Tuzigoot National Monument Reviews and Photos, Camp Verde

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Very Fascinating Pueblo Ruin

April 7, 2009
Rated 5 of 5 by ak1 from Auburn, Washington

Tuzigoot is an Indian Pueblo ruin in the Verde Valley that was once inhabitant by the Sinagua Indians. This ruin consists of two and three story pueblos that still partially stand there and the largest of them use to consist of 110 rooms.

Tuzigoot is interesting because you get the opportunity to go inside to see things first hand and although things have been reinforced and redone for the publics safety, you can still see some of the original architecture of the walls. These pueblos didn’t have standard doors; everything seemed to be accessible by ladder through the ceiling in order to get to other rooms.

The visitor center at Tuzigoot had a lot of interesting artifacts and information on how these Indians lived. It’s still fascinating to me that no one knows why the Sinagua Indians left the area in the 1400’s.

Although the area that you can wander at Tuzigoot is fairly small, if you enjoy the history and Arizona scenery then you’ll enjoy your visit to Tuzigoot.

From journal Our Week in the Desert Sun

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Tuzigoot National Monument

February 11, 2005
Rated 4 of 5 by HankFontaine from memphis, Tennessee

There are many fantastic national parks in the US that you don’t hear about often. This can be good for you if you can find out about them. If you can come across these gems, you can avoid crowds, feel less rushed, examine things more thoroughly, and have a more relaxing experience.

Tuzigoot National Monument is one of these places, and it is definitely worth seeing. The park itself is located within easy access of both Phoenix and Flagstaff and ideal for people driving between the two. Also, the entrance fees for this great park are a really low, $3, and kids under 16 are free. You just can’t beat those prices.

The park itself is based around an old pueblo built in 1,000 AD. Considering its age, the walls are still amazingly intact. I was really surprised this site didn’t get more visitors. On the day we went there was only one other family there, and they were leaving as we were arriving. To me, this is a much better place than the extremely packed and non-interactive Montezuma’s Castle.

The pueblo itself sits atop a hill and commands quite a view and must have been a formidable defensive position in its day. There were, at its peak, over 110 rooms in this community, and it dates back to 1,000 AD. Since it is located on a hill, there will some incline walking involved. The trails are good and mostly paved, but it’s something that should be considered.

What makes this park so great is the interactive aspect of it. You can actually walk around and touch or examine the pueblo itself. We were really amazed that you could get this close to such an ancient building. It was also humbling to think that a community of this size was here so long ago and that they left their mark with this building. It’s amazing to think that people of so long ago could build such immense and lasting structures with primitive materials and tools.

You can fine their website with more information below.

Tuzigoot Monument

From journal Two broke students, a $400 car, and 4,700 miles