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Palatki National Monument: Hidden Ruins in Sedona

Arizona, Blog, International Travel, Nature, United States, , , , , , ,

 

Palatki? Where’s that? Even people who know Sedona aren’t always familiar with Palatki. However, you are about to be in the know! Here’s a little bit about the Sinagua Native ruins at Palatki, how to get there, and good things to know.

 

 

What to Expect

Palatki is a collection of Sinagua ruins that are thought to be at least 800 years old. They are located on the former homestead of a Mormon settler who actually lived in some of the ruins as he was building his house! Today, the site is a national monument where you can come take a look at the ancient homes and petroglyphs hidden in the Sedona red rock cliffs.

 

 

If you’ve been following this blog for at least a week, you know that Ben and I took a trip all the way up the state of Arizona to visit ancient pueblos. Palatki was number three on our list, and it was definitely different than either Tuzigoot or Pueblo la Plata, the first two we visited!

 

 

For one thing, these particular ruins are located in the shadow of a huge cliff. They also feature ancient rock art spanning probably thousands of years. Pretty cool! It can be hard to find well-preserved petroglyphs.

 

 

Palatki is managed by National Park volunteers who live onsite. Um… where do I sign up? The volunteers give complementary tours of both sites within Palatki. I’m not usually a tour person, but this was awesome. We had a great time and learned a lot!

 

 

How to Get There

Palatki is a bit far from the beaten path, but no so far as to make it hard to get there. It’s worth it, so be sure to go sometime!

 

 

If you are coming from Phoenix, head north on the I-17 until you get to Camp Verde. Then go left on the 260 until you get to Cottonwood. From there, go north on the 89A. Finally, turn left on Loy Butte Road. At the fork, go right on Boynton Point Road. This will take you to Palatki!

 

 

Good Things to Know

  • You will need a Red Rocks Pass, which I believe is $5, or a U.S. National Parks Pass, which is $80. We have the National Parks Pass.
  • The park is open from 9:30 to 3:00, seven days a week.
  • You have to take the tour to see the ruins. This sounds complicated, but it is not. Just call (928) 282-3854 and ask to get a reservation at the time you intend to visit.

 

 

Other Nearby Ruins

Can’t make Palatki, or want to see more? Check out other nearby ruins:

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