” of rain each year.

Did You Know?

An Arizona walnut tree

Walnut Canyon National Monument's name came from the Arizona walnut, a tree once common in the canyon bottom. It is less so now, because dams constructed upstream have decreased water flow through the canyon.