RonnieAdventure #0470 - Wupatki National Monument, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Falls, Arizona

 

Wupatki National Monument contains 35,422 acres of land and over thirty Pueblo buildings and structures that were first inhabited around AD 500. The Monument also contains several kivas and the northernmost ballcourt ever discovered in North America. 

After leaving Flagstaff, there are few eating establishments until reaching the Grand Canyon, so lunch was enjoyed in the parking lot out of the back of our vehicle.  

Many people start their tour of the Grand Canyon south rim at the Watch Tower, which provides an unobstructed elevated view of the Canyon. Unfortunately, during the summer months there is a lot of haze in the canyon. The ideal time to visit the Canyon is during the winter months when the air is clear and there are only a fraction of the tourist. Our Danish relatives thought this was a really big hole in the ground!

BONUS PICTURES

By the way the crow flies, Grand Falls of the Little Colorado River is located less than 20 miles east of Wupatki National Monument. Unfortunately, driving there in a vehicle it is a lot farther. 

The falls are over 180 feet tall, which makes them taller than Niagara Falls; but, there is a definite lack of tourist that visit Grand Falls. Unlike Niagara Falls that has fairly clear water, Grand Falls often look like something from Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory due to the large amount of red sediment in the water. There are no facilities in the area, but there is a nice sheltered picnic area overlooking the falls. 

The dirt trail leading to the falls is usually passable in a passenger car; but due to the falls remoteness and quickly changing road conditions when wet, a high-clearance vehicle with four-wheel drive is recommended. When visiting the falls, timing is critical because there is water flowing over the falls only in the spring and after at a heavy rain storm during the monsoon season.

BONUS-BONUS PICTURES

One time when we were in the Grand Canyon at the confluence of the Little Colorado River and the Colorado River, we put on lifejackets and floated down part of the Little Colorado River. Needless to say, later in the day we were overjoyed when we found a natural spring waterfall with clean water!