Wupatki National Monument

Susent Crater Volcano National Monument and Wupatki National Monument are so closely linked that it is hard to visit one without visiting the other.  However, as I drove toward Wupatki the environment changed dramatically from forest to desert.  Off in the distance I could see painted desert sands.

 

The literature provided by the park service said that this site may have housed up to 100 Ancestral Puebloans. These ancient peoples lived in the Four Corners Region and occupied the cliff dwelling at Navajo National Mounment, Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon and Walnut Canyon as well as here.

 

Here is a close up of the ball court.

 

I also visited the nearby Wukoki Pueblo.