Overview

Hype:

Montezuma Castle National Monument protects a set of well-preserved dwellings located in Camp Verde, Arizona which were built and used by the Sinagua people, a pre-Columbian culture closely related to the Hohokam and other indigenous peoples of the southwestern United States, between approximately 1100 and 1425 AD. The main structure comprises five stories and twenty rooms, and was built over the course of three centuries.

Neither part of the monument's name is correct. When European-Americans first observed the ruins in the 1860s, by then long-abandoned, they named them for the famous Aztec emperor Montezuma in the mistaken belief that he had been connected to their construction (see also Montezuma mythology).[6] In fact, the dwelling was abandoned more than 40 years before Montezuma was born, and was not a "castle" in the traditional sense, but instead functioned more like a "prehistoric high rise apartment complex".

Several Hopi clans and Yavapai communities trace their ancestries to early immigrants from the Montezuma Castle/Beaver Creek area. Clan members periodically return to these ancestral homes for religious ceremonies.

Time:

Fees: Entrance Fee

Recommended Ages:

	0-3
	4-11
	12-19
	20-49
	50-69
	70+

Recommended Months to Visit:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Features:

National Monument
Structures, Ruins, Dwellings
Mountains
Road Access is Paved
Access Road is 2WD Accessible
Wildflowers and Vegitation

Links: www.nps.gov

Getting There

Navigate to 34.611720, -111.839797.

Maps

Closest City or Region: Camp Verde, Arizona

Coordinates: 34.611720, -111.839797

Interactive Guide Map

Download Guide Map

View map fullscreen.

April 9, 2022 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Tara Dye, Savannah Dye, Madilyn Dye, Cooper Dye, Callie Parker, Wade Parker, Aria Parker, Lillian Parker,

Story

As we were driving from camp to Montezuma Castle, the Parkers' SUV broke down. Tara dropped the kids and me off at Montezuma Castle and went back and picked up the Parker kids so they wouldn't have to be bored while waiting for the tow truck. I worked on the Junior Ranger books with my kids and we walked out to see the castle. Then when Tara got there with the Parker kids, the two us us took a van full of kids over to Montezuma Well. Then Tara went back to Montezuma Castle to fetch the rest of the kids. Tara had seen the sights a few years ago and I never had, so I got to do the hikes with the kids while Tara did most of the shuttling. The kids and I hiked around the well and Tara ended up taking the Parker kids back to their tow truck instead of to the well. We all visited the lower outlet then the pithouse, then we started the long drive home.

View map fullscreen