Wupatki National Monument • Arizona

a large stone pueblo in a desert beneath mostly sunny skies with mountains in background

a man and woman walking toward a three-story sandstone tower

Walls of a white limestone and red sandstone structure under light blue skies with white clouds.

stars and the Milky Way galaxy over a desert juniper tree

Side view of the Nalakihu and Citadel Pueblos

Nestled between the Painted Desert and ponderosa highlands of northern Arizona, Wupatki National Monument is an unlikely landscape for a thriving community. The early 1100's marked a time of cooler and wetter weather, when the ancestors of contemporary Pueblo communities created a bustling center of trade and culture. For indigenous peoples, these sites represent the footprints of their ancestors.

Wupatki, the monument's namesake pueblo, is made up of more than 100 rooms. The trail also features an ancient ball court and natural blowhole.
NPS

Wukoki Pueblo is located three miles from the Wupatki Visitor Center.
NPS Photo / Elliot Schultz

Lomaki means "beautiful house" in the Hopi language. The pueblo is located ten miles from the visitor center and is reachable via a short, 0.5 mile trail.
NPS