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Submission
Nice and easy walk around the site, all with good views of the dwellings. Several posts with information on plants, the dwellings, the people/history of when it became a recognized site.
Several benches to sit and really take in all the surroundings.
Wonderful store with museum and time-line of the area.
Stopped at this monument after being made aware of it at the Camp Verde Visitor Center. Went on a very clear day and had a beautiful view of the well. We went on the weekend, and although it was a pretty hot day, we only ran into a few people on the trail. We were warmly greeted by a couple of rangers who were eager to provide information and answer any questions. The trail itself wasn’t too long, maybe a mile or two, but you could make it longer by taking the stairs down closer to the water in 2 locations. There was no access to the actual well, however on the backside you could get very close to the water as it exited the well. There were plenty of informative signs telling you about the well and pictures depicting different aspects of it. Would definitely recommend stopping by if you are in the area!
This is an incredible place as it has a beautiful natural well which was used by ancient peoples to irrigate over 7 miles of crops and the remnants and ruins of homes built into the cliffs and surrounding areas. Admission was free and rangers were present while we visited who shared the history of the site and answered questions. The water in the well is too high in CO2 to support much life but contains some living things including some species found nowhere else. Now the well drains into the river, you can walk from the anyone well to the river but sadly there is no swimming. Montezuma Well is a great day trip destination or stop along the way from or to northern AZ and is very near Montezuma Castle which is another amazing historical site to see.
Here is another obscure NPS that can be found in Sedona. We took a dirt road here, but there is another paved road to take. But the dirt road is more fun 😁
Since we took that road, we got to see the Pithouse Ruin. It was a quick view, but still the history of the place was interesting.
We found the NPS Visitor Center (very small building). The people there were very helpful in explaining the well and ruins there. I suggest taking the full loop and seeing everything. It won’t take much time, so get the full experience.
Doesn’t seem like much until you get to see why it was special. You will see graffiti (or more like an advertisement) from the 1800’s. I was just enamored by the engineering of the waterway which still exits today.
Very cool place to visit! It's amazing to see this big pond in the middle of the desert. And the short hike down to the river was really neat. I went in February so there weren't any leaves on the trees, but I imagine it's beautiful.
