Flagstaff is the largest city, and the county seat, of Arizona's northern Coconino County. Home of Northern Arizona University and Lowell Observatory, and adjacent to at least four National Monuments as well as Grand Canyon National Park, if you want to enjoy the parts of Arizona that are as un-desert-like as possible, you can't go wrong with Flagstaff.

San Francisco Peaks

By: Paul S Cilwa	Posted: 10/8/2017		Page Views: 1,285
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Spectacular photos of Arizona's highest point.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s) (116 words)

The San Francisco Peaks are a volcanic mountain range just north of Flagstaff. A remnant of the ancient San Francisco Mountain, the highest summit in its range is Humphreys Peak, which is also the highest point in the state of Arizona at 12,633 feet in elevation. The San Francisco Peaks are the remains of an eroded stratovolcano. An aquifer within the caldera supplies much of Flagstaff's water while the mountain itself is in the Coconino National Forest, a popular recreation site. The Arizona Snowbowl ski area is on the western slopes of Humphreys Peak, and has been the subject of major controversy involving several tribes and environmental groups.

Sunset Crater National Monument

By: Paul S Cilwa			Page Views: 1,263
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In 1085 CE, this volcano erupted, covering an area of more than 810 square miles, changing forever the lives of the residents.
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One needn't travel to Alaska, Hawaii, or the Pacific Northwest to find a real, live volcano. Sunset Crater is located just north of Flagstaff, Arizona. Although its last eruption was almost a thousand years ago, and it's unlikely to erupt again, its effects, both on the people who lived here then and since, and on the stark, deceptive landscape, make the Sunset Crater National Monument a must-see stop on any visit to the Southwest.

Tuzigoot National Monument

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 3/19/2000 Posted: 12/14/2016		Page Views: 1,457
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Photos from our first visit.
Estimated reading time: 2 minute(s) (348 words)

Tuzigoot was excavated from 1933 to 1935 by Louis Caywood and Edward Spicer of the University of Arizona, with funding from the federal Civil Works Administration and Works Project Administration. In 1935?1936, with additional federal funding, the ruins were prepared for public display, and a Pueblo Revival-style museum and visitor center was constructed. The monument is on land once owned by United Verde/Phelps Dodge. The corporation sold the site to Yavapai County for $1, so that the excavation could be completed under the auspices of federal relief projects. The county in turn transferred the land to the federal government

Walnut Canyon National Monument

By: Paul S Cilwa			Page Views: 1,191
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All about the archaeological site near Flagstaff, Arizona.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s) (73 words)

Walnut Canyon National Monument is located about 10 miles southeast of downtown Flagstaff, Arizona, near Interstate 40. The canyon rim elevation is 6,690 feet above sea level; the canyon's floor is 350 feet lower. A 0.9 mi long loop trail descends 185 feet into the canyon, passing 25 cliff dwelling rooms attributed to the "Sinagua", a pre-Columbian cultural group that lived in Walnut Canyon from about 1100 to 1250 CE.

Wupatki National Monument

By: Paul S Cilwa	Occurred: 7/14/2017		Page Views: 1,256
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All the photos from a visit to the 800-year-old ruins near Sunset Crater.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s) (195 words)

The many settlement sites scattered throughout the Wupatki National Monument were built by the Ancient Pueblo People, more specifically those now referred to as the Cohonina, Kayenta Anasazi, and Sinagua. Wupatki was first inhabited around 500 AD. Wupatki, which means "Tall House" in the Hopi language, is a multistory pueblo dwelling comprising over 100 rooms and a community room and ball court, making it the largest building for nearly 50 miles.