Just east of town, about 240 steps take you down into a forested canyon and past cliff dwellings that Sinagua families built under limestone ledges 900 years ago. The easier Rim Trail gives you the views without the climb.
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Compare the trailsWalnut Canyon National Monument · Photo: Daniel Schwen / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Credits
A 400-foot-deep canyon in the pine forest about 12 miles east of downtown Flagstaff, where Sinagua families built homes in the limestone ledges in the 1100s. The National Park Service protects about 3,600 acres of it, and a paved trail takes you right past the cliff dwellings.
From downtown, I-40 east to the Walnut Canyon exit and Walnut Canyon Road lead to the visitor center at the rim, about 20 minutes away. Meteor Crater is further east on the same interstate.
The Island Trail is 1 mile round trip and takes about an hour. It circles a rock "island" in the canyon past 25 cliff dwelling rooms, with more visible across the canyon. It starts at about 7,000 feet, so even 185 feet of climbing back up feels like more: go in the morning in summer, before the afternoon storms. The Rim Trail is 0.7 mile and takes about 30 minutes.
Island Trail
Length1 mile round trip, about 1 hourEffortStrenuous: 185 ft down and back up, about 240 steps, at 7,000 ftGood to knowPast 25 cliff dwelling rooms. Last start 4 pm; can close for snow and ice. Not wheelchair accessible. No petsRim Trail
Length0.7 mile round trip, about 30 minutesEffortEasy and fairly levelGood to know: Two overlooks, a rebuilt pithouse and pueblo, and a summer garden of Sinagua crops. Last start 4:30 pm. First stretch accessible. Leashed dogs allowed
Archaeologists call them the Sinagua, from the old Spanish name for the area, Sierra de Sin Agua, "mountains without water." For centuries they farmed the canyon rims; in the 1100s many moved into the limestone alcoves below the rim. Water from pools in the canyon floor and game from the slopes kept a community of about 100 people going for around 150 years.
Today 13 tribes are traditionally associated with the Flagstaff-area monuments. Stay on the trail, and don't lean on or climb the walls.
Walnut Creek cut the canyon into the plateau, flowing west to east toward the Little Colorado River. The lower walls are sandstone laid down as wind-blown dunes in an ancient desert; the ledges above are limestone from a later sea, with tiny marine fossils. The cliff dwellings sit in shallow alcoves along those limestone ledges.
$25 per private vehicle, good for up to a week, paid by card only. If you're also going to Sunset Crater and Wupatki, the $45 annual pass for the three monuments is worth it for US residents.
The park closes at 5 pm, and the last start on the Island Trail is 4 pm. In winter, snow and ice can close the Island Trail, so a call to 928-526-3367 before the drive is worth it.
Walnut Canyon is east of town off I-40, so the east-side hotels are closest, and they're on the way to Meteor Crater too.
Photo: ExpediaBest for road trips and RVsEast Flagstaff and Route 66 9.8/10 on Expedia
Free parkingPets: dogs and catsBreakfast extra
On the east side, the closest side of town to Walnut Canyon, with free parking and a deli for a picnic.
Americana Motor Hotel in Flagstaff near NAU/DowntownEast Flagstaff and Route 66 9.4/10 on Expedia · 1,704 reviewsFree parkingPets: 1 dogBreakfast includedCheck prices
Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham East FlagstaffEast Flagstaff and Route 66 9.0/10 on Expedia · 1,237 reviewsFree parkingPets: dogs and cats, up to 2, set rooms onlyBreakfast includedCheck prices
La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Flagstaff East I-40East Flagstaff and Route 66 8.6/10 on Expedia · 2,437 reviewsFree parkingPets: dogs and cats, up to 2, up to 75 lb eachBreakfast includedCheck pricesAbout 12 miles from downtown, roughly 20 minutes by car without traffic.
Every day from 9 am to 5 pm, except December 25 and January 1 and in extreme weather. In winter the Island Trail can close for snow and ice; call 928-526-3367 to check.
It's a national monument, managed by the National Park Service since 1934, with its own entrance fee: $25 per private vehicle.
It can be: the trail hugs the canyon wall with steep drop-offs in places. The Rim Trail overlooks the canyon without going into it.
Most kids, even preschoolers, manage it well. Some stretches have no handrails.
On a leash on the Rim Trail and in the parking lot, yes. Dogs aren't allowed on the Island Trail or in the visitor center.
